Tracking down the smell . . .

[theflyingpig]

Hi,

in my mission to track down the lingering smell in my flat rennovation I've read through a bunch of old posts and am suspecting a toilet waste venting problem, or perhaps the angle on the waste pipe from the pan?
I took this photo this morning of the badly fitted toilet . . .I'm going to replace it soon (when I've built up the courage to tackle that waste pipe), it looks to me like the wrong connector was used, or at least teh pan should have been raised higher. Can anyone advice as to whether this angle could be responsible for a permanent smell?

[/url]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/theflyingpig/toilet1.jpg

er, how do I make this link work?

thanks for any advice

Huey

 

[ChrisR]

Ohmigod what a mess, looks like someone missed the pan in a major way!
I'd want all that removed and redone. Exposed boards near wc's usually have stale pee soaked into them - wash in dilute bleach.
Check the pan's exhaust goes to a stack pipe which is open at the top.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/theflyingpig/toilet1.jpg

 

[theflyingpig]

yep - definitly needs re-doing - there was tiles on the floor so unless its my own p*** from the last 2 months I suspect the smell is a bit more serious . . .
my masonette is on the ground floor and there is another one on top of it, kinda impossible to get on the roof to check the top of the stack . .

although messy, there the connection between pan and cast iron waste spur doesn't appear to leak, could it be the angle?

thanks!

 

[ChrisR]

"Angles" don't smell! Sometimes overflows do - get yer nose in there!

 

[theflyingpig]

"Angles" don't smell! Sometimes overflows do - get yer nose in there!

er, stupid question I know, but what overflow?

 

[theflyingpig]

do you mean the cistern overflow? cos there isn't one!

thanks!

 

[RigidRaider]

If the joint isn't leaking there won't be a smell.

You mention that there's a flat above you: is it possible that when they flush, the downward rush is pulling enough water out of your trap to leave a small gap, through which drain odours can pass?

Mind you - looking again at that awful picture, somebody has smeared handfuls of something on the joint in the past, perhaps because they had the same problem.

Taking it all apart isn't so bad. Just make sure you do it on a Friday or early on a Saturday, not on Sunday morning when the plumber's merchant is closed!

 

[theflyingpig]

good plan! any idea what the end of the cast iron waste is gong to look like once I've removed the plastic bit and all that junk? and what kind of connector should I be looking at using? I'm hoping the new pan can be moved back towards the waste - the current toilet has its cistern literally sitting in mid-air! Looking around it seems I'm best off sticking with a closed coupled toilet, but bosing hte wall out to meet the cistern . . . but there is not alot of 'leg-room' in front of the toilet either so if i can move the whole thing back I'd be a happy crapper . .

 

[theflyingpig]

and on the smell, that theory from the upstiars loo pulling water out of my pan might just be it! I think I've noticed a differnece in the levels of the water in my pan . . .if it is this, what is the solution?

thanks - this forum is a god-send