That time I used a penny to fix a backed up toilet flange in Cleveland

One of my tenants called me last Tuesday about a leaking toilet that was wobbling. I figured the wax ring was shot again, third time this year. When I pulled the toilet, the flange was cracked all the way through on one side. I didn't want to spend 40 bucks on a new flange plus a call to a plumber. So I dug through my change jar and found a thick 1970s penny. I drilled a hole right through the center of it, then screwed it into the flange next to the crack to bridge the gap. It held the flange together tight, and the new wax ring sealed it up perfect. Has anyone else used coins or washers to patch up cracked plumbing parts like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_green2119d ago

My brother in law once used a quarter to patch a hole in his muffler. Lasted about two months before it blew out on the highway. And @the_max is right, a crack in the flange usually means something under there is moving or sinking. That penny might hold for a bit but you're probably gonna be back at it before winter.

betty_palmer19d ago

I've been that quarter patching a muffler before, turns out I'm just as good at plumbing as I am at car repairs.

the_max19d ago

Hold up man, that's a band-aid fix at best. Plumbing flanges crack for a reason usually because the pipe underneath is shifting or rotting out. A penny won't stop that from happening again. You're just gonna have the same call in another 6 months, maybe with a bigger leak and water damage to boot. Bite the bullet and replace the whole flange assembly. That 40 bucks now beats a ceiling repair bill later.