# Cast Iron Toilet flange (pics)



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Looks like cast iron to me, but i could be wrong. It should be leaded, not welded. 


If it's cast iron you can drill around the lead joint to help get the lead out. Once the lead comes all the way out, there's a fiber material stuffed in there called oakum. After pulling out the oakum, the flange should be free, and you'll just be left with a 4" 1/4 bend sticking up.


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

Alan said:


> Looks like cast iron to me, but i could be wrong. It should be leaded, not welded.
> 
> 
> If it's cast iron you can drill around the lead joint to help get the lead out. Once the lead comes all the way out, there's a fiber material stuffed in there called oakum. After pulling out the oakum, the flange should be free, and you'll just be left with a 4" 1/4 bend sticking up.


Hi Alan, you are correct. it is leaded cast iron. When you say "drill around the lead joint to help get the lead out" should I drill around the sides of the _coupling_ /sleeve until it loosens? 1/2" bit?


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

What i mean by drilling out is drilling down into the lead (between the flange and the pipe.

You're probably going to need to make 30 or more holes before it starts loosening up.

The other option is to heat the fitting up until the lead gets molten and suck it out with a straw, but I'm guessing you don't want to try that one. :laughing::wink:


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

That was easy, thanks Alan!

Now am I ready to attached the flange with a furnco? Is that it?

Cheers. 
Love this forum.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Alan said:


> The other option is to heat the fitting up until the lead gets molten and suck it out with a straw, but I'm guessing you don't want to try that one. :laughing::wink:



The straw always melts


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

I can handle the heating but will leave the sucking up to my wife. BOOM!


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## dsconstructs (Jun 8, 2011)

If it were me I wouldn't use a fernco for that situation, besides that I don't see how you could without the flange sitting too high for the floor? I prefer to use a cast replacement flange that has a compression fitting. Slides down onto the original cast pipe with several hex heads that are tightened down creating a tight seal via the compression sleeve built into it, much more solid that way. Just cleanup the outside of the original pipe for a good seal.


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

you're exactly right dsconstructs. I cannot use the furnco because it will sit too high. I will look into the cast flange.


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## druminman (Mar 26, 2011)

Wouldn't it be feasible to use a rubber donut?


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

is this a rubber donut? how does it work?


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## dsconstructs (Jun 8, 2011)

http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/toilet-flange-codeblue-c40-420.jpg


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

Thanks all.

I forgot to mention earlier that my waste elbow is twisted. Can I still use the fittings recommended in the posts above?


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## dsconstructs (Jun 8, 2011)

In that last picture it does look pretty twisted/out of plumb, to where the suggested replacement flange wouldn't work well enough. You definitely want the flange to sit level. If that's the case you may have to cut that cast pipe on the horizontal before the bend and then adapt (fernco) to plastic and go back up from there. If so you'll want to be sure to add your subfloor back in before mounting the new closet flange to make it easier to get your subfloor close to the new waste pipe so that the flange can be secured to the subfloor, otherwise your toilet is going to wiggle around after.

edit to backtrack........oh man, just noticed in the first pictures you have other lines that tie into that horizontal section that would appear to make this advice impossible as well without other modifications. Without standing there to take measurements and a good look at the overall layout I really can't say how I would proceed. It appears as though they originally made up for that twist with the lead filler........any old school plumbers around you?


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

dsconstructs said:


> In that last picture it does look pretty twisted/out of plumb, to where the suggested replacement flange wouldn't work well enough. You definitely want the flange to sit level. If that's the case you may have to cut that cast pipe on the horizontal before the bend and then adapt (fernco) to plastic and go back up from there. If so you'll want to be sure to add your subfloor back in before mounting the new closet flange to make it easier to get your subfloor close to the new waste pipe so that the flange can be secured to the subfloor, otherwise your toilet is going to wiggle around after.



make sure BEFORE cutting that the pipe is on grade. It may have fallen down and going opposite grade, which could cause it to be out of plumb like that.

Use a level and make sure you have about 1/4 bubble along the pipe, and you should be close enough.

This is the compression flange that is being discussed : (something along these lines anyway) http://media.mydoitbest.com/imagerequest.aspx?sku=404404&size=2&newsize=600


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## dsconstructs (Jun 8, 2011)

Alan said:


> make sure BEFORE cutting that the pipe is on grade. It may have fallen down and going opposite grade, which could cause it to be out of plumb like that.
> 
> Use a level and make sure you have about 1/4 bubble along the pipe, and you should be close enough.
> 
> This is the compression flange that is being discussed : (something along these lines anyway) http://media.mydoitbest.com/imagerequest.aspx?sku=404404&size=2&newsize=600


Actually I even edited my post about cutting it after looking back at the first pictures, that fix wouldn't work there anyway without other modifications........


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## jelly (Oct 19, 2007)

druminman said:


> Wouldn't it be feasible to use a rubber donut?


This ended up being the best route for my situation because of how severe my waste line was twisted. I saw all of the the flanges mentioned here at the supply house but I ended up getting a heavy duty metal flange with the rubber donut which has three allen screws inside of the flange.

Thanks again for everyones help.
jelly


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