Off Set- Broken-& Too High Flange

GraciAnn

Greetings All - I was replacing to update a 14 year old toilet in my home and have encountered the following problems:

PVC (OFF-SET) flange broken, uneven on 1 side and sits approximately ½” to 5/8” above tile floor.

So far, reading the other posts have helped educate me a great deal!

And so far have tried the flange repair kits (both ring & ½ circle stainless) however did not get a correct fit probably due to the OFF-set original flange & I was uncomfortable with the additional height even though minimal.
Now, well I’m not sure what to do. I'm thinking about trying the cut flange & reinstall another advice I've read. At this point if even thought about calling a plumber but it seems that finding good honest workmanship, is impossible at least for me. Thanks for the help!

Double A

Why is that? Are all the plumbers locked up in prison? Try asking for some referrals from friends, neighbors or from the folks you go to church with. At least one of them has met an honest plumber.

Marlin

Can you take a picture? Do you have access to the pipes below?

Ron The Plumber

Yes picture would be good.

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GraciAnn

Thanks for your replies - Look for pictures posted tomorrow. I appreciate your help!

The odd thing is that I only rely on referals from neighbors or friends when I do decide to hire someone - if I can't do the work myself. And the few times I have had to call help, it has usually not been what I consider quality work. For instance when I hired a contractor to install my ventahood - he decided to use his 6" duct and 2 severe 90 degree turns rather than the 8" duct and my plan which I had carefully mapped out. I was taking care of my newborn at the time BUT learned my lesson and should have been carefully following him with newborn and 2 year old in tow. I was the one that actually ended up doing the job over & it really wansn't that difficult.

Good Friday I had drips coming from my first floor ceiling - I called my trusty plumber I had used off and on for a couple years. Since good Friday was a holiday for him - he charged his emergency rate and came pronto. The leak was a tiny leak in a pipe leading to my 3 year old water tank in my attic causing a small amount of water damage. He cut off a small portion of the pipe and after one half hour the job was done and I was only charged a couple hundred dollars.

After the he left, I went up to attic to take a look at the previous amount of damage & noticed this pipe was 'sweating'. I tired to follow where I thought the moisture was coming from and all of a suddan the pipe exploded from the tank into my face and quickly deposited several more gallons of water into my attic before I was able to turn off the main water. It caused an incredible amount of water damage. He did come back and replaced the entire pipe this last time. Ceiling repairs were quoted $850 - but I'm considering doing the work myself - maybe.

So if this is the best referals I can get than I prefer to do the repairs if I can myself. Thanks for your help.

GraciAnn

Here are 2 pictures of off-set, broken and loopsized flange.

I did try the flange repair kits but sub floor isn't close enough to catch the screws.

I could possibly have repairs done from the ceiling below if necessary.

Not sure who will do the work but want to arm myself with as much knowledge with this thing as possible.

Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated!

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Marlin

That's not too bad. Get yourself some galvanized drywall screws a little longer then the screws you have now. Put washers on the drywall screws and secure the repair flange to the sub floor like that. You should be able to flatten out the flange just by tightening the screws. Don't just tighten one, tighten them all evenly to avoid putting all the stress on one screw which could cause it to strip out.

GraciAnn

Thanks Marlin, I'm glad it's not too bad!

But I may have bought the wrong flange repair piece (see new photo).

When I place this piece on top of off-set flange the way I think it should be (butt at edges) - it just doesn't seem to fit - Not only will the toilet bolt be too close to the side - the pre-drilled holes in this thing don't line up. Did I buy the wrong thing?

Thanks for taking the time to help me!

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HVACman

I had a problem that was similar, I needed more "pull" and did like Marlin said, got some longer screws and added a small 2x4 block from underneath so that the flange was pulled down tight.

HVACman

Here is a pic of my repair from underneath

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GraciAnn

Thanks H-Man for sending me image. That really helped. I think I'll be able to access through ceiling. And if so, just wondering if I ought to just have a
new one installed. I was trying to avoid having to do that.

Could the loopsided flange be due to the negligence of the contractor not caring whether the pipe was cut straight or not? Even if I step on it - it doesn't want to budge.

Also, I can't seem to locate any replacment kit that would work - I can get the screw holes to line up but then the hold down bolt would't be properly positioned. Any idea where I might order one that would work?

Many thanks for your help.

HVACman

If you notice my pic, I have a rubber coupling in there. Could you cut a small section of your drain line downstairs and then reconnect it with a rubber coupling? The rubber coupling would give you some "wiggle" room upstairs so that you could pull down the flange tight to the floor.

GraciAnn

H-Man - Going up through the ceiling is really the best way of solving my problem too after seeing your picture. Thanks for the info.

Marlin

That's not the flange repair kit I've seen. The ones I've seen are a complete circle, not a part of one.
Did you remove the old screws before trying to screw it down? If you did and can't tighten it down with longer screws and the repair kit you're going to have to open the ceiling. It shouldn't be too big a job to replace the flange.