The Lead Dutchman

A client of mine recently moved into a mid-century house where the plumbing had not yet been upgraded. After they found that their first water bill was through the roof, they decided to first replace a leaky faucet and old style toilet that was always running. We picked out a great low-flush, high-volume toilet and a good faucet.

The challenge in all of this is limiting the scope of the repairs to just the replacement of the fixtures, not re-plumbing the whole house. Because of the old galvanized pipes, discharged flakes of rust get into the supply line and it damages the fixtures. So we want to make sure that what we install is easily repairable and that new parts are readily available. This is why I always buy from local supply stores that have the repair kits available for any fixture I supply and install. I do not like to install fixtures that come from the Big Box Stores, as I’ve really had problems with the service of these fixtures down the line.

This installation had an added problem with the old waste lines. The toilet did not have a flange to accommodate the new style of toilet. The old style is a lead elbow that ties into a cast iron waste line. Short of replacing this waste line, we used a Lead Dutchman to make the transition from a modern flange to the old style waste line with no flange. The new brass flange is fastened securely over the Lead Dutchman that looks like a lead high top hat with the top removed. It’s turned upside down and the brim rests on top of the floor. The top part goes into the lead waste line. It’s trimmed and molded to fit the unique shape of the lead elbow that some old-timer probably installed when the house was built. If the shape is really weird I apply some heat to help make a airtight fit. Then a wax wring is installed over the flange and the new toilet is placed on new “closet bolts,” attached to the new flange.

Once the supply line is hooked up, the new throne is ready for use.