I live in a 60 year old bungalow.

I get a really bad waste smell in our basement for several hours, ONLY when dirty waste water is flushed from the toilet. This is not a trap problem as I rinse the trap regularly and does not resolve the problem.

Also, when we flush our toilet, sometimes it doesn't usually flush out all the waste an must be plunged.

Are the 2 possibly related?

Could the smell be the waste remaining lodged in the pipes before being completely flushed out?

Any suggestions?

Advice is always appreciated.

John Foster:confused:

Hi John,

Sometimes a wax seal will hold and pass liquid but allow gas to escape when the toilet's flushed. This could be the cause of your odor. As for the flush problem I have one that most repair plumbers miss.. Look down at the bottom of the bowl. If there is a small hole, then that is a jet that starts the syphon action. If it's clogged the water will just swirl around and slowly go down leaving solids behind. Take your finger,(UGH! ) and run it around the inside of the opening. Over the years minerals build up and cut down on the syphon (flush) action. If it is rough or you feel build up, take a table knife and put a bend in it to get around the curve in the bowl and chip and scrap it clear. Next take a coathanger and clear out the holes around the rim. They start the swirling action. And last, check the water level in the tank. It should be 1/2" below the top of the over flow tube. And speaking of the overflow tube, Make sure the small 1/8" tube from the ballcock to the white overflow tube is connected so it discharges in it and that it's flowing when the ballcock fills. This is what raises the water level in the bowl. For a good solid flush they all have to work together. Hope this helps . Tom

I live in an older house (110 years) and had a similar problem several years ago. It turned out to be a hole in the cast iron vent pipe that diverges from the stack drain at the basement floor level. (The house has a vent stack separate from the drain stack.) It seemed as though a flush or other major water discharge was forcing sewer-scented air out of the hole in the vent and stinking up the basement. Cast iron is good, but does wear out.

Thanks for the advice guys. I will give it a whirl. No pun intended.

JF