Review on 🚽 Oatey 42255 Closet Flange: 4-Inch Cast Iron - Durable and Reliable Plumbing Solution by Patrick Reynolds

I am summarizing what I will explain in more detail later. This is a great product to use as an alternative to the old style pak and lead connection when replacing a broken cast iron flange. It can be used by DIYers, but you must be prepared to do any trimming and chiseling required to lower the flange so that the top of the flange is no more than 1/2 inch higher or lower than even with finished flooring, a job you would otherwise pay a plumber to do. It can also be used to raise the level of an old cast iron flange by replacing the flange, but there are simpler, lighter weight alternatives for that. Novice users looking or needing more information can read some or all of the following pages: 1. This flange was designed to replace an existing cast iron flange that has broken or perhaps to replace an existing cast iron flange that is under the floor is not used to raise or repair an existing flange, but uses a rubber grommet and bolted brass plate instead of the old method of sealing the joint between the flange and the drain pipe. If you look at the picture you can see a brass plate and a rubber grommet compresses it when low. This is a place that in "old days" was filled with tow and then poured with molten lead. The picture also shows two of the four expanded areas of the cast iron mentioned in 6. below, so you may need some "chiseling". 2. It is designed to work with the 4 inch (ID) diameter cast iron drain pipe used in most older homes, not the PVC/ABS (plastic) pipe used in most new ones houses is used. This is one of the reasons why the product is not commonly sold in home improvement and hardware stores. It will not work with the 3 inch (ID) drain pipe used in some toilet plumbing. If you don't already know, you should measure. One of the negative flange reviews was almost certainly written by someone trying to use the flange on a 3 inch drain pipe. The PVC/ABS drain pipe is thicker than the cast iron pipe, the outside diameter of the pipe is larger and likely makes tightening the brass plate on the rubber gasket difficult if not impossible. Some reviewers have stated that they have successfully used this flange on a lead drain pipe, and I have no reason to doubt it, but I suspect the results depend on the thickness of the lead pipe. flange and drain pipe. The challenge isn't to create a watertight seal between the toilet and the drain. This is a function of the ring of wax (sometimes rubber ring) that is placed between the flange and the toilet when the toilet is mounted on the flange. This sometimes causes confusion because when the flange is broken the toilet will normally leak, but the leak is caused by the broken flange causing the toilet to wobble and breaking the seal of the wax ring. 6. Ideally, the top of the toilet flange should be no lower than the finished floor and no more than 1/2 inch above the finished floor when installed. If the flange is too high, the toilet will sit on the flange and not the floor. The toilet must stand on the floor, not on a flange. If you are installing the flange so that the top of the flange is more than 1/2 inch above a clean floor, you may need to install a shim around the base of the toilet so the weight of the toilet is on the floor and not the flange , then seal between the toilet floor and the floor. It might work if you can fit enough drain pipe into the flange and grommet to make a solid, strong connection, but that's not how the toilet is designed. If you let the toilet rest on the flange instead of the floor, it looks and works fine for a while, but eventually it wobbles and breaks the wax ring seal and the toilet leaks. I am saying all this because lowering this flange to the above level may require some work on some installations. Such work may be necessary as this flange has expanded areas in the casting to accommodate the bracket bolts which compress its rubber seal and these extend beyond the normal circumference of the old tow stock and lead flange. If you install it too high because you didn't do the necessary "chiselling" to lower the flange far enough, it may stick to the pipe, but the installation will be unsatisfactory. If your floor has been constructed (e.g. tile over wood or put linoleum in place of old) and your old flange is below floor level, this flange can be used to raise the height of the flange so that it is flush with or something above is ground. replacing the old flange and adjusting that flange to the appropriate height of the finished floor when it is only about 1/2 inch above the top of the cast iron drain pipe. , or a PVC "extension" or PVC "socket" flange with sleeve and rubber gasket that slides into a 4 inch drain pipe with the PVC flange over the old flange. These types of products are readily available in most hardware components. and in hardware stores as well as online. The "insert" effectively reduces your 4" drain pipe to a 3" diameter in the toilet, but that's not usually a problem since the toilet's drain itself is less than 3" in diameter. A flange slightly below the finished floor can probably just be leveled out with a very thick wax sealer. The problem you may have with the flange being more than a little below the floor is that even if you fasten the toilet securely with very long screws and use one or more very thick wax rings, you still get it use a wax ring. do a job he wasn't meant for. The wax ring is designed to form a seal between the bottom of the toilet and the flange, not a wax tube for the sewage to flow through and if you push it beyond its design limits the ring will fail. and leak. There are gum and wax combinations available that push that limit a bit. I was tempted to give this flange only 4 stars due to the total lack of instructions, which no doubt led to pronounced dissatisfaction with the product. , but thought it was unfair as Oati doesn't seem to consider it a handmade item. The This Old House video is very helpful in demonstrating how the flange is used. Some caveats: The video shows the installer breaking the old flange in two places and pulling it out fairly easily. If the installation is not on a tree, this may not be the case for you. Also, old cast iron flanges that are fitted to a cast iron drain pipe are usually very tightly packed with wire and lead and they also need to be removed as the packing is in place where the new rubber gasket will be fitted. Many flanges are also bolted or bolted in some way and these bolts and bolts must be removed or cut away. The video shows how the fitter simply presses the rubber seal into this cast flange with finger pressure and a few hammer blows. This may not be the case for you either. I had to use a makeshift thin wood screwdriver and/or makeshift long installation screws to push the gasket deep enough into the flange to be able to use the included brass pressure plate screws to complete the installation. Hope that helps. .