Toilet sewer gas
 

I just replaced the wax ring of a toilet leaking sewer gas, it still
stinks in the room. House is 80 original drains. What is the most likely
cause of the smell.

Can a clogged vent stack cause this smell. If so, why , it is only open
at the exit on the roof- right. Windows are sealed closed.

Or is it more likely a cracked drain pipe or bad seal of connected
drain pipes.

What is the best way of finding the leak without ripping out floors and
walls.

m Ransley wrote:

I just replaced the wax ring of a toilet leaking sewer gas, it still
stinks in the room. House is 80 original drains. What is the most likely
cause of the smell.

Can a clogged vent stack cause this smell. If so, why , it is only open
at the exit on the roof- right. Windows are sealed closed.

Or is it more likely a cracked drain pipe or bad seal of connected
drain pipes.

What is the best way of finding the leak without ripping out floors and
walls.

I have on occassion used a combustible gas leak detector (TIF) to find
sewer gas leaks. Pretty good at pinpointing the source but depends
on the wind blowing right. But if the leak is inside a wall it won't
X-ray it for you...

Jim

I just had a problem like this in an upstairs guest bathroom that we rarely
use. Turned out that the sinks, shower and toilet all have traps filled
with water that prevent sewer gas from excaping into the bathroom through
the drains. They hadn't been used for so long that the water in the traps
had dried up. All I had to do was flush the toilet a few times, and run
water in the sinks and shower for awhile. That solved it. It also cost me
the price of a plumber's house call to find this out. I hope your problem
is this simple.


"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
I just replaced the wax ring of a toilet leaking sewer gas, it still
stinks in the room. House is 80 original drains. What is the most likely
cause of the smell.

Can a clogged vent stack cause this smell. If so, why , it is only open
at the exit on the roof- right. Windows are sealed closed.

Or is it more likely a cracked drain pipe or bad seal of connected
drain pipes.

What is the best way of finding the leak without ripping out floors and
walls.

(m Ransley) had
:

I just replaced the wax ring of a toilet leaking sewer gas, it
still
stinks in the room. House is 80 original drains. What is the most
likely cause of the smell.

Can a clogged vent stack cause this smell. If so, why , it is only
open at the exit on the roof- right. Windows are sealed closed.

Yes! Get up on the roof with a flash light. Remove the cap and see
if you see an obstruction. A drainsnake can help you out. Mine was a
bat that died trying to get back out.


--
Barney __________________________
"Name calling is best left to the children."


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Another thing to consider: mold/mildew in the holes around the top of
the bowl...and in the over-flow / vent hole in your sink.

I've been chasing a similar problem in an under-used bedroom bathroom
for a few months now. After what seemed like countless hours playing
"Columbo", I traced the origin of the smell to this mildew build-up.
The problem is - cleaning it isn't easy. I've been flushing both
areas with bleach off and on. The smell goes away (as does the
"visible" mildew)...but comes back eventually, as the mildew grows
back. It's hard to deeply-clean these areas, because there is no easy
access to them.

I realize that I could just solve the problem by replacing the sink
and the toilet, but that seems like a waste; There's nothing
mechanically wrong with these units.

Just my two cents.