PC4 Floor Protecting Toilet Flange, 4", 16 Piece

Hopefully this review will save some hassle for someone else... If you are working with older, 4" iron/galv. pipes, this is most definitely the retrofit flange you want. It's a very high-quality, durable item that does exactly what it is supposed to do. The way the unit locks itself into place is far superior to other type of "soft" connection retrofit options. Once you tighten-up the bolts, the flange will have secured itself perfectly within the old pipe. Other options do not secure themselves in this manner and it's thus possible to introduce other complications.There is, however, a very key caveat to using this product: as another reviewer has pointed-out, the fit is quite snug, and you will not be able to get the new flange into the old pipe without first clearing the build-up of rust that almost certainly is coating the inner walls of your old pipe. The tool you want for that purpose is a cylindrical rotary rasp. Insert that into your drill and away you go. It's the perfect tool, because it will very easily clear the rust, but is not aggressive enough to gouge into the pipe wall itself. All the rotary rasps I've seen are only about an inch and a half or so long, however, so you will need some sort of extension for your drill (the one I got had a hex mandrel, so I was able to extend its reach by simple using a hex tool mount in my drill). Couldn't have taken longer than a minute to completely clear the pipe opening to easily and cleanly accept the new flange, which seated perfectly and solidly.The tight fit-up is actually a feature of the product. And it simply wouldn't be possible to create a functional retrofit of the same type, if allowing for the further inside diameter restriction of the rust build-up. For three reasons: 1) no one can know just how much build-up there actually is, in any specific case; 2) the way the flange is built, it already has to reduce the drain opening by about a full inch -- any more than that and it wouldn't be functional; 3) rust build-up potentially causes enough variation in the shape of the opening that the mechanical sealing mechanism might not work if it has to be placed against such an uneven surface.Long story short, just know that you're going to have to clean the inside of the pipe before you can effectively use this product.

This toilet flange solved a recurring problem of over-tightening the bowl to floor bolts and breaking the flange, then starting over. This flange is very strong and well designed. It slipped into the 4" sanitary pipe and is secured with both 100% silicone and 8 screws. The nylon ring is very strong. It is not brittle or inflexible like a normal PVC flange without the ring. The ring holds the bowl to floor bolts securely. I also warmed up the wax ring in direct sunlight for a few hours prior to installation to get it as flexible as possible, to overcome less resistance when tightening. This flange seems like a permanent solution. To me, well worth the price.

Overall not good for it price

Needed this for a remodel of a bathroom in an older home. The original flange was in good shape but was cast iron and lead and needed to be adjusted to fit the height of the new finished floor. This worked great and has provided a good seal. Plumber didn't caulk around the toilet for a while to make sure it didn't hide a leak. So far so good.

It works just as advertised. Easy to install and grips solidly so you don't wobble when you sit down, which can be a bit disconcerting. You will need to do some preliminary work to install it properly. You have to cut the existing pipe off at floor level or else add a spacer under the commode. My pipe is cast iron so it was a real job cutting it with a reciprocating saw. It took several special blades.

The diameter is so precise that in old rusty cast iron pipes it will not fit. I used a grinder to knock off some of the rust but the adapter still would not fit just the wear and rust on the old pipe made it too tight. So i removed the bottom part and thought I could press the fling on. But that too was too tight and after forcing it in it broke. So i went back to the old way I had the toilet mounted and got longer screws and used two wax seals. Now that worked for a fraction of the price.

Good

I like this style of flange better than any other. It produces a perfect seal, so no worries about leaks. Easy to install and very solidly made.