One of the slots for the bolts that holds the toilet to the flange is
cracked. The flange and drain pipe are both PVC, cemented together. I
tried using this internal pipe cutter to separate the flange. It's item
37516 he
http://superiortool.com/pvc/pvcSaws.html

The idea is that you work the tool around the circumference of the drain
pipe just below the bottom of the flange. The problem is that the blade
is about 1/4 inch too small in diameter to get through the wall of the
drain pipe. (The thickness of the flange wall gets in the way.) A blade
about 1.5" would probably be perfect.

The problem is how to cut through the drain wall completely. The house
is on a slab and the bathroom floor is tiled, so repair kits that work
by slipping stainless steel rings between the flange and the floor won't
work. Zero gap.

The 3" grinding wheels shown here,
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...rinding+wheels,
would probably work. (The inside diameter of the flange is 3.25 inches.)
I would have to get an spindle at least 3" long that fits into my
electric drill and extends below the bottom of the flange.

Any other ideas for removing the flange/drainpipe?

Thanks,

R1

I should have mentioned that this is the replacement I'll use.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...uctId=29157096

Just push it into the drain pipe. Triple red rubber seal. No need for
pipe cement.

I would contact the company that made that pipe cutter and see if they have larger cutting wheels. I'm sure that you wouldn't be the first person to run across the problem of the cutting wheel being too small in diameter to cut off a floor flange.

While I'm sure that toilet flange would work, all the plumbers around here like the Oatey Twist-N-Set floor flanges:

Oatey Twist-N-Set Closet Flange at Blain's Farm & Fleet

It's too bad you already cut into your piping because the Oatey flanges also come in 3 inch diameter so that you could have just cut off the existing flange and installed one of Oatey's Twist-N-Set floor flanges inside what's left of your existing floor flange.

They also offer a 4 inch flange which should fit inside your existing pipe once you get the existing flange off.

The way this system works is that the plastic flange has a tapered thread on it similar to oil drill pipe threads. The rubber ring also has an internal tapered thread. You push the toilet flange into the pipe at and angle so that the pipe holds the rubber ring stationary, and you rotate the flange. As you rotate the flange, the rubber ring screws up the flange threads and expands to tighten up against the ID of the toilet drain pipe. It's a really good system that works every time. Home Depot here in Canada sells these, but I don't know about the US.

Reb,


On your page for Superior look under PVC Tools and open PVC Saws. Scroll
down and consider the cable saw.

Dave M.

Looks like you are on the right track, a little $$, but it should last forever.

On Tuesday, September 16, 2014 8:24:05 PM UTC-4, David L. Martel wrote:
Reb,





On your page for Superior look under PVC Tools and open PVC Saws. Scroll

down and consider the cable saw.



Dave M.

I don't think a cable saw is going to work, given that the pipe is in
a concrete slab. I think he's on the right track with a wheel. But instead
of looking at grinding wheels, I'd get a "cut off" wheel. They are
readily available at hardware stores, HD, etc. Or another saw like he has,
with a larger diameter blade.

"Rebel1" wrote in message

One of the slots for the bolts that holds the toilet to the flange is
cracked. The flange and drain pipe are both PVC, cemented together. I
tried using this internal pipe cutter to separate the flange. It's item
37516 he
http://superiortool.com/pvc/pvcSaws.html

The idea is that you work the tool around the circumference of the drain
pipe just below the bottom of the flange. The problem is that the blade
is about 1/4 inch too small in diameter to get through the wall of the
drain pipe. (The thickness of the flange wall gets in the way.) A blade
about 1.5" would probably be perfect.

The problem is how to cut through the drain wall completely. The house
is on a slab and the bathroom floor is tiled, so repair kits that work
by slipping stainless steel rings between the flange and the floor won't
work. Zero gap.

The 3" grinding wheels shown here,
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...rinding+wheels,
would probably work. (The inside diameter of the flange is 3.25 inches.)
I would have to get an spindle at least 3" long that fits into my
electric drill and extends below the bottom of the flange.

Any other ideas for removing the flange/drainpipe?

The grinding wheels work, just used one a few days ago to cut down a
shower drain pipe in preparation for the drain itself. You don't need a
special spindle, any old bolt or threaded rod and nuts of the proper size
works fine.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On 9/17/2014 7:12 AM, trader_4 wrote:

I don't think a cable saw is going to work, given that the pipe is in
a concrete slab. I think he's on the right track with a wheel. But instead
of looking at grinding wheels, I'd get a "cut off" wheel. They are
readily available at hardware stores, HD, etc. Or another saw like he has,
with a larger diameter blade.


He should run the blade around the inside with a Dremel type tool
instead of trying to get under the flange on the outside.

He's not trying to get under the flange on the outside.

He's trying to cut the ABS pipe under the socket of the floor flange inside the pipe. That is, he's trying to cut through the ABS pipe immediately under the floor flange so that he can stick a new flange into the top of the ABS pipe.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 19:00:22 +0200, nestork
wrote:

He should run the blade around the inside with a Dremel type tool
instead of trying to get under the flange on the outside.

He's not trying to get under the flange on the outside.


One poster suggested a cable saw for PVC. I think Ed was meaning to
use a Dremel blade on the inside and not try from the outside. Last
time I was wrong, I was mistaken :-|

Could the OP have used a utility razor blade to finish the cut? I
don't know how thick the pipe wall is or how deep his blade cut
through the inside of the pipe.

The first thing I would do if I wuz the OP is stuff a rag down into that pipe so that if I drop something, I could retrieve it. He can always pull the rag out with a bent piece of stiff wire.

Oren, I think using a razor in such a confined space where there isn't even room for your hand to function properly is a bad cut waiting to happen.

I'm thinking that Home Depot tool rental should have a pipe cutter that would cut through that pipe. It's a pretty common thing to need to do. Most people have ABS or PVC toilet floor flanges in their homes, and those flanges need to be replaced occasionally, and every last one is cemented on. The only way to remove the old flange is with some sort of internal pipe cutter.