Plumbers find mysterious debris in toilet flanges
20 posts across 3 communities in the last 30 days; 90% from r/Plumbing.
“New build. How concerned should I be about the cracks around the flange? Anything else not right with this? Useful advice appreciated. I pulled the cover to remove the blue plastic bits and found this on the other side. Not sure if it's an issue or not, but the broken flange and…”
“First of all. Where's the rest of the flange? [re: Toilet flange won’t fit, not sure what my options are]”
“Brand new house build is finishing up and I've noticed I'm getting what looks like iron bacteria in one toilet only. Picture is with a titanium oxide tablet in there which seems to be keeping the first inch of the tank clear but its still slimy on top and depositing red sediment…”
Several plumbers are encountering unusual and unidentified debris within toilet flange connections during replacement or inspection. The material's origin is unclear, with some speculating it isn't related to sewer line issues despite initial concerns.
SOURCES (41)
“First of all. Where's the rest of the flange? [re: Toilet flange won’t fit, not sure what my options are]”
“You can find a street flange and it goes inside the pipe. I believe it’s called a twist and set. [re: Toilet flange won’t fit, not sure what my options are]”
“Brand new house build is finishing up and I've noticed I'm getting what looks like iron bacteria in one toilet only. Picture is with a titanium oxide tablet in there which seems to be keeping the first inch of the tank clear but its still slimy on top and depositing red sediment on the sides and in the bowl. I've tried pouring bleach in the tank and scrubbing like crazy, then flushing/bleaching repeatedly but it still keeps coming back. Iron was 2.03mg/L before I added a whole house”
“They sit on the floor. Not on the flange. Thats why wax works well. The flange is supposed to be screwed to floor and rest on the floor so is going to match the floor”
“Are any of the other drains in the bathroom clogged as well? If not, use a plunger or toilet auger with 20ft or so. It none of that appeals to you, call a plumber. I don't judge when I go into somebody's home. How they live is how they live and it's their life, not mine.”
“Hi all, I just had my bathroom redone and after having the tile down I noticed this in the toilet connection. Should I be concerned with the way the new plumbing was installed? Im attaching a couple of pictures where I have it circled. Its a 3” waste pvc, but there seems to be approx a quarter inch gap between the flange and the elbow and it looks like the straight that is connecting on the other side of the elbow was not pushed to be flush. Is this okay? Should it be redone or are there any oth”
“im installing a new toilet, and i have this thing in the way, im pretty sure I have to remove it, but i dont know how to submitted by /u/Petersfrfr [link] [comments]”
Oh wow really? Thank you, I will look into this further. We got an independent building inspector during our build and this was not mentioned in their reports. If it’s not too…
“New build. How concerned should I be about the cracks around the flange? Anything else not right with this? Useful advice appreciated. I pulled the cover to remove the blue plastic bits and found this on the other side. Not sure if it's an issue or not, but the broken flange and nested pipes is giving me concerns. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/BlocterDocterFocter [link] [comments]”
“https://preview.redd.it/8vj69ir4insh1.png?width=406&format=png&auto=webp&s=b0c79d2c676f8a0376e1e53fae74ab94a732d65f I have access to the bottom though the drywall that now needs replacing but it's through a small inspection hole I made and I don't want to make it too large so it's not crazy difficult to patch and texture match if I can avoid it.”
“I believe it's a 3" PVC Pipe and I'm heavily considering a 3" Oatey PCV Twist-N-Set”
“https://preview.redd.it/6y4imgrxhnsh1.png?width=514&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a0dd12a30ce7356da8ca62ac4e295dbb1222645”
“If you saw my previous post, I finally took up the piece of plywood and this is what’s under there now I’m stuck on how I’m supposed to get support to hold the toilet it a complete mess submitted by /u/Trixievolt2015 [link] [comments]”
“You will need to determine locations of existing plumbing lines. Based on what you find it may be a moot point.”
“Piece used to tighten certain shower drains. As a plumber, I can admit ive dropped 1 or 2 by ACCIDENT down the drain and moved on. 🤣🤷♂️🫢”
“Hi everyone, I’m dealing with an extremely stubborn yellow/brown deposit at the bottom (trap/siphon area) of an Italian toilet bowl. I could use some help identifying what material this might be and how to get rid of it. It is definitely a raised bump sitting on top of the glaze (not a pit or missing glaze). A spoon or fingernail clearly catches on the outer "lip" of the deposit. What I’ve Tried So Far & Results Acid Gel Cleaner ( WC Net Anticalcare ): Applied directly to an almost”
“Yea I would take a Dremel and a tile bit and complete that circle. It might take a while but it would be worth it.”
“Recently had the floors redone after some water damage (not related to this toilet or flange). Yes, the contractor cut the tile out in the shape of the busted plastic flange instead of leaving a round hole). This is on porcelain tile on concrete slab. I'm not sure if the flange is glued in to the drain pipe or what, but it definitely isn't anchored to the slab underneath. Looks like a new wax ring will still leak on the side where the flange is missing... Any help is appreciated, as I”
“Great, thank you. What type of snake should I purchase? I would imagine there are different types and some are better than others?”
“Those are fine. For the people looking at this, if you zoom in you can see the top of a san tee peeking out behind that closet bend. You could have saved using those if you had just pointed that str 90 right at the 90 turning up under the closet bend. The pipes do not have to run parallel to the joists. Like the red line here https://preview.redd.it/eg8lr4gg9zph1.png?width=402&format=png&auto=webp&s=b6be968f6c3c7cd179ceaa7aa591daa1284d8ee5”
“I see. Right under it where I placed my finger is where I see residue being able to get pushed in and that is my concern. The ring is around it but right under it, I see some sort of material getting loose”
“There is a san tee for venting hiding behind that closet bend. Also those are definitely 1/16 bends”
“Tldr: need help replacing this iron flange New homeowner here. I was cleaning the toilet and the screws were free spinning. I investigated further and i found that they have completely snapped off. The toilet was basically super glued to the floor with some sort of silicone. I cut it off, and took out a green foam and wax thing. Google is telling me to install a flange repair ring, screw it in and follow it up with a fluidmaster extra thicc wax. Is that correct? I’m confused as to how the ring i”
“That is why you never caulk around the toilet base. Your wax ring fails, and you never know it. Luckily you have a tile floor, wood floors your screwed.”
“Some of those skirted toilets come with a bracket that mounts to the flange with the wax ring and the toilet just mounts to the bracket. Look up the specs online for that toilet or pull it and measure to center of flange. Should be able to just go get a toilet that works and install in a couple of hours.”
“Mine was built in '47, no complaints other than the iron water pipes i just finished replacing with copper. They weren't leaking or anything, but the rust in the water annoyed me and kept clogging the filters. Structurally, its aces. True dimension lumber and the studs and joists are on 12" center. Its a rock!”
“Just bought a house, went to replace the downstairs toilet and this is what I just found. I don't what this means but it doesn't look like anything good. submitted by /u/DerpityDerparoo [link] [comments]”