I have this odd sweet smell coming from one toilet that's been there since we moved into our new home. Trying to get the builder to address it, but it's taking forever. The smell isn't like rotten eggs (which to me means bad wax seal), but rather it smells similar to chewing tobacco/snuff, but not super strong. Can anything other than just a bad wax ring/seal cause a smell like this to constantly come from a toilet?

I was worried it could be a plumbing drain issue under the slab, but not sure if issues like that cause smells to come out of a toilet.

Lol

I've flushed vinegar through the tank multiple times to see if it was just a dirty toilet they installed, but the smell remains.

How can that be if I have a tile floor with a concrete slab underneath that the drain goes through?

Smells are really hard to figure out in person......even harder online.

I would tend to think it isn't the toilet.

There's no telling what the drywall guys sealed up in your walls if you weren't there when they hung the drywall.

Right, but my toilet bowl is the source of the smell. How can something behind drywall cause this?

I'm wondering if they left something under the toilet.

Possible, I suppose. Maybe something got into the waterway between the tank and bowl - under the flapper.

Makes sense, but I don't think it is the case with mine. My toilet is not running, and the smell was there since we moved in, and the toilet is not being frequently used. Plus, I don't get that smell near the wall, only from the bowl itself. The tank also has no strange smells.

Absolute said:

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Possible, I suppose. Maybe something got into the waterway between the tank and bowl - under the flapper.

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Maybe, like a dead animal?

Seems unlikely if the toilet seems to be functioning properly,but I guess it's possible. Not a whole lot of space in that area.

Really not a huge amount of space underneath usually either. Again seems unlikely that could happen accidentally.

The comment about water traveling under the tile to wood is definitely true. Positive the smell couldn't be coming from the wall directly behind the toilet?

I'm 100% positive. I only get a concentrated smell from the toilet bowl itself.

Maybe get a water sample from the tank and the bowl in a bottle. Close them, clean off the outside well. Let them sit for a while. Then see if you smell it from the water.

There is not anything in the toilet that would make a smell normally.

The trap is in the toilet itself, so if the wax ring were bad, of not seated properly, you could smell something from down there I guess. But normally, that would be the sewer type smell.

Probably gonna have to lift the toilet and have it reset.

Food for thought:
https://rebrand.ly/hqusb5l
https://rebrand.ly/toda8j4
https://rebrand.ly/k6cbgun
https://rebrand.ly/r5xvynz
.... and lastly, a venting problem to examine from roof down

Would like to read The Answer someday

Water test didn't tell me anything. Both water samples have no smell.

It doesn't seem like a plumbing vent issue because I don't smell sewer gas, and there are no gurgling water issues when flushing. Also, not going to click the above links that seem suspicious, so not sure what the above post is trying to say.

I think it would be hard to rule out bottom plate/trim. Sometimes the presence of water can bias a smell and make it more intense, so maybe it smells stronger near the bowl?

Does the smell change at all when you flush?

Do you have a little mirror you could use to inspect the rim-jets? Watch them when you flush to see if they're clear and flowing well?

The smell is not noticeable as the toilet flushes. Then after the water stops flowing, the smell gradually begins to build from around the water jets I guess. None of the jets seem clogged or anything.

Cracked p trap? Does that happen w toilets?

hoosier-daddy said:

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Cracked p trap? Does that happen w toilets?

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The toilet is the P trap. There's not one underneath.

I think they advise against it because it's not always compatible with components for extended use, but I'd be really tempted to add a little bleach to the tank and flush that to see if there's something in the flush channels that is causing the smell.

Pull that toilet and install new wax. My toilet was installed poorly by builder crew. They dorked up wax seal and it leaked under the tile, between tile and slab. I didnt notice it until baseboard and drywall started rotting. Theres no way to see that from above.

Sweet jeebus….

Maybe the toilet itself stinks? I don't know how but that's what it sounds like from the response. It's glazed but maybe there is an unglazed defective area and that interaction of ceramic and the water is off gassing something?

This is what I'm thinking too. Water will find its way to anywhere.

pull the toliet, and inspect everything with it and then replace wax ring.

Never set a toilet on a wax ring, then pull it and reset on same wax. Some builders/remodelers do this when they screw up setting it. The wax needs to compress and make seals everywhere it can. Once that is done once, it likely does not compress on the second set, and you have air gaps.

Turn water off, flush to drain the tank/bowl so you can get a good look water free look inside bowl. Leave it dry and see if smell returns. Regardless, I'd replace the standard wax ring with something like this. I've used them on every toilet I've replaced.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-Perfect-Seal-Toilet-Wax-Ring-with-Bolts-10826X/206393853

And I'd replace the toilet too cuz crappy builder grade, but you can make that decision after you pull the existing one.

I appreciate all the feedback. I'll report back once I can get the builder to address it and pull the toilet up. They're supposed to fix it with a new toilet, but who knows what else could be going on under it.

100%

Contractor probably left his chew in there. Need to pull toilet to confirm. Had a buddy have a new house built. One of the toilets was always slow flushing and clogged easily. Once they pulled the toilet, they found a box of nails that had fallen in the drain pipe and stuck.

Picard said:

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Thunderstruck xx said:

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I appreciate all the feedback. I'll report back once I can get the builder to address it and pull the toilet up. They're supposed to fix it with a new toilet, but who knows what else could be going on under it.

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Be there when they pull the toilet. Like...hovering over their plumber.

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And take pics.

Have we ruled out an upperdecker?

I finally got the builder to replace the toilet. It seems the odd smell went away, but time may tell. The flange and wax ring didn't appear to have issues that I can see:




However, I noticed after the plumber left that the new toilet they installed has some kind of defect in the part of the bowl that shoots out water when flushing. It's like a sharp edge down there. Is this something that could cause a problem later on?