Toilet odour problem Pt. 2?
Question:I asked this Q, got many responses, but people seem to just answer and abondon the Q...I have follow-up Qs/need clarification and no one responds.
Summary: low-flow toilet, not on septic system, girls apt., strong urine smell coming from the bowl (possibly under the rim) despite regular and repeated scrubbings. People said it might be the wax gasket that needs replacing--then left it at that. how do I tell for sure it's the seal? seal looks in tact and does not smell. no carpet or grout or anything in bathroom.
helpful, relevant and detailed solutions please? thanks
Answers:
I would use bleach to get it clean. Pour bleach into the tank, let it sit for a minute or two and then flush. This will disinfect under the rim. I would also suggest that you go to a janitorial supply store and tell them of your dilemia and see if they have any heavy duty bathroom cleaners or scrubbers that would help you get under the rim.
When people say the seal, I think they mean the wax ring under the toilet bottom. To check that, you would have to turn the water off, flush the toilet to empty the tank, disconnect the water line, unscrew the toilet from the floor and then lift the toilet up and off of the sewer drain. The wax ring is around the sewer drain and sometimes gets hardened and allows some minor leaking around the toilet bottom. If you find that the odor is coming from this area, I would suggest that you scrape all of the old wax from around the sewer drain and off of the bottom of the toilet. Clean thoroughly with bleach water the bottom of the toilet, the floor that is now exposed under the toilet and around the sewer drain. A new wax ring can be purchased at any hardware store or plumbing supply store for about $2.00. After it is all cleaned up, then you put the wax ring around the drain, set the toilet back on top of the drain/wax ring and put steady downward pressure on the toilet until it touches the evenly. You then bolt the toilet back down, carefully, don't crack the toilet or its junk, reattach the water line, turn it back on and flush a couple of times.
The toilet is heavy and you may want to have someone assist you in lifting it up. Don't drop it or crack it or it is junk.
Pour some bleach in the tank in the back, let it sit a moment before flushing into the bowl.
Also, the smell could be coming from the floor, expecially in back of the toilet. I'd use some bleach or ammonia and clean all around the toilet, and then the floor making sure to get the caulking cleaned well too. Be sure to scrub the inside with a brush way up high under the rim. BTW; Toilet bowl brushes that are rounded cylinder shaped should be thrown in the garbage! They dont work when getting under the rim. Instead use a brush with a flat edge or the wire with nylon bristles where the ends meet.
with a wax gasket, you just lift the toilet off the base and put a new one on, they are only a few bucks and that sounds like it is your problem. thats most likely the problem, thats why people left their answers at that. there is no true way to tell without lifting the toilet and just replacing the wax ring.
Josie gave you a good answer. We had to replace our wax gasket but it's not a job for one person. You need at least two because you need to be careful not to the wax or the toilet (very expensive) when you set it down to rescrew it. Best of luck. oh by the way, lemonshine helps with bad smells.
OK.now I've got a few things you might want to try to keep it tolerable.
They sell a few products in the store that you can get.
The first I would recommend is one of those "bleach" tablets that you place in the back of your toilet tank that slowly release to keep your potty disinfected.
They also have the "Cling" smelly things that clip over the lip of the potty that release pleasant fragrance every time you flush.
Take a look at the link below...it might help with the mystery seal!
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