Pipe sticks through toilet flange, toilet does not rest on floor.

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gerdts

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Thanks to other forums, a shiney new Toto Drake is eagerly awaiting its spot in our home. Unfortunately, it appears as though the drain pipe protrudes through the flange by 1/4" - 3/8". Because of this, the new toilet would like to rest on the drain pipe, not the floor.

toilet-flange-small.jpg


The easy solution seems to be to build a 1/4" platform (or add a layer of tile...), but neither of those are terribly attractive at the moment. It seems that the right thing to do is to cut the protruding portion off. Am I right on this?

If I were to attempt to cut off the 1/4" - 3/8" protrusion, what would be the most likely way to be successful? Are there Sawzall blades that will cut through cast iron reasonably well? Or would an angle grinder (which I don't own...) be the right thing?

Thanks,
Mike
 

Bob's HandyGuy

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Cast iron is brittle. You could probably "nibble" it down with vise grips. That may risk breaking off more than you wanted. I'd attach a course grinding wheel to my drill, say about 5" diameter, then grind away (using dust and eye protection).
 

gerdts

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Fixed

I first attacked it with a sawzall. After dulling 2 18 tpi blades and having barely made it through the pipe with a messy cut that wasn't flush to the top of the flange, I decided that it would probably be better to try other things.

There were a few other places where I saw mention of using an angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel on it. About $60 of new tools and 20 minutes of work later, it was done.

Mike
 

hj

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flange

The "professional" way was to rap around the top of the extended part of the pipe with a hammer. It would have snapped off even with the lead joint and you would have saved $65, and a lot of time.
 

Bob's HandyGuy

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There is an arbor that attaches a metal cutting wheel to your drill. Very useful for small jobs like bolts. You can also put a larger wheel on a circular saw for bigger jobs.
 

JDkimes

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Nobody asked this but is it okay if the pipe sticks up a little? Like in the picture as long as the toilet rest on the floor and the flange is secured to the floor? (In this case he said the toilet is NOT resting on the floor)
But just for future reference.
Won't the wax ring make a seal whether it's the pipe or the flange the wax doesn't care?
I was under the impression that the primary purpose of the flange is to hold the toilet onto the floor.

By the way, HD and Lowes and other online tool stores have angle grinders for $40 that include several wheels.
 

Jadnashua

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As long as the toilet is not resting on the metal pipe at all, I think you'd be okay. The flange needs to be firmly attached to the flooring for two reasons, one to not put stress on the joint, and two to hold the toilet firmly to it. My opinion...
 
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Hey, wait a minute.

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