Installation help/advice

[farmguy]

New at this plumbing business. I've removed an old toilet and torn up the linoleum floor in the bathroom (along with the 1/8" backing) so as to get down to the original hardwood floors.

This has left the toilet flange sitting about 1/4" above the hardwood floor although there is still some of the old flooring under the flange itself.

Is this an issue when installing the new toilet or will the wax ring seal that 1/4" gap? If it is an issue, is there a flange adaptor piece or some such thing that would solve the issue? I'm sure I'm not the first guy to have run into this.

[jadnashua]

Your toilet probably won't seat properly. The toilet sits on the floor, there is a circular depression in the toilet that gets filled with the wax ring which presses down on the flange to seal things. If the flange sits too high, the toilet will rock or there will be no room for any wax and it will likely leak. Three choices if it doesn't sit flat...tear out the flange and lower it (best alternative), look for a toilet with a higher opening (not likley but there are slight differences), or raise the toilet back up on a platform. If it is a cast iron flange and pipe, lowering it isn't too bad nor is it if it is pvc, especially if you have access from below. If you do, and it it cast iron or pvc (or abs), you could cut out a section and rebuild it to the proper height.

[farmguy]

Thanks Jim,

You've confirmed what I thought. As it happens, I can access the ABS pipe from underneath in the unfinished basement, so the cut & lower will be the way I'm going to go.

Scott

[leejosepho]

... the cut & lower will be the way I'm going to go.

Yes, and be sure your floor is at its finished height before installing the new flange on top of it.