Newbie – What to do with a toilet flange and T hub after installing a tile floor

I am tiling my bathroom; I’ve removed the toilet and underlayment to resolve problems with squeaks in the subfloor. The underside of the toilet flange was flush with the subfloor not the removed underlayment (arg!).

The flange is set into a 3†PVC T hub. The inside diameter of the flange is 3â€. It looks like when it was installed 30 years ago that the top of the flange was cut flush with the top of the T and “glued†to the verticle part of a flange that extends into the T 2†or about 3/8†short of the 90° bend in the T. Even though “glued†it is solidly attached to the top of the T hub.

The existing flange will be 1 ¼â€â€ short when new underlayment (1/2â€), thinset (1/8â€), ditra (1/8â€), thinset (1/8â€) and tile (3/8â€) layers are installed. What I want to avoid is replacing the T hub that services all facilities in 2 bathrooms; this would be an ugly job! I also don’t like the idea of somehow cutting out the vertical part of the flange since I expect I could easily damage the T hub, and I am then back to replacing the T hub.

What are my alternatives for dealing with the flange height?

Thanks!

Stephen

A plumber can bore out the hub to accept a new, longer riser with a ram-bit. Then she would fit a fairly long riser stub and leave that capped while you do your floor. When everything's done, she comes back and cuts the riser to the proper level and fits a new flange over the floor. That's more or less what I did on my recent tile job -- though I fit the flange at the end myself.

Another option could be to use flange extenders to get the flange to the height you want. 1-1/4 is a lot of extending, IMO.

If it truely is a T, it's the wrong fitting and should be removed and replaced with the proper one. If you chose to leave it, they do make a special bit to ream out the pipe from the inside of the fitting - one is called a Ram-bit. It will remove the pipe and leave you a nice socket to glue a new piece of pipe into the fitting. A T into a horizontal line from a toilet does not direct the waste the proper direction.

RE: If it truely is a T, it's the wrong fitting and should be removed and replaced with the proper one.

It is definitely a T hub with a toilet flange on top of it. There are 2 bathrooms separated by a common wall. All waste for each of the toilets, sinks and tubs exits through one side of the T hub that sits under the one toilet.

If this is the wrong fitting, what should it have been to begin with?

RE: If you chose to leave it, they do make a special bit to ream out the pipe from the inside of the fitting - one is called a Ram-bit.

From a google search, the ram-bit is pricey. Is it the type of tool I could rent at say a Taylor Rental or somewhere else?

RE: A T into a horizontal line from a toilet does not direct the waste the proper direction.

The T hub is tapered on the back side (I'll see if I can get a picture of it), so it forces the waste toward the discharge side of the T which fits into a length of pipe that is pitched downward. Not sure if I am explaining this correctly, but it has worked for 30+ years.

Sounds like a sanitary T, still not right, but better than a straight T.

RE: Sounds like a sanitary T, still not right

What should it be then?

A sanitary T can be used on the vertical as a connection to a vent, not as a waste junction on the horizontal. A y is the thing it is supposed to be...verify with one of the pros.

It could be a heel-vent 90. I think that would even be kosher as long as the heel vent is a wet vent from some other fixture.

All speculation without a picture. Got a picture?

Here the heel would have to be facing up to be legal.
Rather than thinking of a heel 90 as an elbow think of it as a tee.

After redoing the math, I do not need to raise the existing flange height by 1 1/4" as per my original note, rather only 29/32".

I've been reading lots about flanges and ran across this site - www.set-rite.com

Anyone ever use their flange extender kit? This would appear to be a solution.

Comments?

Yes I have used them.
They work well when flange height is an after thought on a flooring replacement job.