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Post by johnr on Apr 18, 2017 8:06:55 GMT -5
So, we got out for the first time this year, yay! Toilet bowl won't hold water, boo!
I've got a ceramic Thetford foot pedal toilet in the Durango, not the usual plastic one. Weirdly enough after all these years, I've never worked on an RV toilet before.
The water won't stay in the bowl, but nothing is leaking onto the floor, it must be going straight down the drain. I tried taking a rag and cleaning off the ball and seal, but didn't have any luck with that.
Anyone have experience with these? I'm sure I'll need to pull it up, what all should I replace while I've got it out? Where's a good place to get parts? Are they difficult to work on?
Thanks!
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Post by jetzen on Apr 18, 2017 8:41:20 GMT -5
Johnr,
I have had this happen many times. Here is my experience One of three things. Either the seal is dry, there is debris around the seal/ball, or both. There is a tool that came with your toilet instructions it looks like a tongue depressor, put it in between the ball and seal and run it around the seal till you think it is clean. Plan B. this is much easier) A 3" round toilet brush is just slightly larger than the hole. With toilet ball open run brush up and down till you think the seal is clean. After the seal has been cleaned lubricate the seal with some Vaseline.
If this does not work, replace the seal. |
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brmike
Seasonal RV’er
Posts: 120
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Post by brmike on Apr 18, 2017 18:59:41 GMT -5
Johor,
Changing the seal for the ball is a very simple project for almost any one who is even a little "handy". You can order a replacement seal kit from amazon and it's not very expensive. I changed the one in my stone ridge last year and the whole thing was done in about 1/2 hour. Be sure and use "plumber's grease" on the seal. Just a little bit. That will solve your problem.
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Post by johnr on Apr 19, 2017 6:32:29 GMT -5
I called Thetford yesterday and spoke with a nice lady who gave me part numbers. She said that they sold the kit for $15 plus shipping and it would take 10 business days, but that I could get the same thing on Amazon.com for $11 and told me how to find what I needed there. I thought that was really nice of her. I wonder if Thetford sells in bulk to Amazon to keep their costs down so they don't have to deal with as many shipments?
She did tell me that the difficulty of the job depends on how the RV manufacturer installed the toilet and that there are detailed instructions included in the kit. So, we'll see here pretty soon!
Thanks for the replies!
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Post by johnr on Jun 12, 2017 12:30:04 GMT -5
Well, wanted to report back on this one. The toilet came up as easy as could be and it wasn't heavy at all. I've got a Thetford Style II, which is a 2 piece unit, the ceramic bowl which bolts to a plastic bottom.
I turned the toilet around because I knew there were bolts that kept the ceramic and plastic pieces together. Well, it turns out that the bolts have torx heads on them. The only torx bits I have are in one of those folding sets. It ends up that my folding set which is probably 4 inches tall was just a little taller than the room I had to work with. I ended up getting a bite for 1/16 or 1/8 of a turn at a time, across 2 bolts. It took me a long time to get those 2 dang bolts out.
Once I got the bolts out, swapping the seals was super simple. Putting it back together was once again a bit of a chore. I wish I would've had one of those right angle electric drivers and I would've gone out and bought the torx bit I needed. It would've saved me a lot of time.
Other than those bolts, it was a breeze.
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Post by Chuck on Jun 12, 2017 23:03:22 GMT -5
Ok johnr Now that you are a professional RV plumber I'll call you in a couple of years to replace mine at no cost that is  Chuck |
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Post by johnr on Jun 13, 2017 6:31:02 GMT -5
At no cost to me, wow that's great of you!
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Post by Chuck on Jun 13, 2017 10:49:11 GMT -5
LOL well I'm only trying to help you |
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