That toilet flange issue that took me 4 trips to the hardware store

I started a bathroom reno in my 1950s house here in Cleveland a few weeks ago and hit a wall with the toilet flange. The old cast iron pipe was cracked and I figured I'd just swap in a new PVC flange. Took me three trips to Home Depot cause I kept grabbing the wrong offset size and then the screws wouldn't grab the concrete slab. Fourth time I finally got a flange with a stainless ring and hammer drill anchors that worked. Has anyone else dealt with old plumbing that refuses to match modern parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_kelly775d ago

Oh man, the concrete slab flange struggle is real. I had a similar mess with a 1960s slab in my place, ended up having to chisel out some old lead from around the pipe before the new PVC would even sit flush. For the screws, I switched to Tapcon brand ones that are made for concrete, they bite way better than the cheapies. Also, a tip: if your flange still wobbles just a bit, you can shim it with a few thin plastic washers before you anchor it down, keeps it from cracking later.

angela_hart5d ago

Yeah, the lead thing got me too on my 1920s house. I had to chip out a ring of that old lead and oakum from around the pipe just to get the new PVC flange to drop down flush with the tile. For anchoring, I actually used some concrete wedge anchors instead of screws, they hold way tighter in that old crumbly slab. And that shim tip with plastic washers is solid, I ended up using a couple of nylon washers myself after one of my first flanges cracked from the wobble.

the_jake4d ago

Whoa hold on man... is it really that bad? Like are we overthinking this a bit? I just threw some screws in and called it good, no shims or fancy anchors, and it's been fine for like three years now.