Durham, NC · Member since 2013 · 502 posts · 215 votes
After a crack in the tank of a 50 year old Standard toilet, I decided to spring for a new Kohler product (Elmbrook). I removed the toilet and discovered that the flange is made of ABS and sits on top of the finished floor (vinyl). The flange is a whopping 1/2" thick. The cavity in the toilet is 5/8" high (vertical distance from perimeter to toilet ceiling), meaning there was only 1/8" of space in which the wax ring did its work. I never experienced such a small gap. My question is, would it make sense to slice a standard wax ring in half or do I use the complete ring and hope the best the wax doesn't get squeezed into the water pathway?
In the past I've used the rubber gaskets that have tape or adhesive to stick to the underside of the toilet, and it has a cone attached that goes down into the flange. Never had an issue with them.
You're going to be fine. I too have an Elmbrook toilet. Actually, I was given one during the model rollout last year. Use a standard-sized wax seal, nt a reinforced model, not one with a cone. Squeeze it down. The stuff that squeezes out into the path of the water will flush away quickly and not obstruct your toilet.
The toilet is installed. I ended up shaving off about 1/4" off the standard wax ring. That resulted in about 3/4 " thick wax having to fill a 3/16" gap between toilet sealing and flage. I don't notice any sewage smell despite the high temperatures outside. Neither of the non wax ring products I read about is suited for such a small gap. It still baffles me why someone chose such a thick flange. Thank you everybody for your input.
It happens. Someone picked up the tile floor flange instead of the vinyl floor flange on the run to the plumbing supply house. You'll see it again, although the reverse is more common -- toilets mounted on upgraded tile floors where no one's added a flange extender and there's a huge gap. Good job!