Hello There,

We've got a problem with the toilet in our powder room. What we've noticed is that the toilet is constantly dirty. We clean it every second day and within 36-48 hours we have a black/brown build up below the water line. We have tried switching cleaning products to no avail.

There is also a persistent smell around the toilet. It becomes worse if the toilet water is agitated (ie by using the toilet). The water in the tank looks and smells OK, so its puzzling where the problem is coming from.

Any ideas?

What does it look like in the tank? Is there anything rusting inside the tank?

I had looked in the tank and the interior looks OK. There's some scaling on the sides of the tank. I did not notice any rust.

The toilet in question may be as old as 20 years old. I've only owned the home for two years, and this problem has only appeared this summer.

The odor could be from a wax ring that has failed. Home depot carries an elongated american standard 'toilet in a box' complete, for a hundred dollars. I have 3 in my house. The fourth is a round front for space in a half bath.