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Lynne C · Dec 23, 2008, 04:58 PM

Hello everyone,

I have noticed a foul odor (urine-like) emanating from my toilet. It has progressively gotten stronger over time, and it is pretty strong now. I have cleaned the toilet with those blue toilet cleaners, yet the odor is still pervasive. We do have problems with hard water, as I often have to clean surface areas where water leaks from faucets. I live in an apartment complex, and so everything is pretty much shared, I am sure. I have noticed that on the base of the toilet (the bottom part where it connects to the floor), there seems to be a leak, as if the toilet might ever so slightly be coming up from the floor. There is yellow coloring and stickiness around the edges. I have mopped the floor of course, but it keeps coming back, and so does the odor, which never completely goes away. I am wondering where this strong and offensive odor could be emanating from, and if anyone has experienced this or has any suggestions on what I could do about this; it has gotten to the point where I have to light candles, constantly use sprays and keep the door closed, thank you.

hvac1000 · Dec 23, 2008, 05:03 PM

The wax gasket under the toilet might be defective allowing sewer gasses into the bath room.

letmetellu · Dec 23, 2008, 07:27 PM

Do you have a son, and if so how old also do you have a husband of a male living in the house. Men miss a lot, a good way to improve their aim is to let them clean the commode and floor.

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 23, 2008, 08:10 PM

letmetellu nailed it. The yellow around the toilet is due to someone's bad aim. The smell is most likely going to remain because the urine has gotten under the toilet. If it were a bad wax ring you would be smelling sewer gas, not urine. Young boys, and older gentlemen are usually the cause of this. However, any age male could be the factor, or a really drunk woman(have to be drunk for a woman to miss that bad,lol). May look at pulling toilet, cleaning area very well, replace wax ring, and start making the males in the family clean up their mess.

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 23, 2008, 08:14 PM

Hvac, Good to see you are taking some interest in the plumbing page, Maybe I can help you learn for once,lol.

hvac1000 · Dec 23, 2008, 08:27 PM

That is a good possibility. I think they also need to caulk around the base between the base of the toilet and the floor to seal that area so if urine gets there again it cannot get under the toilet where it cannot be cleaned. My father did some plumbing and he taught me a lot of old ways especially what he called piss plates. Every toilet in this house has one. Some are stainless and some are marble but that and the caulk always kept the bathrooms here from having that problem.

Now doing the lead pipe joints is another story. LOL I still have his torch, ladel,wooden oil paddles,catchers,okum and all the other junk in a big box. The torch pump still works and burns using white gas/Coleman fluid.

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 23, 2008, 08:36 PM

Some folks like to caulk toilets, some don't. Im the latter, unless it is necessary to stabilize the commode. The only problem I have with caulking the toilet, is it makes for a heck of a mess when replacing wax ring, or installing a new toilet that doesn't match old toilets dimensions.

Im glad I'm young enough to have missed out on the lead and okum days. Only have to use it rarely for repair work. That stuff was used back in the day when you didn't mess with a plumber, cause if you did, you were going to get hurt.

hvac1000 · Dec 23, 2008, 09:41 PM

I kind of like the caulk. I use Dap the Jap as I call it in the small tube. It helps stabilize as you said but it also prevents and PP from getting between the base plate P-plate and the base itself. Last unit I serviced here a friend of mine invented a new style wax ring. Actually it is not wax at all but a plactic adapter with large O rings and a durable rubber style flap around the area that the base ring fits into. I believe they are sold now by some companys. It has worked well. He sold the patent some time ago and collects residuals plus some up front cash. Many small inventors cannot bring there product to the market due to start up costs.

Milo Dolezal · Dec 23, 2008, 10:12 PM

Agree with Letmetellya: Do you have small boy in your family who is using this toilet ? What type / kind of flooring do you have in that bathroom ?

Pivoman · Dec 24, 2008, 12:09 AM

Caulk is not needed, if the installation was done properly. If you want to seal the toilet. Put a bead of plumbers putty under the perimeter of the toilet... It works wonders.

Milo Dolezal · Dec 24, 2008, 03:28 AM

Pivoman:I have to disagree with you. Caulking is the best way to seal along the bottom of the toilet. It prevents possible sewer gas from escaping to the room, it seals the shadow line and makes soft cushion in case bowl has tendency to rock. In my area, caulk is required - even when installation is done properly.

letmetellu · Dec 24, 2008, 10:45 AM

I worked back in the time when plumbers putty was use as the bowl wax, and also around the rim of the commode. It is not an easy job to get the putty in the right place on the floor and if you tried to stick it to the commode just as you were about to set the commode the putty fell off. Those were the days, I am glad they are gone.

hvac1000 · Dec 24, 2008, 11:27 AM

I still use plumbers putty around basket strainers and for setting sink bowls. Many things have improved in the plumbing trade but the materials have also become cheaper to buy but are of not so good construction. The only faucets I trust anymore are Moen since there cartridge setup is pretty good and they are still trade priced so I can afford to put them in my rentals. I for one will never buy a Delta faucet again. Installed over 100 of them in a condo conversion only to have to replace them with Moen because of leaks with there little spring loaded ball setup. I was lucky since the engineer spec called for Delta. I got paid twice for the same job. That was many years ago and it could be that Delta has changed but I do not want to roll the dice again.

Merry Christmas letmetellu.

dcnvince · Dec 24, 2008, 12:33 PM

As a plumbing contractor, I grout the base of the toilet with plaster of paris. It does not stick to the porcelain and dries fast. If you use caulking, it will seal it to your floor but you will break the toilet before you free itfrom the floor if you ever have to change the wax seal

Milo Dolezal · Dec 24, 2008, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by dcnvince

As a plumbing contractor, I grout the base of the toilet with plaster of paris. It does not stick to the porcelain and dries fast. If you use caulking, it will seal it to your floor but you will break the toilet before you free itfrom the floor if you ever have to change tthe wax seal

I have to disagree with you. If you grout the base of the toilet it will be almost impossible to remove toilet w/o breaking the bowl. In many cases, you pull up not only the toilet, but also the tile with it. Plaster of Paris is a bad choice too. It is fragile, cracks easily, but most importantly: it discolors very easily, making yellowish/brownish ring along the bottom of the toilet. Like grout, it is pourous.

Caulking has many advantages: it is structural, flexible, holds color, seals against odor, cleans well, is not pourous, doesn't crack and can be easily cut with drywall knife if toilet needs to be removed.

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 24, 2008, 02:09 PM

I actually find plaster of paris to be great for toilets. Sets up hard, doesn't stick to toilet or floor when removing toilet(at least not like caulking.) Discoloring is easily taken care of with an abrasive pad and water. We all have our certain ways of doing things. Its pretty much just opinions, and the way we were taught at this point.