Stinky smell from the BASE of our toilet. What's up??

So after much detective work and a thorough cleaning, my husband and I have deduced that there is a sewage/methane smell seeping up from the seal between the base of the toilet and the floor.  It’s in our finished basement and connects to an old main sewage line.  Toilet is flushing fine, there are no back-ups or evidence of a clog that we can see.  Anyone have any advice, experience, recommendation?  It’s rather unfortuate! Thanks!

rbenoff

in Plumbers and Plumbing 13 years and 4 months ago

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randolph | 7 years and 1 month ago

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> @Andrew Porter
> How is it that a question from 2012
because the way the forum works now, if someone responds to an old post it kicks it up in the queue. not sure if that makes for a better user experience but that is how it works.

eileengray | 7 years and 2 months ago

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It might be due to the lack of an air vent at the house trap. It maintains a seal between in the trap to prevent sewer gas from coming back into the house waste system. It makes sense that the small would come from the nearest fixture to the trap. I think that many older (smaller?) homes did not have them but they are now required.

AndrewPorter | 7 years and 2 months ago

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How is it that a question from 2012—6 years ago!—is appearing now???

tbddesignstudio

in Plumbers and Plumbing 7 years and 2 months ago

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I had reworked three drains that vented properly, but forgot to refill one p-trap. It was in a rarely-used shower (pan tilted enough not to drain properly, eventual renovation project), but took a few weeks to start venting up that far. But when it started venting, whoa!

eric3872 | 13 years and 3 months ago

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Pbesmer is right.  It has nothing to do with the wax seal, although you may need a new one anyway.  The gases are coming through because you have a faulty trap.  It may be the trap below the toilet or it could be the main house trap.  The trap is designed to hold water and prevent and gasses from passing through.  The fact that you are smelling sewer gases means the trap is not retaining enough water and ia allowing air to pass through it.  You need a plumber to diagnose the location of the problem.  It may be a simple fix, but it could also be a sign of a larger problem.

rbenoff | 13 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks everyone for your answers.  We have a sewer guy coming tomorrow.  We’ll check for a dry trap, soggy floor, and the wax seal.  Any more suggestions out there?  Keep ’em coming!

callalily | 13 years and 3 months ago

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The answer from the home inspector makes no sense to me. If the seal on the wax ring is broken, you will have sewer gas odor coming from it. If the house trap is dry, you will have sewer gas coming from the  house trap — but this is very likely nowhere near the toilet.

JohnGromkoski | 13 years and 3 months ago

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I would start with an inspection of the main house trap as Paul suggested, however I am more inclined to believe the wax seal may need replacement.  Is the floor area around the toilet soft in any way?  A bad wax seal may also allow leaking which can decay the subfloor and allow mold growth.

northofditmas | 13 years and 3 months ago

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I’m with Steve.  Get a thick wax ring instead of the standard.  The ring is under the toilet so you will need to unscrew and lift the toilet in order to swap it out.  You will probably see that the old ring was barely compressed by the bottom of the toilet leaving a gap for gasses to escape.

pbesmer | 13 years and 4 months ago

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The toilet has a water trap to precent fumes from entering the house. There is also a trap on the main dain line. The fact the odor comes from below the trap means there is a problem with the house trap on the main line. You definately need a plumber to correct this

stevecym | 13 years and 4 months ago

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you may need a new wax seal.