Are there any plummers in the house???

[SRUAlmn]

We moved in our new condo a little over a month ago. I don't think anyone lived here previously as they used to be apartments, and when they turned them over to condos they renovated them. Ever since the day we moved in there has been an odd smell coming from inside the tank of our toilet. It smells sort of like kitty litter. No matter how much we scrub and clean it, the smell won't go away. We opened the back tank to make sure there weren't any dead creatures or anything in it, and the tank is clean. If we close the lid, we can't smell it, so it's not a huge nuisance, but as soon as you open the lid to use the toilet the smell hits you. Any ideas what this could be? Thanks, it's getting to be pretty annoying and gross.

 

[gallaj0]

Could it be the water? I assume by "the tank" you mean the bowl, and there's usually a good amount of standing water in there, with plenty of surface area exposed to the air.
Does your new place use well water? Well water is usually not treated in any way, so any minerals or organics will still be there to add some odor to the water.

Or does the place use a filter or water softener for the incoming water? That could be putting an odor into the water.

Other than that, you could give the whole toilet a big scrub. Take the seat right off, and clean around the bolt holes, etc. Then buy a new seat. If the seat is made of wood, or wood covered plastic, it could be holding the odors, too.

 

[SRUAlmn]

We are near a beach, so I also thought that maybe the water had a smell. We have driven past places with standing water and noticed a more sewery smell due to the proximity to the ocean I'm assuming. We have city water, not well, and the seat is plastic, not wood. If it was the water itself, wouldn't all the water smell? Shower, sinks, etc...? We have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed

Thanks for the ideas.... I don't know what else to do...

 

[tiki23]

One of the sources of "phantom" odor around toilets is that the vent pipe on the roof doesn't extend tall enough from the roof, or that the pipe is sheltered from air that would carry the sewer smell away. You might try putting a PVC pipe extension on the vent pipe and see if that solves the problem.

 

[SRUAlmn]

One of the sources of "phantom" odor around toilets is that the vent pipe on the roof doesn't extend tall enough from the roof, or that the pipe is sheltered from air that would carry the sewer smell away. You might try putting a PVC pipe extension on the vent pipe and see if that solves the problem.

Thanks! I think I'll contact our maintenance people since we're renting. I just wasn't sure if they would think I was nuts

 

[heart4pooh]

My husband is a plumber and I asked him about it. He said more than likely you need to repair the wax ring under the toilet. It is not a big job and shouldn't cost more than an hour of a plumber's time and the inexpensive wax ring. I asked him about the vent and he said it would be easier to replace the wax ring first. But, he said that some one should go up on the roof and pour peppermint oil down the vent, then somebody inside could smell if there is a leak back into the house. (He said the person who pours the peppermint will have the peppermint smell on him and should not be the one inside looking for the scent, does that make sense?) He said that if it is the vent the whole house would have the smell, not just the toilet area. Hope this helps.

 

[TDC Nala]

Does Christopher Plummer read here?

 

[tiki23]

Heart4Pooh;

That's interesting about the peppermint oil; I'll have to remember that! I work in property managment and wierd things are always cropping up.

I mentioned the vent pipe because awhile back I managed a small building that kept having trouble with bad odors, but only in some of the bathrooms. It was faint enough you couldn't smell it throughout the apartment, and the owner, who did the maintenance, was at a loss as to what to try next. But because there were also mold problems at this building, the owner paid for an environmental engineer to come out. The engineer spotted the vent pipe problems right away and it was an easy fix. The mold problems were a nightmare!

Good luck to the OP!

 

[Brendita]

Apartment maintenance Techican here & yes I'm .
My 2 thoughts would be as mentioned before.
1. Check the wax ring.
Have help toilets can be heavy & odd to handle.
2. Check your vent.
Funny peppermint oil was mentioned. I would have used mint oil.
The point that you are renting, you shouldn't have to do anything.
Call your landlord ASAP.
Having a small problem addressed now
can prevent much bigger problems later.

 

[jipsy]

 

[SRUAlmn]

Thanks everyone! We put a call in yesterday to our property management, so I'll let ya know what it ended up being.
Thanks again