Results for "unused toilet"

My apartment has a second bathroom that basically never gets used, and lately there's been a really strong sewer smell coming from it. I looked up a video on how to fix a dry trap and followed the steps — poured water down the toilet, added a little mineral oil on top to slow evaporation, the whole thing. But the smell is still there, maybe even stronger now, and I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if a dry trap isn't even the issue.

The bathroom has been sitting unused for probably a couple of months since my roommate moved out. I mentioned it to my landlord but haven't heard back, so I'm trying to figure out whether this is something I can actually solve myself before I push the issue further. Could the dry trap really be causing this, or did I miss something?…more

Found myself scrubbing the toilet top to bottom tonight — bowl, tank, the whole thing — and yet there's still this persistent sour, rotten egg kind of smell coming from the bathroom. It's past midnight and I need to figure this out before guests arrive tomorrow morning. I own this home and this bathroom gets regular use, so I'm not totally surprised something's off, but cleaning didn't fix it like I expected.

I've tried the usual stuff — bleach tablets, bowl cleaner, even wiped down the outside of the base and behind the tank. The smell comes and goes a little but never fully disappears. Is there something I'm missing, or is this a sign of a bigger plumbing problem?…more

During a conversation with a plumber who came out for a running toilet, he mentioned I'd need to shut off the main water supply to the house before doing anything. That seemed extreme to me — I've seen what looks like a small valve right behind the toilet near the floor, and I always assumed that was specifically for shutting off just the toilet without cutting water to the whole house. Am I wrong about that?

I'm trying to handle some of the simpler repairs myself now that I own this place, and I'd really like to understand how that little valve works and whether it's actually safe to rely on. The plumber made it sound like those valves are unreliable, but is that a reason to bypass it entirely, or is there a way to test it first?…more

Nobody wants to discover that their vacation home toilet is struggling to fill the tank — especially when you've just arrived and you're already dealing with a list of things to check on. My toilet is running through water like crazy trying to refill, or sometimes barely filling at all, and it's making the whole flush cycle take forever. I noticed it right when I got here this trip, and the tank just sits there making a hissing noise without ever reaching a normal water level.

I'm not sure if it's something that happened while the house was sitting empty or if it's been a gradual thing I missed on my last visit. Either way, the toilet is burning through refill attempts and either running constantly or just not completing the fill cycle at all. Would love to know what's going on and how to keep it from happening again.…more