Know the Reasons Your Toilet Smells & How to Eliminate Them

The worst defect found in all toilets is the taint of smell. Do you find a smell in the bathroom after you flush the toilet? The smell of sewage after you flush your toilet can be a warning sign that indicates that it requires repair.

The following are a few things to keep in mind for toilet odors :

  • The foul smell of sewer gas inside your home.
  • The water that is present in the toilet bowl is meant to seal the plumbing system and prevent sewer odor from entering your house.
  • The water level in the bowl and most traps is automatically maintained, but if something interferes with the refill, sewer gases can escape.
  • Various seals are in the traps found under sinks, tubs and every appliance that gets connected to the drain, waste, or vent system in your home.
  • Many bathroom smells are very difficult to track down. If the plumbing system was initially working properly before you detected the smells, a few things may indicate the sewer gas is escaping from your plumbing system.
  • After years of use, the worst taint of toilet is the smell that you get from the toilet bowl. It may also be due to the tiles, the walls, the sink, the drain, or the bathtub.
  • Of course, try identifying the toilet smell first. Does it smell damp or musty? Like urine or sewage? Or like something rotten?
  • Next, try to locate the smell. Does that smell come from everywhere in the room or from a particular place near the toilet or the sink?
  • Do you have smelly clothes in your bathroom that are stinking up the whole room? It is important to identify the origin of the smell, and go from there.

There are few things that can cause this smell to escape, so here’s a quick checklist of things to inspect:

  1. A Toilet with broken wax seal
  • Another common problem that can make your bathroom smell as if it has not been flushed even after flushing is the broken wax seal. The wax ring seals the base of the toilet and allows air and sewer odors from within the toilet and drain pipe to be pushed out after each flush. If the seal is damaged enough, then water can eventually begin to escape, leading to water damage.
  • Also, if the toilet rocks after taking a seat it indicates that the seal has been broken, hence the wax ring needing replacement.

2. It’s not used enough

  • Do you have a toilet in the basement that smells when you finally flush it after a few weeks or months? If there is infrequent use of toilets, then the water in the bowl evaporates. Without any water in the toilet bowl, odors from the drain pipe can travel out of the toilet.
  • To prevent these gases and odors from filling the bathroom, you must keep water in the bowl at all times by simply flushing it regularly.

3. Blockages Exist

  • Apart from all the waste and other objects that often get flushed down the toilet, there are various blockages that can form in the drain pipe. These blockages build up over time or are caused by a single instance. When your toilet develops such blockages, then you can smell their odors every time the toilet is flushed.
  • You should get the pipes inspected and have any blockages removed before they cause any recurring clogs or overflow the toilets.

Here are a few tips on smell removal:

  • You should disinfect the walls, ceiling, flooring and all fixtures. Many of us simply forget to clean them, but odds are high that these areas have collected a toilet stink from all the years of use.
  • Do yourself a favor and put the shower curtains and the carpet in the washer, scrub the tiles, and then wipe down the porcelain tub and sink with a good dose of ammonia, just to make sure that the toilet smell is gone.
  • Check the gasket. It is the connection between the bowl and the pipe that leads to the outside. The gasket is used to sit between the floor and the bowl. Either one of them may be damaged.
  • You should also check whether the exhaust pipe is clogged or not. This is big problem that may cause smells in the toilet.

For those who are in need of Toilet Repairs or the removal of clogged drains in Brooklyn, NY we’ll be happy to help! These problems need the services of a professional plumber, but there are a few things that most people can handle themselves; check out these easy solutions before calling the plumber.

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