The toilet attaches to the closet flange.
A closet flange, more commonly called a toilet flange, is the round plumbing base that sits flush with the top of the floor and is instrumental in securing the toilet. The closet flange connects to either a 3- or 4-inch drainpipe that carries water and waste to the main sewer line. In most new houses, local building codes require contractors to install rough-in plumbing in the basement for a future bathroom. This plumbing includes a closet flange, hooked to the drain system and permanently cemented into the floor. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Position the closet flange using the blueprints as a guide. Since no walls are in place, this means you'll have to determine the future placement of the wall behind the toilet and to the side. Check local fixture clearance codes to make sure, but generally, the center of the closet flange must be 13 inches from a finished wall in the back and 15 inches from a finished wall on one side. Remember to allow the space necessary for drywall, which is typically 1/2 inch thick, or for a different type of wall covering.
2. Attach the horizontal drain line that runs to the main sewer to an elbow sweep directly below the spot where you will install the closet flange. The elbow will lie beneath the soil level and, in most cases, will lie in a trench that runs to the sewer main. When attaching PVC fittings, use PVC primer and PVC glue as recommended by the products' manufacturers.
3. Position the height of the bottom of the elbow sweep so the horizontal pipe that runs to the sewer main drops at the rate of 1/4 inch per foot. This is the standard slope for waste drainpipes.
4. Connect the opening at the top of the elbow sweep to a small section of straight PVC pipe. The length of this pipe will vary, based on the required height of the elbow sweep in relationship to the distance to the floor above. To figure the correct length, hold the closet flange flush with the future floor level and measure the distance from the inner lip of the flange to the inner lip of the elbow sweep, and cut straight pipe to fit, with a pipe cutter.
5. Fit the closet flange over the top of the pipe, using the PVC primer and glue.
6. Pack sand around the bottom and sides of the horizontal drainpipe and the elbow sweep to immobilize the closet flange, when it's at the correct height.
7. Cover the flange with an accompanying cap, if it came with one, or use duct tape, in strips, to seal the top opening of the flange before pouring the concrete floor.
8. Shovel the wet concrete gently around the pipe during the basement pour to keep from shifting the flange. Level and screed the concrete as you normally would. Since the flange is flush or slightly below the floor surface, it won't interfere with the concrete smoothing process.
Tags: elbow sweep, closet flange, closet flange, that runs, finished wall, flange flush
