Toilet Flange
While you may never have even heard of a toilet flange before, and toilets may seem like a very dull subject to you, sometimes things that you don’t really care about, or have never even heard about or thought about play an important part in your life.
Even if you have never heard of a toilet flange (also known as a closet flange) before, it almost certainly is a part of your daily life, unless you live in a country where you use an outhouse instead of indoor restroom facilities. What is a toilet flange? A toilet flange is the ring that is used to fasten your toilet to the floor. More specifically, the flange is attached to the floor, and then your toilet is screwed onto the flange, to keep it well situated and secure, and to prevent it from coming out of place or from shifting around.
Whether or not you have never heard of a toilet flange before today, and irregardless of whether you have ever thought about its importance, if your toilet flange breaks, it can suddenly become important to you to find out how to repair it! Many times in life, we take something completely for granted until it stops working. We don’t think twice about having a refrigerator, unless it goes out, and we are left wondering what to do with all the food that is inside it to keep it from spoiling until we can get the refrigerator repaired or replaced. We take hot water for granted until the hot water heater goes out, and we are left shivering as we try to shower in cold water. The same is true for toilet flanges, or maybe even more so. We take them completely for granted, or maybe do not even realize that such a thing exists unless it breaks or malfunctions, and then we suddenly learn a fact or two!
There are several reasons for replacing a closet flange. One is if your old closet flange breaks. However sometimes your flange may not be broken, but if your toilet is unstable or rocking, it could be that you need a different size or height of closet flange than the one that is currently installed in your bathroom. Perhaps whoever installed your current closet flange underneath your toilet did not do it correctly, and it needs to be redone.
When seeking to replace a toilet flange, a first step is to determine which size of toilet flange you will need to do the repair job. You will need to take into account such aspects as the toilet flange height, and the width and diameter of the connection point between your toilet and the floor. You also must take the time and effort to go to the hardware store and select the correct closet flange and any other necessary tools, parts, or supplies, before you can get anywhere on doing this repair job on your broken toilet flange.
Of course, before you begin the replacement process, you will have to completely remove the toilet by unscrewing it, so that you can get to the toilet flange, remove the old one, and begin the installation of the new and better part. To prepare yourself, you must have a few simple tools on hand, such as a wrench, a chisel, and a device to provide leverage to lift the old flange out of its position. Once you have old flange removed, the floor cleared, and the new part purchased, you are ready in earnest to begin! It is important to be sure that the new toilet flange you buy is one that has a good seal, so you will not have problems with water leakage. Also, be sure that you install the closet flange in such a way that it ends up being at the right height, so that the toilet will be stable. It is important to make sure that your toilet flange is not installed so that it sticks up too high above the floor, but it is also important to make sure that the flange is not too low, and actually beneath the surface of the floor. If it ends up being too low, you will need to buy a toilet flange extender. When you have finished putting the flange in place, add the wax ring before putting the toilet back in place, and carefully tightening the bolts.
Setting a toilet flange on concrete can be an especial challenge, but by doing a little research ahead of time, you can equip yourself to do a good job, learning exactly how to set and position each piece to produce the best end result, while also giving yourself the added benefit of a high quality concrete bathroom floor!
Plumbing jobs always seem to take more time and energy than you wish. However looking into all the details before you start can help prevent you from making mistakes and having to redo certain steps in the process, or to have to make extra runs to the hardware store to buy other items that you didn’t realize you would need just to install a toilet flange!