Uneven toilet flange in concrete

Users who are viewing this thread

John/Charleston

Junior Member
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Charleston SC
I'm going to tile a small bath floor in a rental I own. The flange is set uneven in the concrete floor and the high point of the flange is about 1/8" below the level of the concrete. The low side of the flange is about 1/4" lower.
The tile I'm using is 3/8" so with thinset, I'll be raising the floor level about another 1/2". I know there are flange extensions but I've never used one so I'm not sure just what they're like. Is there a way to both extend and level the flange without chopping out a large amount of concrete?

I'm a carpenter with an assortment of tools and I remember in the past delicately taking apart a pvc fitting set in concrete so I know that's possible though it felt pretty iffy.

Thanks for all replies. I can check back in the AM.

John
 

Attachments

  • Flange.jpg
    Flange.jpg
    43.2 KB · Views: 6,797

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,770
Reaction score
1,190
Points
113
Location
New England
Flange extenders are flat, with no tapers, so they would not help the issue (at least in those I've seen). Most plumbers don't like all plastic flanges - they prefer those with a SS ring, stronger and less likely to crack if the toilet is tightened down too much, or gets bumped. Fixing the flange probably means going down to the elbow to replace and straighten the riser. If you go to that trouble, the flange is supposed to be on top of the finished floor.

You've got several choices in order of preference: redo the flange and put it where it should be, use some flange extnders to raise it, use a waxless seal that has a throat on it that will make the seal as is when recessed like that, or use a couple of stacked wax seals. If the toilet gets plugged and you plunge it aggressively, you can blow out stacked wax seals.
 

Gary Swart

In the Trades
Messages
8,101
Reaction score
84
Points
48
Location
Yakima, WA
If in your carpentry profession, if you have ever gone out on a job where some DIY remodeling was done, you have surely encountered cases where someone hacked something and covered it up rather than doing it the right way, knowing that when it was discovered, perhaps years later, they would be long gone and it wouldn't be their problem. That's what happened to your toilet flange. Now you have the choice of trying a quick and easy repair or doing it right. True, the hack repair might work just fine, but you never know for sure. Just a comment for what it's worth.
 

Shacko

Master Plumber-Gas Fitter
Messages
559
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Rosedale, Md
Your flange is not that far out of level, I would just use a flange extender ring to bring it up.
 

John/Charleston

Junior Member
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Charleston SC
Well I forgot to take pictures today but since the concrete floor is whacked I decided to use some self leveling "stuff" to make the tile installation go smoother. So before I did that, I added a flange extender that added 3/4" and I shimmed it up on one side with lots of silicone packed underneath. As you can tell from the above pic, the concrete is beveled out around the original flange so the floor leveler should fill in around the flange and extender and sort of "back up" the silicone. I think it'll be fine once it's all in place.

Gary, you're right about hack jobs but sometimes it's just not practical to make it "right" if there's an easy way to make it "good enough".
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks