Best way to "level" a toilet flange

[Aceman]

Okay so if you check the video, this is at my daugther's house toilet started to leak--took it off and found that the flange "ring" was rusted out like tin foil. So I remover

The wood rotted away or broke away at one end and also some rotted areas I cleaned up, but otherwise the wood is very solid no need to replace it.

So my plan is to grout around the flange. I will fashion a something on the one end to hold the grout (probably a piece of wooed dropped in vertically with a screw and wire attached then pull it back into place and screew in from the top to fill the large gap. Then I'll fashion something to make a nice "circle" around the pipe and then use grout to make a nice even surface up to the level of the flange upon which to place a new flange ring. I plan to order an "adjustable" ring so I can fit it under neath the plastic flange piece It has a groove where the old rotted ring had been.

Is this a good way to do it? I want to avoid the hassle of cutting out the old flange an reinstalling a new one because it’s glued in and the inside diameter is only 3 inches and I don’t want to go any smaller than that.

 

[Twowaxhack]

cut it all out and start over. Go into the crawlspace if you need to.

 

[Aceman]

cut it all out and start over. Go into the crawlspace if you need to.

What do you mean cut it all out and start over? Do you mean rip up the tile and refloor? What advantage do I get out of that? The toilet will work just fine once I put it back I just need to level the flange ring. I just don't understand why I would go to all that extra work--i.e.. what improvement would that provide? .

 

[Twowaxhack]

Cut the pipe out from the crawlspace and install 4” through the floor.

Install the flange at the proper height.

Or

Do whatever you want.

 

[Aceman]

Cut the pipe out from the crawlspace and install 4” through the floor.

Install the flange at the proper height.

Or

Do whatever you want.

Okay so how do I install a 4 inch pipe if the its a 3 inch pipe underneath?
Here is what it looks like underneath. So how would I install a 4 inch pipe?

 

[Aceman]

The first piece you see coming down from above is the flange that connect OUTSIDE the 3 inch pipe.

But the other issue regardless of what I do I still need to fix the fill in the space around whatever flange I use so is grouting it an acceptable solution?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Ok let me start over here. From your video the flange looks low. I want the bottom of the flange to sit on top of the tile. That lets the flange sit up proud of the floor roughly 1/4”.

Since your flange looks low and it’s 3” I suggested going into the crawlspace and basically starting over and for toilets you can increase from 3” to 4”.

The advantage of increasing to 4” is that it allows an inside the pipe flange and cutting the pipe dead even with the tile. An inside the 4” pipe flange makes the flange perfect height. This also allows easier replacement of the flange in the future if needed.

However, after seeing how the piping is installed in the crawlspace increasing to 4” wouldn’t be easy for you. The fittings are too close together from what I can see so far. It’s possible to do but I’m not sure of your skill level. You’d need a few fittings on hand to see what fit best.

A fitting reamer is really what’s needed here. It removes the old pipe from the fitting with a special cutter bit and then you glue in a new piece of pipe or fitting.

Once the pipe is replaced you can cut a piece of plywood to screw to the subfloor from underneath the house. Then from the top fill in the hollow space with anchoring cement.

When you install the new flange you can run long screws into the plywood you reinforced the subfloor with underneath the house.

 

[Aceman]

You’d need a few fittings on hand to see what fit best.

So I can't visualize that.

 

[Aceman]

The othe problem is that crawl space is TINY very difficult to get there and to work in tha area.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I’d cut it here where I marked in red then use a fitting saver bit and ream that pipe out of the fitting and then start over from there with new.

 

[CT-18]

Like Two said, cut out from below and replace that piping going up and then glue on a new flange. That will make sure you have no issues in the future