# is this slight toilet reloaction as easy as it seems?



## tonytwotimes (Jun 28, 2015)

Hey everybody, first time home owner looking to renovate main bathroom. it is on the second floor of our house. I'm trying to do as much as possible myself; I'm decently handy, but don't have very much experience working on houses, so everything is a learning experience. I've read a lot about how moving a toilet is often a huge headache, but I think I might be lucky here.

I've removed all of the flooring to the 1/2" plywood subfloor. When I removed the toilet I noticed the toilet flange was broken near where one of the bolts fits. The flange is PVC (CPVC?) not cast iron. I assume this isn't ideal, so I thought I better replace the flange. Our toilet is in a terrible spot. Moving it even 6" to the left (if you were standing in front of it) would really improve things. I removed a bit of subfloor to see what was going on under the flange.

The pipe drops down from the flange below the subfloor. It turns ninety degrees and then runs left parallel to the floor for about a foot. It then turns ninety degrees to the right (still parallel to the floor) and runs into wall where I'm guessing it connects to the plumbing stack).

It seems to me that all I have to do is cut the straight pipe, located between the two 90s under the floor in half, and then run a new piece of pipe up through the subfloor where I want the toilet's new position to be. Then I could wait for the floor to be tiled, and cut that drainpipe to proper height before installing new flange. 

Am I misunderstanding anything here? Or is this a relatively ideal situation, which should be a pretty easy job? Is it something I'm likely able to do myself, or are there intricacies I'm not aware of that make it more difficult?

I tried to attach a photo but it didn't work-- here is a picture I took of the plumbing from beneath the subfloor. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/63265611/IMG_20150626_174514990.jpg

thanks for any  help you can provide!


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## JoeD (Jun 28, 2015)

You are correct. You can simply shorten the pipe and turn it up in a new spot. You could even go back to the second 90 and turn that straight up.


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## frodo (Jun 28, 2015)

if it were me.   i would cut the pipe where it came thru the floor joist,  use a 45 degree bend or a 22.5 bend instead of 2 90;s


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## CallMeVilla (Jun 28, 2015)

Hard to tell but the sweep from your toilet looks tight.  The smoother the transition, the less obstruction, the faster the water flow.

If possible, I choose long sweeps ....  since you have access, why not make the change now?

Here is what I like ...


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## slownsteady (Jun 28, 2015)

Wondering why the pipe had those 90's installed in the first place. Could be the toilet was moved from it's original position, and now you're putting it back. Any reason it may have "had to be moved"?


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## frodo (Jun 28, 2015)

just a guess,  but it most likely   comes straight up the wall  the 90's out

like this.


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## tonytwotimes (Jun 29, 2015)

Thanks, guys. I'm wondering if at some point it got moved and I'm now returning it to its original position. With your confirmation, I'm now planning on cutting the drainpipe at the first 90 (the one where the pipe enters and exits the joint parallel to the floor) and putting a longer sweep up through the subfloor. I'll use a flange which attaches via stainless ring as suggested, flush to the subfloor, and use risers to bring it up to the height of the finished tile floor before installing the toilet. Any tips for getting a really nice level cut with a recip. saw? Any other general suggestions? Thanks again, it's awesome to have this forum to go to!


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## frodo (Jun 30, 2015)

I do not believe a sweep will work.

look at your picture,  you have a street 90 installed  .

best thing for you to do is go back with the same thing you have.

you can move the toilet,,but a long sweep wont work

cutting the pipe,,use a hand saw..skill saw,,if not used to it,,will eat your lunch

if you are weak wrist-ed,,make a miter box to hold saw straight


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## tonytwotimes (Jun 30, 2015)

I'm having trouble understanding what you mean, Frodo. The way I see it, I have two ways to go here. Please correct any errors or give suggestions--you guys are really appreciated! Also, sorry if I use the wrong terms for stuff, I'm trying to keep it all straight!

Option A is I cut the pipe just as it exits the 90 (in the current set up diagram, I would cut where the green pipe connects to the red 90), and put some sort of closet bend right there. If I did this, I would lose the length of pipe resting inside the joint, however, so if I used the same closet bend currently installed, my flange would be closer to the wall (<12"). I could probably easily amend this by cutting the middle of the green pipe and use a coupling sleeve to extend that back to 12".

Option B is I simply shorten the length of the blue pipe and put a new closet bend on in the same orientation. My concern here is that this would put a lot of turns in to a fairly tight space.


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## nealtw (Jun 30, 2015)

With out readin all the posts here, excuse me if I am not making sence but if all of this is in one bay between floor joist. why not cut the green pipe near the wall and use a 30 or 45 to point you to the new location.


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## JoeD (Jun 30, 2015)

If I was going to use option A, I would cut the green pipe back from the red elbow. Then turn the red elbow up leaving the blue pipe attached. Use a coupler to connect the green  pipe back together at the new angle.


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## tonytwotimes (Jun 30, 2015)

That sounds like a great idea. So all I would need to purchase is a coupler. Everything else would be reusable.


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## JoeD (Jul 1, 2015)

That would be my way. I like to reuse parts when possible.


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## frodo (Jul 1, 2015)

you said you were moving the toilet?

right now, the closet collar is glued directly, onto the 90 below the floor. there is no pipe between the colar and the 90.

THAT 90 and collar,  when you move the toilet is trash.

BECAUSE,,the collar has bolt holes that when moved will not line up



best thing for you to do...cut the hole in the floor where you want the new toilet to go.
install a closet collar
THEN..do what ever it takes to hook it up


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