Reefs.org Forums

[Magilla Gorilla]

One of you wise Sumpizens may know the answer to a problem that has been vexing me.
The tanks on my toilets (not the bowl) get smelly and have some kind of mold growing in them.
I dump bleach in there and scrub, but still the dark stains remain and the odor comes right back.

How do I get rid of the mold and smell in the toilet tanks?

Thanks!

[knowse]

I have no solution for you...but isn't there a toilet bowl cleaner that hangs in the tank area? Or something like 2000 flushes which is a big pill looking thing. Would something like that help?

[budhaboy]

sounds like you've got a bunch of phosphate in your water supply - you'll need to put a prefilter in the line to the tank - either that or the ceramic the tank is made of has contaminants that are leaching out
still have your reef test kits? test the water.

[Snailman]

One of you wise Sumpizens may know the answer to a problem that has been vexing me.
The tanks on my toilets (not the bowl) get smelly and have some kind of mold growing in them.
I dump bleach in there and scrub, but still the dark stains remain and the odor comes right back.

How do I get rid of the mold and smell in the toilet tanks?

Thanks!

What kind of water do you have in your house? City/Spring/Well?

[tangirl]

If you do go with a hang on toilet cleaner thing, just don't use to puck that sits there. They get lodged in the toilet and clog it.

[wings]

If you do go with a hang on toilet cleaner thing, just don't use to puck that sits there. They get lodged in the toilet and clog it.

That, and they deteriorate the rubber gasket thingy inside your tank too.

[Anemone of the State]

Take it apart, clean it with bleach, replace the rubber stuff (or keep it away from the bleach), and put it back together.

[tangirl]

If you do go with a hang on toilet cleaner thing, just don't use to puck that sits there. They get lodged in the toilet and clog it.

That, and they deteriorate the rubber gasket thingy inside your tank too.

Oh, that's right, I read that when I looked into how to replace the rubber gasket thingy (the flapper) inside the tank. The people I bought the house from must have used them because the flapper was all wavy. Oyster-ish.

[Uncle Mike]

Stop peeing in the tank.

[Magilla Gorilla]

One of you wise Sumpizens may know the answer to a problem that has been vexing me.
The tanks on my toilets (not the bowl) get smelly and have some kind of mold growing in them.
I dump bleach in there and scrub, but still the dark stains remain and the odor comes right back.

How do I get rid of the mold and smell in the toilet tanks?

Thanks!

What kind of water do you have in your house? City/Spring/Well?

Town water from wells and a reservoir.

[Bierboy]

Take it apart, clean it with bleach, replace the rubber stuff (or keep it away from the bleach), and put it back together.

This. Replace all of the rubber. It's cheap. Rubber will pick up odors. Besides you are going to have to do it eventually anyhow.

[Magilla Gorilla]

Take it apart, clean it with bleach, replace the rubber stuff (or keep it away from the bleach), and put it back together.

This. Replace all of the rubber. It's cheap. Rubber will pick up odors. Besides you are going to have to do it eventually anyhow.

Yeah, but I was hoping for an easy solution.
I'll try the 2000 flushes stuff.

[JimM]

sounds like you've got a bunch of phosphate in your water supply - you'll need to put a prefilter in the line to the tank - either that or the ceramic the tank is made of has contaminants that are leaching out
still have your reef test kits? test the water.

Check out the big brain on budha!

[tangirl]

Take it apart, clean it with bleach, replace the rubber stuff (or keep it away from the bleach), and put it back together.

This. Replace all of the rubber. It's cheap. Rubber will pick up odors. Besides you are going to have to do it eventually anyhow.

Yeah, but I was hoping for an easy solution.
I'll try the 2000 flushes stuff.

Replacing the rubber is a very easy solution.

But you've got something screwy going on in there - I've never seen that happen before.

[Magilla Gorilla]

Replacing the rubber is a very easy solution.

As Matt might say, nay. Replacing the gasgets and stuff doesn't sound "very easy" at all. Sounds like a PITA. Then cleaning the tank with a bleach solution?
Blah. Much simpler to hang the 2000 flushes container.

But you've got something screwy going on in there - I've never seen that happen before.

Word. I wonder why the hell it has happened.
When I tested the tap water for phosphates I got minimal levels. Nothing really alarming.

[tangirl]

Did you dump bleach in and let it sit for a bit?

That 2000 flushes thing will make dry up the rubber, then you'll be replacing it all anyway. My toilet would run randomly for no reason so I replaced the flapper and that fixed it. But when I replaced it, it looked terrible.

[JimM]

Replacing the gasgets and stuff doesn't sound "very easy" at all. Sounds like a PITA.

It's pretty **** easy

[tangirl]

Obviously dumping bleach in and letting it sit will hurt the rubber too, but if you only do it once, eh, no biggie.

[Magilla Gorilla]

Did you dump bleach in and let it sit for a bit?

That 2000 flushes thing will make dry up the rubber, then you'll be replacing it all anyway. My toilet would run randomly for no reason so I replaced the flapper and that fixed it. But when I replaced it, it looked terrible.

Yeah, did the bleach thing.

[tangirl]

Ok, then Chip, you just go ahead and do whatever the hell you want anyway. Thanks for asking.