The toilet flange is essential to securely install a toilet, which connects the drain hole to the plumbing fixture and directly affects its functionality.
Why Should You Install a Toilet Flange on Top of a Tile? You should install a toilet flange on top of a tile because it prevents drain leakage, provides toilet seat stability, better sealing of wax ring, secure the toilet with the floor using bolts, and cut-off the need to reinstall the tile floor. The standard height of the flange on the finished tile floor is ¼ inch, as it will allow a thicker wax ring to seal the connections correctly.
People remain confused about the correct placement and height of the flange, such as installing it on top of a tile or under the tile floor.
Professional plumbers recommend that it can go on top of a tile because of various plumbing issues. Different types and heights of flanges are available, and you can select them depending on the floor type.
Why would you install toilet flange on top of a tile?
You can install it on top of a tile because of the following reasons listed here.
Prevent drain leakage
The toilet flange connects the toilet bowl and the drain hole pipe on the floor to take the waste from the toilet to the sewage.
Flange under the finished floor can cause the water to seep into the tiles and sub-floor, which causes mold, floor warping, and other plumbing issues.
You can install it on the top of a finished floor to prevent drainage leaks and other plumbing problems because of water leakage.
It can perfectly connect the toilet with the drain hole, and the chances of leakage decrease.
Toilet seat stability
It seems uncomfortable when you sit on the toilet seat, and it wobbles because of the incorrect installation on the ground.
It is essential that the toilet seat is stable and the toilet is installed correctly on the tile floor to avoid wobbling and loose connections between the tile and the fixture.
Installing it above a finished tile floor can provide great stability to the seating, and it will not rock or wobble around when you sit on the seat.
The under-installation cannot fix it accurately on the tile floor, and it wobbles when you put pressure on sit on it while doing your business.
Better sealing of wax ring
A wax ring is sticky wax-like material used to provide a watertight, smell-proof, and mold-resistant sealing between the toilet and the drain hole pipe.
The flange above the finished floor can provide better sealing of the toilet bowl with the drain or sewer pipe and does not allow the sewer gases to release in the bathroom.
The under-floor flange installation causes water leakage and cannot fix the toilet bowl on the ground, and mold and bacteria can grow there because of the loose sealing and water leaks.
Secure the Toilet on the floor using bolts
It can secure the toilet on the top of the tile floor using bolts and screws, which provide extra stability to the seating.
The upper side goes down the subfloor, and the upper side remains above the finished floor to connect its bowl using bolts.
You can drill the correct size holes into the floor and fix it at a perfect height from the ground to install the toilet over it.
Cut off the need to reinstall the tiles
Installing it on the top of a finished floor does not require reinstalling the tiles after placing them on the floor, which saves a lot of money and time to reinstall the tiles.
However, the flange under the toilet can cause the reinstallation of the tiles over the floor after installing this component and causes more expense to select new tiles for this place.
You may have to remove the tiles if there is any leakage under the bowl or the wax ring is worn out and reinstall them again after replacing the old flange.
How can you install a toilet flange on top of a tile?
You can install it above a tile without consuming much time and effort if you have the skills to do this job correctly. First, clean the floor to remove dirt and dust, and also clean the sewer pipe hole area before installing the flange.
Take a flange of the same diameter as the drain hole, as commonly used flange and drain hole diameters are 3 inches, and you can select a 4-inch diameter component if the drain hole size is large.
Set it over the tile and mark the holes on the tile ground where the flange will fix using a pencil or marker, as there are usually 4 to 6 holes on the flange perimeter. I took a drill machine with a carbide or diamond drill bit that can drill the holes into the tile without damaging it.
Take cooling oil in a small bowl and dip the drill bit end into the oil to prevent the overheating of the drill machine bit and cracks on the floor during drilling holes.
I started from the mark points and drill the hole by moving the machine back and forth with some force to grind the drill bit into the ground. I kept the drill machine’s speed slow to avoid any damage to the tile surface, and I increased the speed when the drill bit was on the floor to allow a deeper hole into the subfloor.
Dip the bit into the cooling oil if you notice any smoke rising from the ground, and repeat the process for all the marked holes. Now you can change the drill bit with the screwdriver attachment or take a separate screwdriver to fix the bolts and screws into the drilled holes.
Fix the bolts in the holes to secure the flange with the floor, and you can now install the toilet on it without worrying about leakage or instability.
How high above the tile should the toilet flange be?
Installing a correct height toilet flange can better place the toilet on the tile floor to function correctly.
Professionals recommend a height of ¼ inch for installing it on the finished floor because it can allow a thicker wax ring sealing for better stability and avoid the bowl wobbling.
A height of ¼ inch is ideally used in bathrooms to install it on the tile floor because it can prevent leakages and suppress sewer gases.
However, the height can reduce if you have installed a new tile floor, or you can use a flange extender when the clearance between the floor and the toilet is not present.
The flange extenders are available in two sizes, such as ½ inch and ¼ inch, and you can select them depending on the lack of clearance around the fixture.
Things to consider for installing toilet flange on top of a tile
You have to consider different factors while installing this component on top of a tile floor because uneven or unbalanced toilets cause leakage problems.
Select an accurate flange height when installing it on the finished floor because the incorrect height can cause drainage issues. In addition, the leak path can form around the toilet because the bowl cannot sit perfectly on it and the drain hole.
Different types of flanges, such as ABS, PVC, brass, and cast iron, have additional durability, and you can select them depending on your need and plumbing requirements.
The material or type of flange used also depends on the Drain Waste Vent pipe material, such as you can install a PVC flange if the bathroom has a PVC pipe connection under the ground.
Select rust and corrosion-free bolt and screws because the rust accumulation can cause the plumbing fixture connections with the flange to lose over time. It can start wobbling when the bolts are rusted, and you have to remove the toilet and reinstall the new bolts.
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