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Sweden, Stockholm
1 Level
715 Review
35 Karma

Review on 🚽 Improved ABS Black Cast Iron Closet Flange Replacement - Oatey 43538, 4-inch by Albert Gaines

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Gets the job done, knows his tools and what can hurt you.

In my spare time I have been renovating my house for about 2 years. This flange was perfect for retrofitting during my bathroom renovation, a few notes: 1. If you're retrofitting an old cast iron pipe like many others have mentioned you're going to struggle. In my case I had to cut the pipe with a $9 cast iron reciprocating saw from Port Freight. After it's cut to my tile height, you need to make sure the inside of the pipe is smooth for this flange. The easiest way is to take an old solid saw and work on the inside. The friction is enough to break up the rust and remove the dirt/muck from the inside of the pipe. 2. Wear a P100 mask while doing this job and ventilate the room, keep it away from the rest of the house. These ancient pipes used molten lead or lead-containing silicone to hold the connections together, even when you're not close to each other. The cast iron flange is filled with some kind of lead, put on a mask and ventilate, don't be stupid.3. Once your inside of the pipe is about 3 inches smooth, you're good to go. As an extra measure I used silicone on the inside of the flange to ensure a seal, however this is not required for the installation, you still seal the toilet which prevents backflushing. If you have an older home, you may also have problems with "gurgling" from under-vented pipes. Make sure you have an AAV (Oatey or other fake works great) connected somewhere near another input on the same stack that this pipe is connected to. This will prevent gurgling from a nearby sink or drainpipe. Overall I've had no problems with this product, if I ever get my hands on another old house with cast iron pipes I'll go with this one.

Pros
  • The best
Cons
  • Some disadvantages