If I were to walk up to you right now and ask you, how do your toilet work? Would you be able to explain it? Sure, you can tell me it flushes, but everyone knows that! How does your toilet flush? What essential parts make it work? How does the toilet connect to the sewage system? Crucial to many of these questions is our simple little friend, the toilet flange.
What does a flange do?
Toilet flanges come in many shapes and size and can be made out of a wide range of materials, but they all have the same job – to connect the toilet to the sewer drain pipe. This is a crucial connection. After all, you know the types of things that flow down from your toilet out to the sewage line. You want those ‘materials’ to flow away as quickly and quietly as possible. Most importantly, you don’t want them to leak. You really, really don’t want them to leak.
How does a flange work?
A toilet flange is typically a circular piece of material with several holes in it. Through these holes bolts are inserted which secure the flange tightly to the floor, and thus to the sewer drain pipe. The toilet is then secured snuggle to the flange. An air tight seal is formed allowing material to flow through the toilet to the sewage line without leaking.
Can anything go wrong?
Well, unfortunately, yes things can go wrong with the toilet flange. This is the last thing you want. Over time, prolonged water exposure can cause a toilet flange to become brittle, cracking and breaking down. Usually this takes many years to happen. When it does, leaks will start occurring, which is obviously something you want to prevent. The best thing to do is to replace the flange early. We recommend replacing after 6 or 7 years.
If you are not confident in replacing the flange on your own, you should contact a professional plumber.