Your plumbing system needs air to flow smoothly. Every house has a vent pipe that goes through the roof, allowing air into the pipes to push waste out (think of trying to drink from a straw with your finger over the top). If that vent is blocked (by leaves, a bird's nest, or ice), the plumbing tries to draw air from elsewhere—usually by sucking the water out of your toilet trap.
The toilet flushes itself when no one is near it. This is usually a broken flapper valve, but in a 1980s office building? It is definitely the ghost of Gerald from Accounting, who died of boredom during the Q3 earnings report. theres a weird noise coming from the mens toilet
This can damage your pipes over time, leading to leaks. Your plumbing system needs air to flow smoothly
In the taxonomy of workplace and public restroom emergencies, the "weird noise" occupies a unique hellscape. It is not a simple clog. It is not a flooded floor. It is an unknown . And the unknown, especially when it emanates from a room filled with urinal cakes and stall doors that don't lock, is where civilization goes to die. The toilet flushes itself when no one is near it