Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kantoi09]

So I have thorougly cleaned my toilet and have added a those blue deodorizer tablets into the tank of the toilet. But nothing has it works. It is stale foul smell. And I am not sure what to do. Do you think it is a leak? Does anyone else has or had this problem?

[Gnawbert]

My girlfriend and I had this problem with our toilet. We tried everything you mentioned and more, but ultimately the smell would return a few days later. It made it so the bathroom smelled like rotten eggs and old metal.

Finally, as a last resort I bought a caulking gun and sealed off every single tiny crack around the base of the toilet, the back where the pipes run into the wall, and every hole that had no purpose. The smell finally went away and hasn't come back in months.

So there's a chance it might not be from the bowl or the toilet itself, but from a connection into the wall or floor where something foul lurks. Eeeesh!

[mimis]

Welcome to Korea I'd say it's a very common problem here, in our bathroom it comes in waves...sometimes it's smell free and sometimes... ::throws up:: I guess it's the bad piping Unfortunately, doing what the previous poster did won't help us much, the shower is next to toilet and the cleanout drain (don't know what you people call it ) gives the same nasty smell.

[Gibberish]

Have you tried flushing it after you use it?

[orosee]

Well my own toilet problems are of a different nature and would require a puking emoticon to put an image to the words, so I'll keep those stories for another day or forum. But it is well possible that the smell comes from a different location than your own toilet (the syphon should take care of that). In my apartment, which is priced well over its worth, I regularly get the post-digestive odours of my neighbours (upstairs or next door - not sure) "through the wall" or perhaps the drains... I don't know if he defecates into the shower drain or if the pipes all lead together, but there's a good half hour that I can't use my own bathhroom because of that intense stink.

If you have a sensitive nose, try and find the area of highest concentration - maybe it comes from a different corner. Also, talk to your landlord about it. If the smell comes from a neighbour's toilet, maybe it is possible to tell whether it is Korean or foreign food/digestion - that might help identify the responsible apartment.

[bassexpander]

Many times homes here are/were built without the p-trap device in the drain. The function of that device is to block fumes backing up from your pipes (and in the above case, from neighboring apartments). Sometimes pouring water down the drain or pouring drain cleaner down it can help. We pour Punclin brand drain cleaner down our bathroom drain for this reason.