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Help! So for the third time this month I have noticed my downstairs basement toilet is dry! Dry to the point of smelling sewer gas! It happened yesterday but the day before I used it so it was full! I have live iin this character home for 10 years now and have never changed the toilet myself. Oh, and there is no water on the floor! Any ideas?

okay so you recently got a new pet ,cat or dog that found a new watering hole?

Thinking a Plugged Stack ???

I'm with Jim. Water out, Air in. If you are draining water anywhere else in the house and it cannot draw air down through the nearest vent stack, it will pull from the downstairs toilet draining it in the process.

Thank you but she is too tiny?

Ok bigmoe, we were wondering about that.....do you know how to unplugged it?

We had that problem, yup it was a plugged stack.

You have a plugged drain waste and vent system for sure. The entire system in the house needs to be clear of blockages in order to function properly. If you have a blockage somewhere and the system can not get enough or to vent then it will pull or syphon water from traps in order to get the air it needs.  
 
Try filling all traps with water, including the toilet, have a second person start flushing or using water on the floor above while you watch and wait for the problem to occur. When it does, which ever toilet or water they used is where the problem is. Start searching from that spot and see where the pipes go.

If actually dry, as in no water, it won't be a plugged stack sucking out the water out. it will only suck out down to the point of letting air in and there is always water lower than that, besides it is easier to suck the water out of the sink drain.  
 
if the toilet bowl is actually empty of water you will have a crack in the bottom of the bowl and as it is a basement location is is just draining/seeping into the gravel beneath the toilette. IMHO

I do a little roofing. Most homes have two or more sewer stack vents. It is not uncommon to find leaves in sewer stack. Especially in the older cast plumbing.  
 
Get someone to check the roof. Remove any debris then run garden hose. If water doesn't drain push the hose down the stack. Any blockage should flush down into the sewer.  
 
If the garden hose fails to clear the line you might need to run a rooter or snake down the line.  
 
Even if your toilet is the issue, flushing the stack is not a bad idea.

I would suggest tonight before you go to bed an no one uses any other bathrooms during the night, is to slowly fill the toilet bowl with a bucket of water. The toilet is a trap itself. If the water seeps away during the night then you will have a crack internally.

I agree with gosh darn ! A toilet has a deep seal trap and it almost impossible to see the trap sucked completely dry ! I agree there is probably a crack underneath on the trap ! Second thing is check and make sure the refill tube in the tank hadn't popped out of the Douglas valve ! This refills the bowl as well