Hi there, We had a real stink in our en-suite bathroom, on inspection I discovered that the toilet was leaking between the pan and the pan connector, leading (or at least I believe) to a foul smell in the Bathroom. I have tonight changed the rigid pan connector to a flexible pan connector, no leak. How long until the smell disappears? I've given the floor a good clean where the water was leaking, but presumably the smell is more gas / odour than the water so the smell should clear quite quickly? Any advice so that I know if the stink has been cured would be great! Thanks.
All depends on what the floor was covered with. and how long it's been leaking..if there's carpet on the floor, think about the underlay and floorboards.. There's a really good trick to getting rid of smells. get some really small open containers, small enough to tuck away behind the toilet. put white vinegar in one baking soda in the other, and oats in the third one. I kid you not, I had a fridge that even after I emptied the contents and scrubbed the inside, it still smelt like someone took a dump in there. I tried this, and it was gone overnight..saying that, not having white vinegar, I used regular fish and chips variety. opening the fridge door was like opening the door into a chippy.. if you water down some vinegar and brush it on the affected carpet, it will neutralise it.
Floor was vinyl (poorly fitted behind toilet - I might add). The toilet has been leaking for about two weeks (new build - not a new estate) - thats since we moved in, smell followed a week later...
Was it a suspiciously fragrant when you moved in? is the toilet sitting on the vinyl, or the vinyl cut around the toilet?
No, it smelt fine when we moved in. Its only since we started using it.... The vinyl is cut around the toilet.
Unfortunately, the pong remains in full flow. Any tips other than Vinegar for destroying the odour, it's clearly been leaking for a while, or worse still it is something else!
Should I remove the toilet as well then to clean thoroughly under there? I am assuming yes to drain it off remove it out completely clean the floor dry it out well then refit the toilet etc!
Would be a good idea, might be nothing under it, but you never know, I have removed toilets in the past & found them wet underneath & the stink on some! Just be careful removing toilet,might be easy or hard, as it might be fixed on a mortar bed, don't want to break it.
I should have given it a good clean last night, but being a DIY novice, I pulled the toilet forward fitted the flexi to the waste and toilet and then slammed it back in hums! I also took the time to screw the toilet in whereas it hadn't been before.
Also I alway sit the toilet on a bead of sealant,make for a water proof seal then screw down & then after flooring, the usual bead of sealant around the toilet.
If its new build get the builders back in They have a legal obligation to get any issues sorted to your satisfaction
The building company doesn't exist... The chap who was 'building' (read: Hiring subs) died during the build, near the end. So it wasn't a straight forward (if theres such a thing) purchase of a new build.
Bicarb of Soda (make up a slurry) works well on fridge smells. Not sure would be any good here though, but worth a try. Sad story re the guy passing on - similar story, I finished off a bathroom for someone who's bathroom fitter had died suddenly. This fitter had obviously worn a ring and there were loads of tiny scratches over the furniture, fortunately I spotted them in advance but the customer was all set to blame me! Robbie - only way is to get the w/c out, lift the vinyl, dry and thoroughly disinfect. You may even have to cut out the boards to sort it. So not too bad a job, but it will always smell to some degree until you do.
That's my fear. I'm hoping the short termness of the leaking and a through clean will be my saviour. If not, I don't like the bathroom anyway, so I'll just pull it up the remodelling schedule. Just be nice not to have to hold my breath in there at this stage!
Ok, so an update. The shower despite having been sealed clearly has a more fundamental leak than I imagine. I have now pulled the vinyl out and there was a slimey wet mess under it and around the shower tray. It looks as though the water leaks from under the tray. I've spent the last two days drying the floor out with some success, however we need to rip out the shower and promptly use it to kill the cowboy who installed it!
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