How to Repair the Toilet Flange on a Concrete Floor
Repairing a toilet flange on a concrete floor is something that anyone can do with a little preparation and knowledge. Don’t pay expensive plumbers and home repair service fees when you can do it yourself.
Not only will you save money, but also you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you repaired your toilet all by yourself.
Things You Will Need
- New wax ring
- Braided toilet supply line
- Toilet flange spanner for the broken flange
- Toilet-to-floor bolts with nuts and washers
- Set of bolt caps
- Water-based caulk
- Small and medium adjustable wrenches
- Slip-joint pliers
- Plastic putty knife scraper
- Hack saw
- Old rags or towels
- Trash bags
- Paper cup
- Rubber gloves
Tip
Always work in a left to right fashion to remove or reattach bolts to your toilet bowl.
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PrepaTurn off the water supply at the shut off valve under the toilet tank. Flush the toilet and hold the handle down to drain the water from the tank and use the paper cup to drain the rest of the water out of the toilet bowl.
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Remove the old supply line and discard. Remove the toilet floor bolts evenly from side to side. Do not remove the left bolt and then the right bolt, as the toilet might break. Lay down some of the towels to pad the bowl on the floor.
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Straddle the toilet, bending at the knees and lift the toilet up. Try not to tip it on its side. Set the toilet down gently on the old towels.
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Put on the rubber gloves and using the scraper, remove the remnants of the old wax from the wax ring and the old toilet bolts. Discard in a trash bag. Remove the broken area from the flange to be repaired using a hacksaw. Slip the repair flange spanner under the broken toilet flange but put one of the toilet bolts through the hole in the spanner first in order to easily reinstall the toilet.
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Clean up around the bottom of the toilet and place the new wax ring on the repaired flange. Pick up the toilet again, bending at the knees and not the back. Line the bolts up on the sides of the bowl and gently place the toilet on the repaired flange and press to the floor.
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Tighten up the bolts evenly on the left and right side in reverse order like you did when you removed them. Do this in order so as not to break the toilet bowl. Attach the new supply line to the tank and shut-off valve.
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Turn on the water and check for leaks around the bottom of the toilet bowl and at the valve. If no leaks are found, caulk around the bottom of the toilet to complete the job.
The Drip Cap
- Repairing a toilet flange on a concrete floor is something that anyone can do with a little preparation and knowledge.
- Don’t pay expensive plumbers and home repair service fees when you can do it yourself.
- Lay down some of the towels to pad the bowl on the floor.
- Clean up around the bottom of the toilet and place the new wax ring on the repaired flange.
- Do this in order so as not to break the toilet bowl.
