Jeff_08
New Member
Hi everyone. I have a problem with the PVC (I believe) flange that's in one of my bathrooms. I had some trouble with the floor being uneven and had to route out a ledge from a template I traced to get the toilet to sit without the slight wobble (very, very slight but it made me nervous). I have installed maybe 4-5 toilets before so it wasn't completely new to me. I went to tighten the bolts and when I felt that I should stop turning, there was a slight wiggle if I pushed the front from side to side which may be due to the wood floor underneath which I understand isn't the greatest but it's already there so I don't plan on removing it. I went to the local hardware store to pick up some silicone and talked to two of the guys there that seemed to be ex-plumbers I'd guess. They said the toilet should not move at all once it's tightened down and that I need to keep tightening the bolts even after I mentioned that I felt uncomfortable with more turns and possibly cracking the base. They said it is tougher than I think and to keep going until it feels like the wrench won't turn much more. Well, I should have just left it alone because I did tighten them more and the wiggle was still there, and then all of a sudden I heard a loud POP sound - scared the heck out of me but it wasn't the porcelain. I pulled the toilet off to double check everything and the flange was busted. The tightening pulled the edges up and cracked not only where the slot is but partially inside the area below there which goes down into the floor. I believe it's worse than just using some sort of flange spanner to repair it since part of the tapered area below there is cracked. Keep in mind that I am assuming this is beyond the DIY type of job and that I might need a plumber, but wanted to check here first in case there's an easier solution. The toilet is on the upper floor with a finished ceiling below. Can the crack just be glued with either PVC primer/cement or polyurethane glue and then just use a spanner to fix the slot area, or what about those flange replacement kits from Oatey (cast iron replacement flange or the twist and seal types of kits). I understand that those aren't as permanent as having a plumber come and probably cut the lower level ceiling open to replace the piping up to the broken flange (is that likely?), but if it would be good enough to hold for quite a few years then that might be an option. I would prefer not to spend a ton of money having this somewhat decent repair done but if I have to then I have to, but I wanted to get a few opinions before deciding. Those Oatey kits seal up with a gasket that can be tightened without cutting anything else open for access so I would guess they should hold for quite a while unless disturbed or defective. Do any plumbers use these, or would they likely just replace the whole area up to the flange? Thanks for any help, and I should have trusted my instincts and not tightened those bolts further, but I can't go back at this point. It's making me sick just thinking about the added repair expense I might have just created.
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