Hi everyone. I removed a toilet and installed a tile floor.
It’s a cast iron flange mounted in concrete, bolts are sunk in holes of flange upside down. Bolts do not extend past base of toilet due to increased floor height. Is there any way to remove and reset longer bolts in the flange, or some other idea?
I’m not sure how I will get new bolts in there, that flange is not going anywhere easily.
I can’t be the first with this problem, but I didn’t find anything quite like this via the search.
Thank you for any assistance!
Andy
Replies
They make a bolt where one end is like a lag and the other is threaded like your bolts are. Never thought too much of them but it may be your only option. After cutting off the old ones flush obviously, screw lag end into subfloor and bolt bowl down.
Thanks danno. Unfortunately I am working on a slab. I guess I could drill it down and secure with epoxy? What a mess. I hate plumbing on a Sunday night.
I missed set in concrete. YOu could use tapcons with a washer and silicone the plastic caps on over the tapcon heads. After getting it started I would tighten the tapcon by hand though so I would make sure to get the ones with 5/16 head not the phillips ones.
Thanks again. The major part of my problem is I can't figure out how to get the existing bolts removed from the flange. Flange has just two holes with a bolt coming through each. I think the head of the bolt is actually set in the concrete underneath the flange. It's not set up quite like a closet flange.
New longer Johnny bolts, no? The existing doesn't have regular johnny bolts with the eliptical head? Fits in the larger opening on the flange-slides into position?
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I've attached a pic. Hopefully this helps! House is about 45 years old. Flange is now just 1/8" below tile surface.
I had same problem when I tiled the bath floor. Lowes carries a extender plate that will use your existing bolts to secure the new plate to the old plate. Then you use new toilet bowl screws to secure the toilet to the new plate. Its made of PVC and is approximately 1/4 inch thick, same as a tile and it has a vinyl gasket to fit inside the plumbing pipe. Try it.
Thanks! I will check it out. Lowes is not too close by, but if it solves this, it's worth the trip!
Plumbing supply houses would have them too. I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Lowes, but that's where I bought the last one myself.
That flange is not installed right. I'd cut the old bolts off and put an extension flange on top of it since it's now also too low. Tapcon the extension flange to the slab.
Thanks! I think I can manage that. I'll tapcon in at 12 and 6 o'clock, correct? (where it's currently filled w/ wax). Between you and doowhat, I think the mystery is solved. I'll try to post my results.
Andy
Yes, that flange is a quarter turn from where it should be.
And there's a chance you can get some brass threaded rod and a coupler to make the old bolts work.
Threaded connector with an extension? There are lots of kinds of 1/4" internally threaded lamps parts that would do it, or something like this:
View Image
Wow the flange is sideways. With a good quality wax ring 1/8 below the surface isnt going to cause a leak. some are defaniatly thicker and better than others.
If that isnt enough for ya, at one time I saw a riser type flange I guess it could be a spacer flange too. Here youll see what im talking about:
http://www.oatey.com/Plumber/Shared/ProductGroup/3/Flanges.html
Go to Ace Hardware and get a pair of "couplings" of appropriate thread size. I don't know the correct term for them, but they are aluminum rod threaded inside all the way through.
Thread them onto the existing bolts and screw your brass flange bolts upside down into the couplings. Then you can cut the bolts to appropriate length. Don't forget to thread the nuts onto the flange bolts first so you can use them to dress the cut end threads as you spin them off.
Just head down to the nearest hardware store and buy a threaded connector. It's just a long, skinny nut. You might have to trim your existing bolts a little shorter so the coupler doesn't interfere with the hole in the toilet base.
Forget the flange...why is the drain opening weird?
Possibly part of a very old decrepit wax ring?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
i thought it looked like it could be one of those old lead flanges that got folded in...in which case i'd recommend orthopedics instead of cosmetic surgery.
You got it!
I would take a metal grinder and cut small knotches out twords the side then slide the bolt out and slide a longer bolt in this way you can change again in the future.Some cast iron flanges come with a small knoch that is samller than the closet bolt head.You may need to chip out so the bolt will slide in freely.then put a washe and nut on the flange to tighten and hold the bolt.extentions might stick up through the toilet.