How to Repair a Cast-Iron Toilet Flange | Ask This Old House
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Published 2016-05-26
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Shopping List for How to Repair a Cast-Iron Toilet Flange:
- Plastic expansion closet flange [amzn.to/2LKogXU], to replace old cast-iron flange
- Large sponge [amzn.to/30cbfd9] and bucket [amzn.to/2W0j3PE], for sopping up water
- Four wood blocks [amzn.to/2HhYeG4], used as spacers beneath the new closet flange
- Rubber gasket [amzn.to/2DYbv5S], for sealing toilet to flange
Tools for How to Repair a Cast-Iron Toilet Flange:
- Wrench [amzn.to/2LvSduP], to loosen and tighten hex nuts [amzn.to/2JwYVy2]
- Close-quarter hacksaw [amzn.to/2YjS1jN], for sawing through bolts
- Stiff-blade putty knife [amzn.to/2VsFxJZ], to scrape off wax gasket
- Screwdriver [amzn.to/2LzfKLl]
- Hammer [amzn.to/2UPkY5e] and cold chisel [amzn.to/2IZ6xd7], for chopping out the cast-iron flange
- Pliers [amzn.to/2He4YVq], to pull out the old flange
- Wet/dry vacuum [amzn.to/2VgedcZ], for collecting dust and debris
- Ratcheting hex-key wrench [amzn.to/2DXacnB], to tighten the flange screws
Steps for How to Repair a Cast-Iron Toilet Flange:
1. Close the shut-off valve behind the toilet to stop the flow of water.
2. Remove the lid from the toilet tank. Flush the toilet and hold down the flush lever to drain as much water from the tank as possible.
3. Reach inside the tank and unscrew the ball float.
4. Use a large sponge to sop up the remaining water from inside the tank and from the bottom of the toilet bowl.
5. Remove the nuts from the closet bolts on each side of the toilet base. If the nuts are rusted in place, cut through the bolts with a close-quarter hacksaw.
6. Unscrew the water-supply line from the underside of the toilet tank.
7. Rock the toilet back and forth to break its wax seal with the drainpipe. Lift the toilet and carry it out of the room.
8. Use a stiff-blade putty knife to scrape away the wax gasket from the closet flange.
9. Unscrew and remove any extension rings to expose the cast-iron closet flange.
10. If the flange is badly corroded, use a hammer and cold chisel to chop out the flange.
11. Pull the loosened flange out of the cast-iron drainpipe with a pair of pliers.
12. Vacuum up all dust and debris from around the drainpipe and bathroom floor.
13. Set four wood blocks around the drainpipe to hold the new closet flange at the correct height.
14. Install a plastic expansion closet flange into the cast-iron drainpipe.
15. Use a ratcheting hex-key wrench to tighten the four screws on the inside of the flange until the flange is tightly wedged into the drainpipe.
16. Slide two new closet bolts into the slotted keyways in the flange.
17. Place a rubber toilet gasket over the bolts and onto the closet flange.
18. Set the toilet back into place on top of the gasket.
19. Onto each closet bolt put a plastic washer, stainless-steel washer, and hex nut. Alternately tighten each nut with a wrench, being careful not to crack the toilet base.
20. Trim off the excess bolt with the hacksaw.
21. Snap on the plastic caps to conceal the closet bolts.
22. Reattach the water-supply line to the underside of the toilet tank.
23. Screw the ball float back onto the flush valve.
24. Open the shut-off valve and flush the toilet to ensure it's working properly.
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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Repair a Cast-Iron Toilet Flange | Ask This Old House
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All Comments (21)
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Who comes to read the comments after you saw he was wearing no gloves?
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As a veteran plumber for over 40 years and I own my own plumbing company the last 33, I noticed one crucial mistake. I would’ve spent several minutes cleaning the inside of the old pipe thoroughly to make sure I removed all the old corrosion so as to get a good proper seal with that compression ring.
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Richard, you are the reason I always wash my hands after touching money.
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Yeah I was old school plumber for 34 years. Never used gloves. Just found out I have hepatitis c. Never been promiscuous or used drugs either. Wear your gloves people!
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I'm a floor/tile installer by trade. The best, and cleanest method for removing the excess water from the bowl and tank is with a small, cheapo wet/dry vacuum. The Stinger from Home Depot is one I've used for many years. Remove the paper filter from inside, and you're good to go. I usually do the job, leave the water in the vac until the job is done, then pour it all back down the toilet when the job is done. Great video!
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"The flange is all rotted""What do we do now?""You pull out your purse, and get ready to empty it" LOL
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A real man doesn't wear gloves to reach into a strangers toilet. 😄
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That wedding ring has been through some shit!
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Interesting as always, but I have few questions. 1. Why did you not scrape or grind off some of the inside of the cast iron pipe? Would that not insured a better seal? 2. Was the porcelain crack not a concern? 3. When you were all done it looked as if there was a space between the floor and the seated toilet. Would not water from washing the floor or an overflow cause more damage to the subfloor?
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When he lifted the seat at the end I thought he was going to take a piss. Then he said..."you should do the honors" LOL. If she sat on the can and took a big smelly one I might have died.
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When I run into this sort of situation and have to use one of the expandable inserts inside a cast iron pipe, i use a heavy gauge wire brush mounted in my Mikita drill and get the small rust shards inside the cast iron pipe removed to ensure that the rubber gasket will seal properly against the inside walls of the cast iron pipe. Sometimes it is necessary to get a long chisel and chip the pieces from inside the pipe before using the wire brush.. I too use the new style waxless “saniseal” between the toilet and floor flange, less mess and if toilet loosens, the soft seal moves with the base to ensure the seal doesn’t leak!
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The man is old school, gloves is for these young generation with messed up immune systems.
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Did you see Trethewey sponging that toilet water out of the bowl with his bare hands? And yanking that old wax ring off too? Yuck, rubber gloves!
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I remember finding this segment from the full episode when my toilet tank broke (literally the tank developed a leaking crack) last year. This gave me the confidence to tackle the job myself. Of course, replacing the tank turned into replacing the toilet (as they didn't make a tank to fit that toilet anymore) which turned into replacing the flange (as half the cast iron came up with the toilet; drilling/digging that lead out was NOT fun!) which turned into replacing the floor tile (as many of those were also stuck to the bottom of the toilet) which turned into cutting out and replacing a good portion of the subfloor (due to the wood being bad from a hidden water leak). I now have a completely new toilet, solid subfloor, and new floor all thanks to this show. Can only imagine what it would have cost to have a contractor do everything...
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”you should do the honors” me: removes pants and proceeds to sit on the toilet
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He wipes his nose after he digs out the rubber flange. Im dying
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Jesus man he touches everything then wipes his mouth
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All of a sudden at 8:20 4 screws are attaching the flange to the floor?...why did not you show this important step?
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yea I just drive around with half a toilet in my van
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My man is a savage lol he went in bareback
