Toilet Flange / Closet Flange
A toilet flange, or closet flange, is the ring that anchors a toilet to the floor and connects it to the drain pipe below, holding the bolts that clamp the bowl down.
The toilet flange, also called a closet flange (toilet drains are still called water closets in the trade), is a ring of PVC, cast iron, or brass that fits onto the top of the drain pipe and screws to the floor. Two slots in the ring hold the closet bolts that the toilet base bolts down to. The wax ring seals on top of the flange, so the flange is the structural anchor and the wax is the gasket; together they tie the toilet to the house drain.
Homeowners run into the flange when a toilet rocks, leaks at the base, or when the closet bolts will not hold. A flange that has cracked, corroded, or broken its mounting ears lets the toilet move, which then breaks the wax seal and starts a leak that can rot the subfloor underneath. Because the flange should sit flush with or just above the finished floor, the wrong height after a new tile or flooring job is a common reason an otherwise sound toilet leaks.
Repairing a flange ranges from snapping on a metal repair ring over the broken ears to cutting out and replacing the whole flange, which is more involved when it is cast iron or set in concrete. It always means pulling the toilet, so a fresh wax ring goes back in the same visit.
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