Plumbers Help! Black slime & stench in toilet tank?

Question

We have well water and a public sewer. We have had no problems for a year here and just use Iron Out tabs in the tank. All of a sudden the toilet tank reeks of a horrible odor and has some black slime in it. Is this a worn seal, valve problem or water problem? We are in an apt. complex. The other toilet is not causing problems. I might add in the bathroom in Question - we have a shower stall that is never used. Does this matter? TY for your input.

Answer 1

Not using the shower should not affect the toilet at all. I agree with the other poster about putting some bleach in it to clear out the ick , but then, after that has been flushed out, I would recommend some type of chlorine based cleaner that stays in the tank to continuously keep the mold at bay

Answer 2

Could be a clogged ventilation tube or partially backed up toilet.  does the toilet suddenly not flush as well as it used to?

You may have to pull the toilet to see whats going on, but for starters dump some bleach into it and let it sit.

Switch out the fill valve with a modern one like a fluidmaster or a korky quietfill to ensure you don't have any siphoning problems.

Periodically you should run your shower stall for a few seconds to keep the trap filled with water, otherwise you may get some sewer gas smell.

Answer 3

Well water has no chlorine in it to kill any bacteria . So add a little bit of bleach ( about a 1/4 cup) to the tank, and let sit for a few hours, it should clear up that black slime