Bathroom smell?

Question

Every other day or so my bathroom smells horrendously. I can see the jokes coming now - it's nothing I've done! What can I do to find out where it's coming from and what do I do to fix it??

Answer 1

The advice that best answer guy has given you is good advice. I would also check under your sink. The drain-waste-vent system seems to be malfunctioning. for your drains to work right they must be vented properly. The D.W.V. needs to pull air when the toilet is flushed. If gas from the sewer is allowed in it would explain the odor. The reason that I would check by the sink is there may be a one way valve that some designs use to allow air into the D.W.V. system. They are very common in modular homes. I have had problems with these valves before. It does not happen all the time, but about every couple of days the bathroom will stink badly. This problem went away after the valve was replaced.

Answer 2

Call a plumber if the odor persists after you have followed the recommendations you have already received.

It could be that the drainage is backing up and you may suddenly find sewer water coming out of your toilet and spilling all over including the units below yours.

Or maybe water is seeping down to the pan under the tub or shower area. If the grout is cracked or old, then this may be the cause. Take care of it before the water in the pan overflows all over.

Answer 3

it sounds like u have a break or leak in ur vent pipe most cases its located near the toilet in the wall though of cours im guessing the house is more than or at least 30 yrs old and has cast vent pipeing the other thing cuold be to check and see how the toilet flushes is it a littlel slow ? becuase it could be the vent pipe is pluged up mabey a birds nest or squirrels bees ect you can check but u have to get on the roof where the vent comes out either way my moneys on some kind of vent problem wich isnt as bad of n expense as u would think well hope this helped (ur freindly contractor rk)

Answer 4

along with the smell r u seeing little gnats around that area?....if not then u probably dont have a busted drain line....u will need to make sure that water is ran in every fixture that has a p-trap....sinks....tubs....showers....if u do se little gnats then u might have a busted drain line in the wall or something.....if u have a older house u might have a galvanized arm goign from ur sink to the main stack and that will rust out on the bottom aloowing odor and gnats to get into ur home....if no gnats and u run water in all fixtures and u still get a smell fill a 5 gal bucket with water then pour it fast into ur toilet and see if it comes out from under the bowl.....if it does replace that wax seal....if not ur gonna have to call a plumber

Answer 5

If you have access to under the toilet (crawlspace, basement) look at the flooring around the toilet. If it is damp, your wax seal has broken. The smell would be sewer gas entering the home. Floor drains have traps that can become dried out and allow the gas also.

Answer 6

do you have a floor drain in your bathroom? the water in the P-trap in the floor drain may have evaporated, this is a common problem for stinky basements. just pouring water, or water and a bit of pine sol down the floor drain will help. check the P-trap in the sink, and finally and most likely is that the wax ring seal on the bottom of your toilet has deteriorated or your toilet is loose that the sewer gases are creeping into your bathroom through the poor seal of your toilet to the underfloor plumbing.

Answer 7

yep, i had a stinky spare bathroom... it started smelling up the entire house!!!
a friend told me to run water in the shower and it worked!

if its NOT a spare bathroom - you might consider replacing the ring on your toilet - or have a plumber make sure the sewer line is not leaking in a crawl or somewhere.

most likely what you are smelling is sewer gas. gotta be toilet related if you use this bathroom all the time.

good luck!

Answer 8

Have you tried putting a power cleaner thingy down the drain? You might have a blockage of hair etc down there. Also the loo could need bleaching, you might have damp towels that don't dry properly and are smelling, also if you have a cleaning cloth / face flannel that is permanently damp you'll get a yukky musty smell. Check for mould round the bath too, or if you have carpet, it could be that (especially around the toilet, if so....)

Answer 9

By any chance do you live in a trailer park? My mother inlaw does and I noticed she has this same problem. If so, then you may need to call out a plumber and have him clean out the main sewage line. This usually costs about a hundred bucks. Good luck with this!

Answer 10

you may want to check around the tub to make sure you do not have mold from a leak inside the wall