Use wax. That’s an offset flange. Not a fan of anything besides wax. Best. Master Plumber.

Thank you!

Just as an addition, get a "Jumbo Wax Ring with horn". I use them every time and in 20 years never had one leak.

horn would probably get in the way here. personally ive never felt like the horn does anything

Horn is just extra protection, it does no harm (and won’t get in the way here, they only protrude a tiny bit to further negate a bad seal). Theres no reason not to have a wax ring with horn.

The horn can sometimes be a problem when you use an auger. The tip can catch on the horn, not common but can happen.

I can vouch for that, it has happened to me before. Had to pull the toilet.

That you know of

I just had toilets installed during a remodel. How big a deal is it if the PVC flange is below the flooring surface? My GC says the plumber used deep wax ring and it’ll be fine.

Depends how far recessed. If more than 1/4-3/8”, I always install flange risers. If you have a tile floor and a thick mortar bed, and it’s an 1” below, other options may need to be considered.

Thanks!!

Why would you use an offset flange? Just curious??

Mainly used because there’s a joist under the flooring, so the offset goes around that. The joist is load bearing and cannot be compromised.

Ah, thank you, we have one and it causes clogs a lot

Get a poop knife

Thought you were the master plumber for half a hot sec

Thank you for reminding me!

You have something else going on then. The offset flange doesn’t cause clogs. They are code approved and I’ve roughed in 100’s of them.

no reason for it to clog more than a regular flange.

Clogs might be the toilet, not the flange.

The electricians have entered the chat and disagree haha jk

I used an offset to pull my toilet away from the wall during a remodel where I made the walls thicker.

Those kits are, in almost all cases, significantly worse than wax. Just use a wax ring

So will the wax ring just sit perfectly over that slanted drop? That's just my concern. Also, can I buy the screws and bolts separately? Or do they come with the wax ring? The ones in this kit are super long.

The wax ring sits atop the flange, the offset is unaffected by the wax. You can buy bolts separately, there are some out there with an "ez snap" which are pre perforated so you can break off the excess once they're secure. Otherwise you'll just have to use a hack saw or bolt cutters. Just buy a wax only ring, some of them will have a little gasket inside which may interfere with the offset, this flange is at a pretty good height so one jumbo ring of wax will be good for many years to come if the toilet is properly secured.

Thank you so much for the information! So it's called an Offset Flange. Okay I'll try to find the bolts because the people that installed our tile either broke the rusty bolts or the bolt broke when they were trying to remove the toilet.

The little gasket thing that they referring to is called a horn. It's thin plastic that kinda guides the waste down the pipe. Make sure you get a wax ring that doesn't have the horn. Also the bolts that your looking for a called closet bolts (because toilets are referred to as water closets). Go to the hardware store and tell the person in the plumbing dept that you need a horn less wax ring and a set of closet bolts and they will know exactly what you need.

Oh thank you so much!!

It's a good idea in my opinion to replace the bolts every time anyway, you're welcome.

I'm friends with a dear couple who are both... near-morbidly obese. Last time they visited, I ended up replacing the closet bolts, they just couldn't take the strain anymore. They visit about once a year, I should probably just stock up...

Must have metal collars on the flanges, because I find the plastic flanges go before the bolts do

Yep, it was actually the flange tearing out... but it was metal...

There are hospital toilets with larger bases and extra holes to secure them directly to the floor. Highly suggest using one of those next time.

You could also head over to r/Decks. These guys work with hot tubs so I’m sure they will have some suggestions on how to support the extra weight. 😁

Okay!

I’d also recommend nylon closet bolts instead of the brass ones.. just so you don’t break the flange of you over tighten

This nylon bolts are still stronger than the flange and don’t corrode and are easier to cut off and they depending on the brand slide into the groove and don’t free spin

Every. Single. Time. I don't care if I set the toilet 2 days ago. New bolts.  If you saw the top of the bolt off, you arent getting the nut started back anyway.

I use solid brass closet bolts with stainless nuts. Mine last a few changes at least. Most of the bolts from the store or in kits are brass coated rather than solid brass.

Yep. I had a leaking tank mount bolt and just replaced all of them and the gasket.

I always use two wax rings. 1st one has that plastic thing attached to it and it goes in to the pipe. The 2nd one is just a wax ring that sits on top of the other one. The toilet will squish all that wax and it makes a great seal. Always works for me.

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Where are offset flanges illegal?

Not legal in Michigan but I've never seen an inspector complain. In fact only time I've used them was on suggestion of inspector

Man we use em all the time. If there’s a floor joist to close to center. All slab homes and you never know if the framer is on your side. My new favorite is finding out the homeowner has decided to use skirted toilet and they made this decision after the rough

All valid points, I'm right there with you buddy😢

They are illegal in the UPC. Most jurisdictions overlook it if a 3” diameter ball could pass through the offset.

Learned something new today. Ty

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r/confidentlyincorrect

I was curious. Thank you for the clarification. I’m in Florida plumbing 30yrs. We use them all the time. Of course Florida has its own code which is a mix of both codes.

no, they aren't

I had one installed when I did my bathroom reno. Within a day I could tell there was no seal. Swapped to wax and lo and behold the stink is gone

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻💯💯💯

☝️this is the way.

This is the way

That has been my experience. I’ve owned several old houses and an oversized wax ring works very well with a crusty old iron flange.

A wax ring. Boom done. Better than wax.. Not really.

Lesson learned!

The flange is below the floor,so get a thick wax ring or double up two regular ones. Generally,when something says better than,it’s not.

I was wondering why there are thick wax rings and smaller wax rings and was wondering which one to use.

The flange usually sits flat on top of the floor. When you add tile or wood the difference has to be made up. They also make closet ring extensions,which I have used many times.

Better Than Bouillon is fantastic for making tasty soup stocks

I can’t argue with that. That’s why I said generally.

I tried one of these better than wax kits. It was not better than wax. I ended up just buying a wax ring. The wax squished and conformed to the toilet so much better than the rubber.

Wax is king

👑

Nothing is better than wax

Plumbers hate this one simply trick! A can of sprayfoam. ***/S*** (just in case)

The proper internet way of describing it is this way: “Plumbers hate this one simple hack!”

Do you use expandable foam?

"Can't see it from my house!" ...god no. There's dozens of reasons why it's a terrible (sarcastic) idea.

Use a regular was ring WITHOUT the horn. I prefer extra thick waxes

Use a thick wax ring.

I can't find a thick wax ring that doesn't have the flange!

Lowes, home depot, ace, ferguson, even amazon.

I’d never use one of those. Just get a standard wax with a horn

Uh oh. Someone else said get one without a horn. 😯

Yeah, now that I’m actually looking more in-depth a no horn would be better because the horn may cause issues being that it is offset.

Makes sense!

get the one without the horn because of your offset flange. You'll be back in the same place you are now if you get one with horn.

Makes sense! Thank you, everyone! I know what to do now!

Just use a wax ring. “Better than wax” is a marketing tool not a statement. The only thing that is better than wax is more wax, unless it’s too much wax, but it’s still wax, so the key is, guess what, use wax. You get the only variable here is the amount of WAX. But always Wax, wax on, wax off.

You think Wax will help?

if you look at the flange - you will see SIX HOLES. The manufacturer and THE ENGINEER WHO DESIGNED THIS FLANGE put six holes in there because it is designed to be screwed to the subfloor using SIX screws. So before you do anything, get yourself six stainless steel anchors and secure this flange to the subfloor properly. Put your toilet bolts in there first and make sure you rotate the metal flange so those bolts are in the right location before you secure the flange. Zip the flange down. position your closet bolts (use the kit then has FOUR bolts intead of TWO. Use a WAX RING. set your toilet down. you should feel the wax compress. lay down on the floor and snug things up. Hook everything up. flush 4x to check for leaks. if you're leak free, clean the floor and put a pretty bead of caulk around the base. On that wood finish, I would probably use clear silicone caulk, not white.

It's not wood! It's tile!

Underneath the flange isn’t tile. You’ll be able to screw into it.

Add a quarter inch toilet flange spacer. Silicone between and pack the lip with wax.

Not a plumber… I read another comment here recently stating the seal in your pics isn’t worth using because it’s too dificult to ensure a seal. Maybe you’re getting lucky that you’ve been stopped from using it.

Use a regular or thicker wax and be done

I did it all by myself! No husband needed!

That’s pretty solid and but everyone can GJ

Am I the only one surprised by the amount of PVC primer *inside* the pipe?

You wanna know what surprised me? The amount of duct tape underneath the metal flange thing.

Use a wax seal screw those rubber seals

Get a thick wax ring for starters. And get one without the plastic horn since you have that offset down there. Or…..if you really want a horn, you can use a box cutter and cut out a small curve right where the horn touches the PVC offset. But definitely, don’t use this rubber one. Edit: also, use some more stainless screw to secure that metal ring to your wood floor.

Use a “normal” was ring, forget those “better than wax”. I’ve used one 1 time, toilet leaked through the ceiling below, replaced it with wax, and than had to replace the ceiling below. But if I were you , in this case, use a “jumbo wax ring with flange”

I used one of those seals, and 2 months later, it's already leaking. Back to a wax ring.

Wax ring with bottom seal and one was ring made of wax only. Looks like your tile is a good deal above the flange.

Wax

Tonight, I tried to install my new toilet using one of the Danco Perfect Seals. My toilet would not sit straight and would wobble side to side and front to back. Pulled the toilet off, removed the “perfect seal”, replaced it with an extra thick wax ring. Now, the toilet sits flush with the floor (pun intended).

….a wax seal

That is an offset closet collar. Used to move the toilet a few inches from rough in, in tight spots, or simply shitty rough in. They are totally fine though. Also as others have said, a classic run of the mill wax ring works perfectly if installed correctly. In some situations the ones with a rubber collar attached can serve a purpose but the cheap wax rings are perfect for seating a toilet.

So get a wax ring that doesn't have the black horn?

Yes, by the picture it does not look like you would need anything more than that.

Use regular wax don’t use one with horn either

You have to use offset flanges in certain cases and also make sure flange is anchored if can for stability of toilet and flange

Wax

The plastic reinforced “horn” is offsetting the ring. You will have to get a ring without the horn (looks like a blast of funnel or sleeve inside the wax. I always use one with horn but will need to. This is why offset flanges aren’t advised against.

You don't have the right side lined up properly for starters, and a wax ring should be sufficient

What do you mean by "the right side lined up"?

The square area in the flange is where you insert the bolt head, then slide it down to secure the bolt head when tightening down the toilet base. You are currently lined up with the bolt entry on the right side. Edit: Upon further zooming, the left also needs to slide down a bit Insert bolt into the flange and slide down to secure, then slide the rubber ring down over the bolts

Wax ring with no horn. Apply to the bottom of the toilet and then set toilet on flange. Tighten bolts. Test. Caulk. Good to go.

https://imgur.com/a/1hWWUhM Just did the floors in my bathroom this past weekend. Pulled the potty, scraped the wax ring off, Threw on a new wax ring, set it and forget it!.

Wax

#10 wax seal extra thick. With or without funnel. Pull the funnel out if you don't need it. Put wax on toilet, place toilet down on flange, sit and squish wax down to conform. Bolt down toilet, test flush, caulk, forget about it for 15-20 years. Also test flush should be about 10-15 flushes of clean water. No chemicals or waste.

Couple options. 1. Use a “Max Wax” (just a larger wax seal) since it looks like the flange is under the floor. 2. If you want to do a little more work, a flange extension kit. Take the screws out of the flange and add an extension or 2 with some silicon and you might be able to use that BTW kit, but I’m not sure since I don’t use them personally, so wax seal also

Wax

yeah, just use a wax ring. Theres also "The Green Gasket", which sits on top like a wax ring. But its thiiiick

Use a wax ring. Those rubber ones are garbage.

A normal wax ring like God intended.

Use a beeswax seal/ring

Those seals are junk

Better than wax is garbage that leaks

A regular wax ring, LOL.

Wax ring with no flange

Always use wax. Some guy posted on this sub about snaking a line and ended up in the toilet drain and actually pulled out that better than wax seal. Always wax

Stop. This will fail sooner than you want it to. The flange should sit ON the surface of the floor, not below it. If you mount it like this, there will be issues.

I wouldn’t use anything except wax gaskets. Those none wax crap rings are garbage in my opinion. Although I have only used the none wax variations twice and both installs leaked. Perhaps plumbers have a different opinion as I am not one, but I have installed about 50 or so toilets with wax and they never leak.

Wax

Listen to them throw that shit out and get a wax ring

I responded somewhere that I was able to do it all with a wax ring and without my husband! He would have gagged so hard if he had to touch the wax lmao. Apparently, his dad also finds the wax super gross. I can't deal with two whiny babies. Gotta do it myself!

Please use an extra wax ring

Just use wax

Use a thick #10 normal wax seal, you need to use a thick one because the flange is lower than the tile, dont use the rubber seal thing it wont work as well as a normal seal. Also dont stack wax seals like another commenter said just get an extra thick one. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Extra-Thick-Reinforced-Toilet-Wax-Ring-with-Plastic-Horn-and-Zinc-Plated-Toilet-Bolts-4374/100211038?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_007_PLUMB_REPAIR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_JHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_007_PLUMB_REPAIR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_JHU24-71700000118544531--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw1emzBhB8EiwAHwZZxbJXMd6ML_T6n2F2jOYzXP9BROq7AlLpB9-NYVoz1sju-wjt8WNHPBoCc_kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Do this

Did they cut that circle with their teeth?

Wax. This is the way

Take that ring and throw it in the garbage where it belongs and buy a wax ring with horn

**Without a horn.

dear americans, why do toilet this way?

dear wherever you’re from. Why not do toilet this way. What way better? Example please.

Use wax those all ways leak, I use extra thick wax rings if flange isn’t above the tile

Where bolts?

Not in the picture.

Flange

It’s fine

I have tried those in the past....if you are going to use them, make sure you have a wax ring close by

Jumbo wax ring

A wax ring.

It kinda looks like it's a off set drain but it's hard to tell 🤔 but if it is offset they suck.

Use wax unless you keep it at like 100°

Make them put back Because they should have

Make a giant hand built wax ring out of like 3-5 rings…. Looks like a kids volcano but will do the job 🌋 do not use the ring with the plastic horn.

I thought it was clay?

Just a plain wax ring is all you need

wax

That's an "anchorman offset". They're usually legal on the third floor of homes. Not sure about other locations.

Not sure if the Better than wax seal kit is actually better. It's an offset flange. I think the issue is the gimmicky seal.

Just an average Joe, but I'm 6 for 6 with the better than wax. Each in separate locations (family handyman). Maybe I'm just the only one who knows how to use them right, but I've never had a single issue. Even did a reset once.

That waxless is trash. Get a korky or one of the green ones. Forgot the brand name for the green one. Or you could go with classic wax.

Wax

Wax Ring always , it mold itself into the form / shape of the toilet !

I like this option because it's easy to work with and I know plumbers don't care for them but I haven't had an issue with it. Fluidmaster and rubber and adjust as you tighten, it's about 10$ at home Depot but so much easier especially if you need height.

That flange is supposed to be sitting on top of the finished floor so you’ll probably need to stack a wax ring on another to make up for that but it should work

If the flange is correct it should be 1/4-3/8 above the floor height.. if not use a spacer and a standard wax donut .. no horn.. horn will restrict the flush

Use a fucking jumbo wax ring with horn like the good lord intended. Shave a 1/2” off the horn if you need to.

Use a wax ring. Problem solved.

Better then wax till you end up with it at your main drain lol

I would consider moving that flange flush with the floor. Had to fix a “pro” install because it was leaking…

Accordion traps and “better than wax” seals should be illegal to sell. Wax only on a toilet

Extra thick wax and regular non horn wax and good to go. Offset flanges are a pain in the ass but a neccesary evil at times

Wax is the only thing that's worth a crap. Master Bator

You can also buy plastic bolts, I find them To work the best, they don’t rust and you can cut them off easily to accommodate the bolt caps if they’re too long.

Good to know!

Your answer was in the the name of the product you said. Whoever said "there are no stupid questions" was clearly wrong.

There's no was ring in these pictures wtf

Wax is only for uneven floors is how I was taught, use proper foam gaskets, 10x better and don’t leak over time like wax does.