Toilet Flange Too High – 4 Ways to Avoid Blunder

Is your toilet flange too high compared to others? Put a smile on your face as it can be solved once and for all by just cutting the flange in terms of balancing the overall height correctly. Well, there are some other ways if you wanna check.

You might have installed new flooring in the bathroom, and afterward, you’ve noticed the flange is not level with the floor anymore. Toilet flange is the connection between the outflow pipe and the bowl. That’s why it requires to be level with the floor to keep the toilet sturdy. Meaning, if the flange is too high, it can’t support your weight and causes water leakage frequently.

So how should you deal with it? Dive deeper to know.

Toilet Flange Too High- Let’s Fix It

Fixed Toilet Flange Too High

Well, we have shortlisted 4 super-effective methods that you can even try yourself right now! So, explore them out.

Making The Bathroom Floor High to Match the Flange

Is your toilet flange too high after tile? So, just raise the bathroom floor straight away.

The main aim of this procedure is to make the flooring thicker than before. Since the flange used to sit too high on the tiles, you can add some extra inches to your floors to make them level. Be sure to only change the bathroom floor of the specific area around the toilet. Otherwise, it will cost you a lot of money and effort.

Tools Needed:

  • Manual tile cutters
  • Tile scorer
  • Level
  • Grout spreader
  • Rile saw
  • Any type of mortar
  • Tile spacer
  • Hammer and chisel

So anyway, here are the steps to follow for the toilet flange too high fix:

  • First, remove the toilet and old tiles. Start by the gaps between tiles. You can use a mortar to break the joint tiles apart.
  • With the help of a pry bar, you can pull the tiles up. But there are chances of breakage if they were not secured properly. You can use a hammer and chisel to break the tiles into pieces in such a case.
  • The previous subfloor might have been damaged in the process. So, you have to lay another water-resistant one such as cement or fiber-glass.
  • The next step is to lay the new tiles around the toilet as a mock-up. Then, examine the tiles and mark where it needs to be cut.
  • And finally, install the new flooring with the help of a mortar. Your new floor is supposed to have the right thickness for the flange to sit perfectly.
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And that’s how you say goodbye to your old rocky toilet!

Warning:

It is the most time-consuming method out of all the remedies for the toilet flange too high off floor issue. So only proceed if you have the patience to deal with it for a longer period.

The whole process will fail if you don’t measure the tiles accurately. The thickness of the new tiles has to be equal to the height difference between the flange and the floor.

Using Grout to Fill the Flange Gap to Prevent Leak

Sometimes it is harder to find the perfect tiles that cover the extra flange gap. Is your toilet flange too high after tile removal? Or the flooring can be made of concrete which is extremely hard to break. For such situations, you can use the grouting method.

Grout is a material that seals the gap between tiles traditionally. Here are the steps to fix the toilet flange too high in concrete problems.

  • After buying a sanded or epoxy ground, the first step is to mix it perfectly with water. The ideal ratio is 6:1 or 7:1. Make sure to find a big bucket that can contain this much product effortlessly. One thing is to only pour that much powder that you can use within 30 minutes. Because after half an hour, the mixture hardens and is not reusable.
  • Next, use a grout float to mix the paste until it reaches the consistency of peanut butter.
  • After that, attach rubber shims that can hold the toilet up. So, you can apply the paste with it rocking continuously.
  • Finally, put the paste around the gap. Try to seal the gap completely. Use a trowel to make the job neat. And then leave it for a day to dry out.
  • The next day, you have to pull the shims out and put some new paste in these holes too.
  • Once everything is dry and clean, spray some grout seal so that it won’t absorb any more moisture.

Tools Needed:

  • Bucket for mixing
  • Water
  • Grout
  • Grout float
  • Rubber shims

Warning:

  • Do not follow the instructions written on the packet precisely. For example, use less water than what is written on the instruction manual.

Cutting the Flange to Balance the Height

You can also cut the length of a toilet flange is too high. Sometimes the house is too old for replacing tiles. Use this cost-effective method by simply following the written procedure.

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Tools Needed:

  • Hacksaw for plastic flanges
  • Reciprocating saw for cast iron flanges.
  • Reamer
  • Half-round file
  • Safety glasses
  • Workbench

Cast Iron Flange

Cast iron is famous for being sturdy and durable. Cutting a toilet flange too high cast iron is not an easy job. That’s why we need reciprocating saws with diamond blades to complete this work. The specialty of this saw is that the blade moves in the opposite direction at high speed to create a cut.

  • Mark the exact point on the flange where you want a cut. Use a carpenter’s pencil.
  • Hold the saw in place and switch it on. Remember to go at a 45-degree angle. Don’t force the saw into the flange first. Give it some time to get a grip, and then use your force to make the hole.

Plastic Flange

Plastic toilet flanges are more common nowadays. It is easier to cut it short than its cast-iron counterpart. Take a look at the steps.

  • You can opt for a hand saw or a hacksaw. Hold the saw against the marked place.
  • The saw actually cuts when you move it backward. The forward movement only provides a strong grip. Make sure you don’t move from the line.
  • You will notice rough “burrs” on the edge of the flange. With the help of a reamer, make it an oval shape so that it fits the pipe perfectly.

Warning:

Remember that cutting a PVC flange will be super messy. To prevent the snowflakes, use a mat below.

Replace The Flange

Another method to fix your toilet flange too high problem is to replace the existing flange altogether. Yes, you can buy a smaller size flange that would fit the floor effortlessly.

Tools Needed:

  • New flange
  • Toilet flange bolts
  • New wax ring
  • Putty knife
  • Wrench

Once you’ve collected all the nooks and crannies required, you’re allowed to follow the steps given below:

  • First, you have to remove the toilet. Start with disconnecting the water supply. Then flush the toilet many times until it runs out of water. Then loosen the two bolts on each side of the toilet bowl that attach it to the ground.
  • Place a newspaper on the floor and let the toilet sit on top of it for a while.
  • Now clean the toilet flange before anything else. Use putty knife to scrape off the wax seal. Once it is clean enough, use a wrench to loosen the screws that secure it.
  • Take the new flange out and insert bolts wherever needed. If your kit doesn’t come with enough bolts, use the ones from your old flange.

Warning:

  • Shove a rag inside the outflow pipe as soon as you remove the toilet. Otherwise, it will have a dirty smell that can distract your work.
  • If you use the bolts from your previous flange again, they can’t be rusty.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Happens If Toilet Flange Is Too High?

When the toilet flange is too high, the front of the toilet touches the ground while the back doesn’t. It leads to a wobbly toilet seat. Not to mention, the constant back and forth rocking can severely damage your bathroom floor. Plus, the not-so-tight sealing can cause water leakage around that area.

Can My Toilet Flange Be Higher Than Floor?

You have to install the toilet flange so that it sits on top of the floor. The height recommendation for a toilet flange is ¼ inch above the tiles. The inner part of the flange should be perfectly level with the floor, and the outer area will tilt a little higher.

How Do I Lower The Toilet Flange?

To lower the toilet flange, you can follow these methods: 1) cut the PVC pipe using a saw 2) install a new flange that has a lower height 3) Separate some rings of the flange to make it sit lower.

Conclusion

We have reached the bottom of our article. Having a toilet that sits perfectly was the ultimate goal of this guide. Without a doubt, every interior design you do in your bathroom becomes meaningful only after you can sit on the toilet without feeling wobbly.

So we hope that you can implement the above-written steps of this guide to get rid of when toilet flange too high. Utilize any of them, and you’ll thank me later!

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