Water closet flange 2" - 3" above floor, what to do?

Is there any solution if our flange is going to sit 2" to 3" above our floor?

I've seen this question a number of times on this forum and the answer seems to be that the best solution is to for the floor / flange / toilet to all meet. Should we consider an up-flush toilet? Is there someone who makes a comfort height toilet that would allow the flange to be connected higher in the toilet base?

Our problem is that we are remodeling a bathroom in our condo. The floor is concrete and we are moving the toilet. We found out late that the only way for us to move the waste pipe is by creating an elbow above the height of the current floor which then needs another elbow to get it vertical again. The total height this maneuver requires is 8 3/4". We can easily build the floor height up 6", but if we go higher, we've been told that we'd need to put in another step to enter the bathroom (so, an intermediate step at 4.5" and then the step up to the floor). We'd like to avoid having two steps to enter our bathroom. Is there any other solution?

A plumber would break cement and move the drain under the cement then redo the cement.

You need a plumber!

Raising the floor is not an acceptable option and all floor mount toilets require the same flange height.

thanks for the quick reply, Redwood. We've actually got a plumber and they tried breaking the cement. It's too high risk - the cement is hard and it's possible that there will be damage to the apartment below us. So, we're being told we've got to deal with things as they are.

I'm now reading about a rear discharge toilet - would that provide any flexibility? Could we run the waste pipe to our wall and then over to the rear outlet?

You could use a rear discharge or, wall mount toilet and do that. Toilet selection is limited on those models.

Raising the floor ANY amount will lower the value of the house by a corresponding amount of cubic dollars. It is a bad way to go. It screams "hack job".

There are some things you just can't do in a condo. This may be one of them. But it CAN be done, just a question of $$$$.

First, you could offer an incentive to your downstairs neighbor to allow you to access through his ceiling. ( If I was the downstairs guy, the incentive would have to be MAJOR).

You CAN go through the concrete, MAYBE. Is this a structural concrete floor, or is this a typical 2 or 3 story wood frame building, with lightweight concrete floated on the floors for fire protection?

A wall mount toilet still leaves you the problem of dealing with the existing toilet flange in the floor.

I won't even ask whether your HOA has signed off on this remodel you are doing!

thanks for the input, jimbo. We do have approval from our building and the NYC Department of Buildings for our remodel. We're on the 21st floor, and unfortunately, the slab is structural. At this point, the only options are to go through the slab from our downstairs neighbor (as you suggested) or to go above the floor. Going through the slab would certainly solve a lot for us, but the cost (and potential for litigation) seems prohibitive.

As to how the rear-outlet toilet would actually be integrated into the plumbing in the "above the floor" solution - I'm really not sure. My hope is extend the waste pipe that's currently in the floor and bring it around to connect with the rear outlet. Having no experience with this, I don't know if that is sensible / possible. I asked our plumber this morning, so I hope to know more soon.

toilet

The existing toilet probably passes through the floor into the ceiling below. If so, then relocating it could be fairly simple, assuming it is not placed directly against the bottom of the concrete preventing any slope. Even a rear outlet toilet could be a challenge depending on how the piping is installed in the wall, and floor. You will probably need access into the lower level's ceiling regardless of what you do. Raising the floor would be the absolute last solution, especially since an inspector would probably reject your "two elbow" installation because of the lack of a vent.

The only actual solution is to go back a step.

Rethink the design, come up with a plan that does not involve moving the toilet.

After all, you don't renovate your apartment to reduce its value.


There is no way to move your toilet, on a structural slab, without creating something really fugly like this raised floor idea.

Well, there is, but it would be really expensive.

Going through the neighbour's ceiling probably won't work, either - if it's a structural slab, then you're in one of those highrises, and his ceiling is just the bottom of the same slab.


Your architect or your contractor should have caught this, and talked you out of it at the beginning.

I gotta go with Frenchie on this one. As others pointed out, raising the floor is the mark of a hack job and will diminish the value of your condo. The other options not only will be quite expensive, they would require your neighbors cooperation and approval of your condo association. It's often said that will enough money anything is possible, but you also must determine that it is really worth it. I'd tell the designer to go back to work and come up with another plan.

toiletnewbie said:

Is there any solution if our flange is going to sit 2" to 3" above our floor? ... an up-flush toilet? .... allow the flange to be connected higher in the toilet base?

... we are remodeling .... moving the toilet. We found out late that the only way for us to move the waste pipe is by creating an elbow above the height of the current floor which then needs another elbow to get it vertical again. ....

Click to expand...

Post a floor plan for the whole area around the bathroom, and you'll get good ideas from experienced eyeballs.

It is possible that you can salvage your project, KEEP your proposed floor plan and finish happily by buying a wall-hung or rear-outlet toilet. In my mind it is probable. There are four different wall mount toilet carrier systems available in the US. There are even more rear outlet toilet options.

Before suggesting names of product, I'd like to see your space. A stick line diagram showing floor plan. Please.

Historical note: I wonder if prior to starting, if you and your contractor had opened your dropped ceiling above your own bathroom you could have seen the pipes and available spaces, and projected down one floor so you would not have discovered so late what space was available for your toilet drain under your slab. In any case to move a toilet requires drilling a new hole and ripping up your neighbor's bathroom ceiling. I've done this twice in concrete condos. The downstairs neighbors did not require any incentive to cooperate. It is their duty to let you have access to your plumbing, and they want to have the right to claim the same access one day if and when they renovate and upgrade too.

This is a situation where you want to spend as much money as necessary to get high quality product so you have upgraded your value.

In your diagram put a dot or mark to show where venting comes down.

David

bath

One thing I have not seen addressed, is that the ceilings are usually lowered to accomodate the upstairs plumbing and raising the floor would reduce the headroom to less than the code minimum, creating an unresellable unit.

Go talk to your neighbor's down stairs, bring a bottle of wine and offer to foot the bill to repaint the entire washroom not just the ceiling and see what happens

Plumbing Toilet

Do you have a picture you can upload so we can get a better idea? I dont see any reason why this cant be moved...

Have you talked to more than one plumber.