My plan to replace a toilet flange turned into a 4 hour ordeal

I thought swapping out a corroded toilet flange in my 1950s ranch house would take maybe an hour start to finish. Turns out the old cast iron pipe had rusted into place so bad I had to rent a $45 internal pipe cutter from Home Depot to get it loose. Anybody got tips for avoiding that kind of headache next time or is this just normal for old homes?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade3214d ago

1950s cast iron is basically welded in place after 70 years. I had to cut a toilet flange out of a 1962 house last year and it took me 3 hours with a sawzall and a lot of swearing. For next time, buy the internal cutter before you start, not after. Also soak the joint in penetrating oil overnight if you can. That alone probably would have saved you an hour.

noah_barnes14d ago

Man that sucks, I feel your pain. The part about "swearing" really hit home because I think that's the main tool in my toolbox when I'm dealing with old plumbing. You're right about the penetrating oil, I should have done that first but I was too impatient and figured it would just come apart. The internal cutter was the only thing that saved me. I think the worst part is when you're underneath the toilet and you're trying to get leverage in that cramped space and everything is just fighting you. Next time I'll definitely prep ahead of time, even if it means waiting a day. It's just one of those things where you learn the hard way.