Oatey 42255 Closet Flange, 4-Inch, Cast Iron
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I needed at least 1 1/4 inch clearance because I was working on a concrete floor. To keep the toilet from rocking, make sure to tighten the pipe as much as possible.
It depends on the condition of the pipe, but mine rose about 1 1/2" above the pipe to the level of the finished tile. I highly recommend it. In about 10 minutes, I had it up and running.
If you read my review, you'll notice that I didn't have any wood to attach to my cast iron pipe. There was about a 1-foot-wide open area. inch. The only weight on the pipe is the flange, which I installed tightly attached to the top of it. The toilet sits on the floor due to its weight. The two bolts that hold the toilet in place are actually pulling the flange upward. This was an excellent solution to a difficult problem, and I wish you the same good fortune as I did. Best wishes.
Selected User Reviews For Oatey 42255 Closet Flange, 4-Inch, Cast Iron
I'll summarize here what I'll go into more detail about later. This is a fantastic product that can be used to replace a broken cast iron flange instead of using an old-fashioned "oakum and lead" joint. It can be used by DIYers, but you must be willing to do any clearing and chiseling work necessary to get the flange down to where the top of the flange is no more than 1/2" above, and no lower than even with, the finished floor level, which is the job that you would otherwise pay the plumber to do. It can also be used to replace an older cast iron flange to raise the level, but there are simpler and easier alternatives available. br>br>For those who are new to the field and want to learn more, you might want to read some or all of the following: 1. br>br> This flange is intended to replace a broken cast iron flange or, in some cases, a cast iron flange that is below the floor level. It can't be used to raise or repair a flange that already exists. It seals the joint between the flange and the drain pipe with a rubber gasket and a bolt-down brass plate, rather than the older oakum and poured lead method. You can see the brass plate and the rubber gasket it compresses in the picture. This is the area that used to be filled with oakum and then molten lead poured into it in the "old days. " Two of the four extended areas in the iron casting mentioned in 6 are also visible in this image. Below are the reasons why you might need to do some "chisel work. "
2. It's made to fit 4 inch (inside diameter) cast iron drain pipe found in most older homes, not PVC/ABS (plastic) pipe found in most newer homes. One of the reasons why the product isn't widely available in hardware and home supply stores is because of this.
3. It won't work with drain pipes with an inside diameter of 3 inches, which are common in toilet installations. You must measure unless you are already aware of the situation. Someone who tried to use the flange on 3" drain pipe most likely left a negative review. br>4. I can't say for sure that the flange won't work with 4 inch PVC/ABS drain pipe, but because the PVC/ABS drain pipe's wall is thicker than cast iron pipe's, the pipe's outside diameter is larger, making tightening the brass plate onto the rubber gasket difficult, if not impossible. Some reviewers claim to have used this flange with lead drain pipe, and I have no reason to doubt them; however, I suspect the results will be dependent on the thickness of the lead pipe; if the outside diameter of the lead pipe is significantly larger than that of cast iron pipe, you may encounter the same potential problem as with PVC/ABS pipe. br>5. The purpose of a toilet flange is to secure the toilet to the floor so that it does not wobble or move, as well as to seal the gap between the flange and the drain pipe; it is not to create a watertight seal between the toilet and the drain pipe. When the toilet is installed on the flange, the wax (or rubber) ring that fits between the flange and the toilet performs this function. There is some misunderstanding about this because when the flange breaks, the toilet usually leaks, but the leak is caused by the broken flange allowing the toilet to wobble, breaking the wax ring seal.
6. When a toilet flange is installed, it should be no less than level with, and no more than 1/2" above, the finished floor. The toilet will sit on the flange instead of the floor if the flange is too high. Instead of sitting on the flange, the toilet should be placed on the floor. If the flange is installed more than 1/2" above the finished floor, you may need to shim around the base of the toilet so that the toilet's weight is distributed evenly across the floor rather than the flange, and then caulk between the base of the toilet and the floor. This might work if you can get enough of the drain pipe into the flange and rubber seal to make a strong solid connection, but it's not how a toilet is supposed to be installed. Allowing the toilet to rest on the flange rather than the floor may appear to be fine and function properly for a time, but it will eventually wobble and break the wax ring seal, causing the toilet to leak. All of this is to say that in some installations, getting this flange down to the above-mentioned level may be necessary. This is because this flange has extended areas in the casting to receive the bolts for the bracket that compresses its rubber gasket, and these extend beyond the ordinary circumference of the barrel of an old oakum and lead flange. It may attach to the pipe if you install it too high because you did not do the necessary "chisel work" to get the flange down low enough, but it will not be a satisfactory installation.
7. If your floor has been built up (for example, tile over wood or linoleum) and your old flange is below floor level, this flange could be used to raise the flange height to be even with or slightly above the finished floor by replacing the old flange and installing this flange at an appropriate level to the finished floor, as long as it is only 1/2" or so above the top of the cast iron drain pipe. But much simpler fixes are available in steel, iron, or PVC " The "insert" effectively reduces your 4 inch drain pipe to a 3 inch diameter at the toilet, but this is usually not a problem because the toilet's drain hole is smaller than 3". A slightly lower flange can usually be compensated for with a thicker wax seal. If the flange is more than a few inches below the floor, the problem is that even if you secure the toilet with extra long bolts and use one or more extra thick wax rings, you'll be using the wax ring for a purpose it wasn't designed for. The wax ring's purpose is to provide a seal between the bottom of the toilet and the flange, not to act as a wax "pipe" for the passage of waste water, and if you push it past its structural limits, it will fail and leak. There are products that combine rubber and wax, allowing you to "push" the limit a little further. br>br>I was tempted to give this flange only 4 stars due to the complete lack of instructions, which has no doubt contributed to some of the expressed dissatisfaction with the product, but I decided that would be unfair because Oatey apparently does not consider this to be a DIY item. The video from "This Old House" is extremely helpful in demonstrating how to use the flange. There are some caveats: The installer is seen breaking the old flange in two places and prying it out with relative ease in the video. This might not be the case for you unless you're installing on wood. Also, because the packing sits in the space where the new rubber gasket will go, old cast iron flanges installed on cast iron drain pipe are commonly packed very tightly with oakum and lead. This will have to come out as well. Many flanges are also screwed or bolted down in some way, which will need to be removed or cut. With finger pressure and a few hammer taps, the installer is able to easily push the rubber gasket into this cast iron flange in the video. It's possible that this isn't true for you. To get the gasket far enough down into the flange so that the supplied bolts with the brass compression plate could be used to complete the installation, I had to use an improvised thin wood "driver" and/or temporary long installation bolts. br>br>I hope this information is useful.
TO KEEP THE PIPE CLEAR AND CLEAN, PUT OLD RAG IN IT! THE LEAD/OAKEM FROM BETWEEN THE OLD FLANGE WAS THEN CAREFULLY DRILLED OUT (1HR). CAST PIPE is a term that refers to a pipe that has been THE OLD ROTTED FLANGE WAS THEN PULLED UP/OUT. CHISELED THE CONCRETE HOLE SLIGHTLY LARGER FOR A LARGER NEW FLANGE AND EMERY CLOTH TAPEED THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAST PIPE CLEAN AND SMOOTH. THE FLOOR HAD A LOT OF HOLLOW GAP BELOW THE TEST FITTED @PICTURE 1. IN PIC 2 I FILLED WITH EXPANDING FOAM. THE UNWANTED FOAM SHOULD THEN BE "CUT OUT DEEPLY. " SORRY, NO MORE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS SO EASY. br> I SLIPPED THIS BEAUTIFUL THING ONTO THE PIPE WITH RTV SILICONE TO MAKE IT SLIPPERY. AFTER TIGHTENING, MAKE SURE THE SEAL IS COMPLETE.
! BE AWARE OF YOUR HEIGHT AND LEVEL TO THE FLOOR. TOILET BOLTS WITH SLOT ORIENTATION! ADDED 4 EA 3 IN ADDED 4 EA 3 IN ADDED 4 EA 3 IN ADDED 4 EA 3 IN X 14" STAINLESS CONE FLAT HEAD BOLTS INTO THE VOID/PUSHED INTO THE DEEPER FOAM HANGING DOWN @ 90 DEGREE FLANGE HOLES INTO THE VOID/PUSHED INTO THE DEEPER FOAM BOLTS MUST BE FLUSHED, EVEN IF THE FLANGE SURFACE IS NEW. FLANGE RECEIVES EXTRA SUPPORT! br>USE POUR STONE CONCRETE TO SET IT PERMANENTLY IN PLACE. (ANCHOR SET) WHILE THE STONES WERE SETTING FOR 5 MINUTES, "MADE SURE 4 BOLTS DID NOT POP UP AND THAT THE "TOILET BOLT SLOTS" WERE KEEP CLEAR FOR TOILET MOUNTING. " AS STRONG AS A ROCK! PULL RAG THEN WAX SEAL AND FLUSH THE FLANGE, BOLTS, AND PIPE IN CONCRETE!.
I had to drill lots of holes in the lead and then pry it out with a screwdriver to get the lead and oakum fiber stuff out of around the cast iron drain pipe. Then I slid the flange over the cast iron pipe and tightened the bolts to secure it. It was absolutely flawless. The lead and oakum do not need to be replaced. I believe the plumber on This Old House used one on a cast iron pipe, and I believe there is a video of it on YouTube. www. youtube. com
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This flange was difficult to install because the waste pipe appeared to be out of round. When I looked at the pipe, it appeared that it had been cut with a torch when it was installed in 1953. I took the four bolts and loosened them until they had a few threads left, then pushed the entire flange on until it was evenly started. Then take a 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8 " long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4x8" long 1X4 If you just use the cast flange, it will break. Hit the brass ring, which will push the rubber gasket down and move the entire flange to the desired location. Keep an eye on the bolts as it slides down and tighten them with your fingers if necessary. Simply take your time, or you'll break the cast part like I did the first time. In addition, the outside diameter of my waste pipe was 4 1/2".
I was remodeling my bathroom and wanted to keep the original 4" cast iron pipe; however, this flange appears to be quite heavy. Compared to HomeDepot/Lowes' PVC flanges, these are more durable. It was fairly simple to install, but it took some time to chip away extra tile. I scored the tile with a diamond wheel on my dremel, then chipped it away with a chisel and hammer. After that, I used a diamond hole-saw to drill holes in the tile for the screws. saw. Then, with the TAPERED SIDE DOWN, attach the rubber gasket. Then I used some fairly large stainless steel screws to secure the flange to the subfloor. I thought the gasket was a little loose at first, but keep screwing and it'll be fine. br>br>My toilet is extremely secure.
I've been a plumber for 30 years, and in my opinion, cast iron flanges are the most durable closet collars when properly installed. In comparison to PVC collars, even PVC/stainless steel collars, cast iron flanges are more dependable and hold larger toilets more securely. This flange is intended to be used in place of old cast iron flanges. There are a couple of flaws. Because the collar is much thicker than the previous flange, the floor will need to be opened wider to accommodate it. It can be difficult to keep a tiled floor clean. The subfloor must be in good condition in order for the new flange to be screwed in place. If the flange's depth is too shallow, it might not work.
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