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Posted by Speedy Jim on August 5, 2005, 9:24 am
Hook wrote:
> The toilet in our downstairs bathroom was wobbling a bit. I figured
> that maybe the bolts were loose and tried tightening them, but it still
> wobbeled. I figured that with the movement the bolts may have slipped
> out of there slot. Went and got a new wax ring and bolts to repair it.
> Took the nuts all the way off, lifted up the toilet and found that the
> flange remained with the toilet and seemed to have broken off from the
> pipe. Withour going into detail, it was going to get fixed viw our
> home owners warranty. The tech has soldered on a replacement ring
> (brass) and left telling my wife that he needed some screws that he did
> not have with him, and that he would be back the next day to finish the
> job. In the interim, I guess he changed his mind and let the warranty
> company know that he would have to break the concrete to replace it,
> that is not a "covered" item.
>
> I now have a soldered on flange. I would say the solder is about 75%
> all the way around. It is attached very solidly. I have no idea what
> made the guy change his mind, or what screws he needed initially to
> finish it. I am almost tempted to use it as is. The replacement flange
> ring is above the concrete floor with 4 screw holes. I am thinking of
> screwing it to the floor with some spacers for addition stability. I'm
> not sure the those would be the screws he was refering to or not.
>
> Any ideas? The worst thing that could happen would be for it to break
> again, than I would replace the whole flange. This ring seems solidly
> attached with the solder. What screws might he have been refering to?
> Anyone familiar with this type of repair?
>
What a beautiful example of how worthless the warranties are.
I would be tempted to do what you propose, though it won't be
the "perfect" fix and purists will object.
But first, look at the bottom of the toilet and see how
much space there is from floor level to the "bottom" of the
toilet. This is the depth that the wax ring would occupy.
Now, subtract the height of the flange above the floor.
If that difference is less than 3/8", you'll have a tough time
keeping the wax sealed over time.
If the height looks OK, drill the concrete for expansion
anchors or Tapcons. Use non-corroding fasteners.
Fabricate brass spacers to fit around the screws, under the flange.
Either finish the soldering job or use a sealant such as silicone
caulk to ensure no leaks.
PLAN "B": Rip out the existing flange. Use an "expansion flange"
made just for situations like this:
http://www.plumbingworld.com/toiletflanges.html
You'll have to do some investigating as to sizes and materials
on the existing setup.
Jim
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