Bubbling, leak & sewer smell?

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Rhianna

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We are first time home owners and have been in the home for less than 2 months. Since moving in we have noticed that our downstairs half bath has an issue.

We’re hearing a bubbling/gurgling sound and smell a slight sewer odor and notice all the water has drained from the bowl as well as leaking from the base.

This has happened about 3-4 times.
Neither of us have any plumbing knowledge so we will be calling a plumber but I like to educate myself and found this forum from the old google.

From what I have read it sounds like it could be a wax ring issue? Any chance that I’m right? Could it be anything else?
 

Cacher_Chick

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The toilet will need to be removed so that the flange and closet bend can be inspected. If they are ok, then you may just need a new wax ring. Wax ring failures normally happen if the toilet is not sitting flat and tight to the floor. If the toilet wobbles, the seal of the wax ring will fail.
 

Mliu

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What concerns me is the fact that all the water is draining from the bowl. A bad wax ring or flange would cause leaking when the toilet is flushed, but it shouldn't cause the trap inside the toilet to drain out. So I fear you're facing a greater problem than just a bad seal to the flange.

You may have a problem with the vent stack connected to in your soil stack. If the vent is obstructed (or was constructed improperly) then as waste water flows down the soil stack, it can suction the water out of your toilet bowl. This would explain the gurgling sounds and the empty bowl. But it would not explain the leaking from the base.

Another possibility is that your toilet has a crack. This would explain the empty bowl and leaking at the base but would be an unlikely cause of the gurgling sounds.

You may have a combination of problems, which will make it more challenging to diagnose (and more expensive). I would certainly want the vent stack tested for proper operation. How old is the house? Do you have a warranty?
 
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