Common Causes Of Smelly Toilets
A stinking toilet is uncomfortable to use and can also embarrass you in front of your guests. The stink can also be a sign of an underlying problem with the toilet. Below are some of the common causes of smelly toilets.
Clogged Drains
Your toilet doesn't normally smell, because the waste you dump into the toilet doesn't stay there; the wastes flow down the drain into the sewer treatment center. However, this won't happen, if the drain is clogged. This might happen, if you take a long time before cleaning your toilets or if someone flushes the wrong things down the toilet. In such cases, the clogging blocks the flow of wastes the decomposing wastes give off the awful smell.
Clogged Vents
Your toilet has a plumbing vent that channels smelly gases out of the house through the roof. If this vent is blocked, say by windblown debris or dead animals, the gases will build up in your bathroom and cause it to smell.
Bacteria in the Bowl
Your toilet might also smell, if bacteria from the sewer manage to find their way into the toilet. This can happen, if the sewer bacteria over-multiply when the sewer environment gets too humid and warm during the summer. In this case, the smell is due to the colony of bacteria that is acting on the traces of waste in the toilet.
Dry P-Trap
A typical toilet has a contraption known as a P-trap that should always have water. The P-trap, a section of a pipe that dips and comes up against and is usually located behind the toilet, prevents sewer gases from flowing back into the bathroom. However, the P-trap only works if it is filled with water. If the P-trap dries (for example, in a rarely-used toilet), the sewer gases might flow back into the bathroom and cause the bad odor.
Toilet Damage
Lastly, damage to your toilet may also cause it to smell. As previously mentioned, the toilet wastes should flow down the drain into the sewer treatment center. However, damage to the toilet might allow the wastes to leak onto the floor and smell. This might happen, for example, if the seals under the toilet seat are worn out or if the toilet is cracked. In such a case, bacteria will act on the leaking wastes, and the decomposition process will give off smelly gases.
As you can see, various things can cause your toilet to smell. Call a plumber to diagnose the cause of the bad odor and fix the toilet, so you can use your bathroom comfortably, again.
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