Toilet Odor?

[johntk]

I have recently acquired a rather musty smell in my bathroom. We've cleaned everything thoroughly, including the tile floor. I have also replaced the toilet seal and ensured the area was not wet and that the toilet connections were not leaking. The odor seems to fluctuate in intensity, but is always there. It seems to be coming from the toilet area, but I cannot find a source. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

[Gary Swart]

It is possible there is a leak in the wax ring seal. This would not necessarily result in moisture on the floor, just under the toilet. I pull the toilet up and inspect the sub flooring for mold and moisture. If there is a leak there, it would depend on how long it has been going to determine if replacement of some of the sub floor is necessary. If there is no decay, sanitizing and deodorizing will take care of the problem. Of course in any event a new wax ring will be needed.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Ian Gills]

I would check if you have a small plastic pipe attached to the fill valve in your tank and, if so, that this is pointing down the overflow tube in the tank.

On my toilet, the pipe must point down the overflow to refill the trap after flushing. If not the trap siphons when I flush and never properly refills. Theoretically this could cause odour, and would certainly cause splashing when flushing.

Not the best picture of my top-spec toilet, but note the black pipe. This is pointing down the white tube in the middle.

Not just standard, American Standard for Americans like you (but not me).

An East Coast toilet for East Coast people. Cadet 3. Change has come to America.

 

[Terry]

A wax ring or two may be needed.

Check this video to see why
http://science.discovery.com/videos/deconstructed-toilet-flushing.html

 

[Jadnashua]

Another possibility is 'runoff' getting underneath the toilet. This could be from near misses, dogs, cats, little boys, big boys, etc. This is the reason it is recommended to seal around the base of the toilet, so those can't run underneath and fester... No amount of mopping will clean underneath.