System and Method for Leveling Toilet Flanges
The present invention comprises a shim formed from a circular disc that transitions uniformly in thickness from a first point having a first thickness to a second point having a second thickness on the opposite side of the shim from the first point. The shim further comprises a central opening formed therethrough to allow communication between the toilet drain opening and the opening of the closet flange. The shim additional includes one or more arcuate slots formed therethrough for permitting hold-down bolts to be attached through the shim and into a closet flange positioned below the shim.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/644,495, filed on May 9, 2012, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plumbing equipment and, more specifically, to a system for leveling closet flanges.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical toilet installation involves the use of a pipe fitting called a closet flange or toilet flange that mounts a toilet to the floor and connects it to a drain pipe. A typical closet flange is composed of an ABS or PVC hub with a round mounting flange attached to the top. Closet flanges may be made from various materials, including copper, brass, cast iron, or stainless steel. The drain pipe and closet flange are dimensioned and configured so that the top of the flange is at the same height as the floor and so the flange is level. Thus, a properly installed closet flange will support a toilet in a fully upright and level position and consequently the level closet flange and toilet installation meet the requirements of most building codes.
Unfortunately, many closet flanges and drain pipes are not properly installed or shift at some point during or after the construction process so that they are no longer level. As a result, when a toilet is mounted to such an unlevel flange, the toilet will not be level. The only current solution for this problem that meets most building codes is to remove and reinstall the drain pipe so that the closet flange is level. This process can be extremely cumbersome and expensive, particularly if the drain pipe and closet flange are set in concrete, such as in the case of a finished basement. In order to re-level a closet flange set in concrete, the entire area must be jack-hammered to remove the concrete and thus expose the closet flange and drain pipe. The closet flange and drain pipe must then be fixed and new concrete poured to reset the fixture. Obviously, this is an expensive, time-consuming, and costly process. As a result, there is a need in the art for an inexpensive and quick means to correct closet flanges that are out-of-level.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention comprises a shim formed from an annulus shaped disk that transitions uniformly in thickness from a first point having a first thickness to a second point having a second thickness on the opposite side of the shim from the first point. The central opening of the annulus is positioned to match the opening in the closet flange and to allow communication between the toilet drain opening and the throughbore of the closet flange. The shim additionally includes one of more arcuate slots formed therethrough for permitting hold-down bolts to be attached through the shim and into a closet flange positioned below the shim. The degree of taper between the first point and the second point may be varied to address out-of-level closet flanges, or a modestly tapered shim may be used in combination with similar shims to correct significantly out-of-level installations.
The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Shim 16 is preferably manufactured from plastic due to the fact that shim 16 will likely be exposed to moisture on a regular basis. Shim 16 may also be manufactured from any material suitable for manufacturing flange 14, such as copper, brass, cast iron, or stainless steel.
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Claims
1. An apparatus for leveling a toilet on a closet flange, comprising:
- a disk having a central hole formed therethrough to form an inner diameter dimensioned to correspond to the inner diameter of said closet flange and an outer diameter dimensioned to correspond to the outer diameter of said closet flange, thereby defining an annular region therebetween; and
- wherein said disk is defined by an upper surface and a lower surface that extend along non-parallel planes so that said disk tapers uniformly from a first thickness to a second thickness that is different than said first thickness.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one slot formed in said annular region dimensioned to accept at least one hold-down bolt.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising at least one adhesive surface positioned on said annulus.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said disk includes at least two slots formed in the annular region and positioned to be in alignment with one or more corresponding hold-down bolts associated with said closet flange and said toilet.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one slot formed in said annular region comprises a single slot formed in said annular region.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising at least one adhesive surface positioned on said annulus between any two of said three annular slots.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first thickness is one sixteenth of an inch and said second thickness is three sixteenths of an inch.
8. A system for leveling a toilet on a closet flange, comprising:
- a set of at least two disks, each of which has a central hole formed therethrough to form an inner diameter dimensioned to correspond to the inner diameter of said closet flange and an outer diameter dimensioned to correspond to the outer diameter of said closet flange, thereby defining an annular region therebetween;
- at least one slot formed in and extending around a portion said annular region of each disk; and
- wherein each of said disks is defined by an upper surface and a lower surface that extend along non-parallel planes so that each said disk tapers uniformly from a first thickness to a second thickness that is different than said first thickness.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein each of said slots are dimensioned to accept at least one hold-down bolt.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one adhesive surface positioned on each said annulus of each of said disks.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein said first thickness of each of said disks is one sixteenth of an inch and said second thickness of each of said disks is three sixteenths of an inch.
12. A method of leveling a toilet onto a closet flange having at least one hold-down bolt when said closet flange is out of level, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a disk onto said closet flange and said hold-down bolts, wherein said disk comprises: a central hole formed through said disk to form an inner diameter dimensioned to correspond to the inner diameter of said closet flange and an outer diameter dimensioned to correspond to the outer diameter of said closet flange, thereby defining an annular region; at least one slot formed through said annular region dimensioned to accept said hold-down bolts; wherein said disk is defined by an upper surface and a lower surface that extend along non-parallel planes so that said disk tapes uniformly from a first thickness to a second thickness that is different than said first thickness;
- allowing said central hole to align with the inner diameter of said closet flange and each of said hold-down bolts to extend through a corresponding one of said slots;
- rotating said disk upon said closet flange so that said taper at least partially corrects for said closet flange being out of level; and
- securing said toilet onto said disk and said closet flange using said hold-down bolts.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of positioning a second disk onto said closet flange and said hold-down bolts if said first flange does not fully correct for said closet flange being out of level prior to securing said toilet.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of positioning a second disk includes rotating said second disk upon said first disk so that said taper at least partially corrects for said closet flange being out of level and adhering said second disk to said first disk via an adhesive portion positioned on an annular region of said first disk.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of positioning additional disks on first and second disks until said flange being out of level is fully corrected prior to the step of securing said toilet.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one hole formed through said annular region and dimensioned to accept at least one hold-down bolt.
17. The system of claim 8, wherein said slot extends around said portion of said annular region of each disk to define a hole dimensioned to accept at least one hold-down bolt.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein said slot formed through said annular region of said disk defines a hole dimensioned to accept at least one hold-down bolt.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2013
Publication Date: Nov 14, 2013
Applicant: INFINIVATION, INC. (Riverton, WY)
Inventors: John F. Mares (Lansing, NY), Thomas Pennell (Moravia, NY)
Application Number: 13/762,909
International Classification: E03D 11/13 (20060101);