Flange just a bit too tall for toilet

Hi all -

I had a plumber over yesterday to install a new Toto Drake (bathroom remodel). It turns out that the toilet flange (the plastic part) was just a bit too high so the toilet sits on the flange itself and the toilet sits maybe 1/8" off of the floor.

The toilet flange is installed in a concrete slab, so I can't adjust the height. The plumber told me I should just try a different model toilet, maybe other models have just a little more clearance. Is there much variation between toilet models? I am thinking of trying some different Toto models or maybe a Kohler Cimarron because I can just get it from HD and return it without any hassle if it doesn't work.

Otherwise, he said, I could put the toilet on shims or some other hacked up solution, but I would prefer not to go down that route. FWIW, the tile is laid directly on the concrete slab as before, and the new tile is thicker than the old tile. I guess the old toilet had a lot more clearance underneath than the Drake.

(I know there was another similar post recently on this subject, but I thought I'd post since I have different circumstances.)

The Cimarron will be similar where it meets the floor.
If it's only an 1/8", I would use some shims and caulk the base.

You can also cut down the flange some, and that would work. In those cases I've used a metal repair flange drilled through the tile and concrete to hold the closet bolts.
If we had been there, you would have had a working toilet before we left the job.

It's not uncommon (but really annoying!) for there to be a hump around the toilet flange on a concrete slab floor.

How high is the flange in relation to the finished floor? Normally, it would be installed on top of the finished floor, tight to the floor.

Are you sure it's hitting the flange and not just rocking on the uneven flooring? If the flange doesn't stick up more than say around 1/4" from the floor all around, it's the floor not being flat that's causing your problems, not the flange directly. You should be able to shim it in that case.

Take a straightedge and level and see exactly what's going on and get back. A picture would help.

As mentioned, shimming and caulking are standard practices for your situation. A nice caulk job around the base of the toilet, and no one will be the wiser. Some people even use grout around the base of the toilet if the floor is tiled, but then it's harder to pull the toilet down the road.

Terry said:

The Cimarron will be similar where it meets the floor.
If it's only an 1/8", I would use some shims and caulk the base.

You can also cut down the flange some, and that would work. In those cases I've used a metal repair flange drilled through the tile and concrete to hold the closet bolts.
If we had been there, you would have had a working toilet before we left the job.

Click to expand...

What do you mean by cutting down the flange? I can't picture what part would be cut down...isn't the flat plastic part of the flange needed to create a good seal against the wax ring?

Also, I would have to shim all the way around the perimeter of the toilet...is that going to be stable enough?

Will post up some pictures when I get home tonight.

Or you can use a waxless seal if the flange has been cut down.
It acts like a funnel.

What size drain - 3" or 4"?

You could cut the current flange out from the inside of the pipe and put a flange that mounts on the inside of the drain if the current one goes on the outside.

Terry's got the right idea - basically cut the flange off down to the concrete and put one of these units in - slips inside the current drain pipe.

I'd do this before raising the toilet with shims etc.

Hi everyone -

Thanks for the suggestions. The no-wax solution sounds great, but I didn't mention that I have an offset flange, so those won't work for me.

I decided just to get some plastic shims from HD and shim up the bowl. I used some Goop to glue down the shims before setting the bowl down. So far, so good.

I goofed a little while pushing the wax ring down - turned it a little bit. Doesn't appear to be any leaks after repeated flushing (didn't caulk around the base yet). Do you think the wax seal is ok?