hawaiidisney said:
Are the screws visible from the top of the flange?
Yes, they are installed from the top. The holes for them are beveled, so they take the shape of screw called a "wood screw", which has a flat head and are beveled underneath the head.
What do the screws screw to??
The subfloor (often 3/4" plywood or 1" boards, depending on age of house. Concrete, if it's a slab). However, if the hole for the toilet drain was cut too large, there would be nothing within the perimeter of the flange for it to screw to, so the screws would be omitted as useless.
I'm thinking the flange and the pipe going through the floor might be 1 piece.....is that possible?
They should be joined in a fashion (solvent welded if plastic; sweated if copper; etc.) so as to effectively be one piece.
Or the flange is secured by other means....
There is really no other appropriate means. Relying on the pipe to locate the flange results in the kind of mess you had.
I'm not home right now so I can't check....anyway, what I thought was going to be a simple replacement has turned into a frustrating job....the life of a novice plumber I guess.[/QUOTE]
A picture might help. Also helpful to know:
Floor construction (wood or concrete slab)
Is there access from below
Drain pipe material