4" Closet Flange Replacement (PVC)

I consider this Closet Flange Replacement too be a necessity for repair of broken flanges. Our house was built in late 1972, one of the last to be built with cast iron drain lines. The toilet flanges broke many years ago, and the floors have been tiled, making it difficult to set the toilets correctly. I used one of these Flange Replacements in the past, and found that they work quite well. I did find that, in our case, they must be tightened up. The first time I used one, the toilet pulled loose almost immediately, so I reset it, and really tightened that flange, which worked well. I broke a toilet bowl last year, and, since I had tightened that flange real tight, I had to use a reciprocating saw to cut the it out. Then I had a plumber set the new bowl using a new flange. However, he did not tighten the flange sufficiently, and caulked around the base, so the toilet wobbled loose (even with the wedges) pretty quickly. I ordered this new flange, so I'll have it when I reset the toilet, if the old one is not reusable, I'll use more than 2 wedges and sanded grout around the base, as I know it works much better than caulk once set.

Nothing not to like about this closet flange but I decided to use the Sioux Chief version. Here is why. The cast iron flange and pipe are in good condition but 1.25" below the surface of the new stone floor. I intend to use the original metal flange to anchor the closet bolts which are extra long for this configuration. I also plan on using the Fluidmaster flange seal instead of wax because I was concerned about waste products getting caught on the 3 adjusting bolts inside of the Oatey flange. The horn of the toilet does not easily slide into the Fluidmaster seal so the instructions that say to put the seal on the flange then lower the toilet into the seal do not work. There is not way to know if the horn went inside of the rubber seal. So, I will mount the rubber seal on the toilet then lower the toilet with the seal attached onto the flange. When you do it this way, you cannot be sure that the rubber seal goes inside of the bolts that expand the Oatey flange. I did some tests and it would be a stroke of luck if the rubber seal slid inside of all three bolts. The Sioux Chief 888-GPM is smooth on the inside because it does not have bolts to expand the seal that goes inside of the cast iron pipe. I tested the 888 in my pipe and the fit is so tight that it took some real work to get it back out. This is good! One more comment about the Oatey flange. If you buy the Oatey spacers to put under the Oatey flange, don't expect the holes to line up. This only matters if you want to insert screws down through the pre-drilled holes in the flange and spacers.