Why Does It Smell When I Flush My Toilet?

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When a toilet is flushed, it’s supposed to take bad smells away from us. Yet, sometimes flushing a toilet can result in the room being filled with the foul odor of sewage. If flushing your toilet isn’t a pleasant experience for your senses, there might be a problem with how it is working.

To learn more about why toilets can smell, keep reading this post. Or, call Durham plumbers now at 919-383-7000to schedule an appointment with our team.

Reasons Toilets Can Smell

Not Enough Water in the Bowl

If a toilet hasn’t been used for a while, water can evaporate from the lower part of it. Water helps keep out smells from the sewage system a toilet is connected to. In these instances, flushing your toilet will add the water needed to get rid of the foul smells once again! If the problem persists, you might need to look into other causes of odors.

A toilet doesn’t have to remain unused for a long time for it to lose enough water to develop smells! If you have pets, they might be drinking from the toilet bowl, causing its water level to get low enough to allow smells to develop!

A Damaged Sealing Ring

Toilets have a wax seal ring that sits between them and a sewer line. If this ring becomes worn, it can break the seal that keeps smells of sewage from entering a home. Signs of a broken wax seal include a toilet that rocks or water gathering around the base of a toilet. Occasionally, using a plunger too often can also break a toilet’s seal as it can create too much pressure for it.

Clogged Sewer Vents

Believe it or not, the cause of your toilet’s stenches might be above your head! Sewer vents are pipes on roofs that allow sewage gases to escape. Sometimes, these vents can become clogged, forcing the gas from your sewage system into your home. A sign of a clogged vent is a gurgling sound at your tub each time you flush. This sound might be happening because gases are escaping through your tub instead of your clogged vents.

Cracked Toilets

If a toilet is cracked, it can allow gases to slowly enter a bathroom. While many people think a cracked toilet is always made obvious by leaking water, this isn’t always true. Sometimes, the only symptom of a cracked toilet is a foul odor.

Blocked Pipes

If your sewage drain is clogged, it can cause odors to be released each time a toilet is flushed. Having blocked pipes fixed as soon as possible can help other disasters from happening such as overflowing toilets!

If your toilet smells, don’t wait to have the problem solved quickly by our North Carolina plumbing experts. Call us now at 919-383-7000 to find out how we’ll help you stop odors from happening each time you flush!