Toilet not holding water?

JamieGeek · 07-16-2017, 05:16 PM

Looking around the net (and on

you tube

) it would appear that the gasket around the flush ball in our Thetford toilet is a consumable. Thus after 3-4 years it needs replacing (note that none of our prior RVs ever had this issue--we had our 5er for over 10 years and never needed to fix the toilet; perhaps we were lucky).

Over the past few trips I noticed our toilet would no longer hold water in the bowl for any length of time. Sigh, I put in an order for a wasteball kit (Amazon) and resigned myself to do the repair.

Turns out it isn't that bad of a job--other than you're working on the toilet of course. Just like in the video I linked above: Remove the two nuts at the base to remove the toilet (there is no way you can get a wrench behind it, at least in our Axis), unscrew the water supply (make sure there is no pressure

), lift the toilet off the base, unscrew the two bolts at the back in the recess, disconnect the lower water hose, turn the toilet 1/4 turn or so against the base and it pops off. Replace the gasket and put everything back together.

You can see the procedure in the video above.

Ready to go for the next adventure, and now I have to thoroughly wash my hands--about a dozen times LOL.

jb1911 · 07-16-2017, 05:47 PM

Thanks for sharing this great video.

Laco · 07-16-2017, 06:46 PM

The thetford in ours, frankly is an inexpensive plastic toilet. I would just replace it, rather than putting any effort into rehabilitating it, in the event that it develops any problem.

blw2 · 07-17-2017, 01:30 PM

for what it's worth, mine stopped holding water after I left it in storage a bit longer than normal, and all the water evaporated from the bowl.

I tried the thetford seal conditioner, several treatments....

along with trying to just keep the bowl full to re hydrate the seal...

and eventually ordered a new seal kit

but before I did the job I tried using CLR as a last ditch effort...I had read several folks write that it worked for them.
Poured a bit in the bowl, let it soak a bit
cycled the valve open and closed trying to not let it all drain (trying to wet the sealing surfaces)
probably poured in a bit more and let it soak a long while
cycled the valve a couple times
I think I might have then soaked it again...I wasn't too scientific about it...

and now it's been holding for months (knock on wood)

Oneilkeys · 07-17-2017, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blw2

for what it's worth, mine stopped holding water after I left it in storage a bit longer than normal, and all the water evaporated from the bowl.

I tried the thetford seal conditioner, several treatments....

along with trying to just keep the bowl full to re hydrate the seal...

and eventually ordered a new seal kit

but before I did the job I tried using CLR as a last ditch effort...I had read several folks write that it worked for them.
Poured a bit in the bowl, let it soak a bit
cycled the valve open and closed trying to not let it all drain (trying to wet the sealing surfaces)
probably poured in a bit more and let it soak a long while
cycled the valve a couple times
I think I might have then soaked it again...I wasn't too scientific about it...

and now it's been holding for months (knock on wood)

Did you use their kitchen and bathroom cleaner or the really strong calcium and lime remover?

JamieGeek · 07-17-2017, 02:37 PM

The old gasket was pretty worn and tore up in places so I'm pretty sure that was the culprit. I'll find out when I check in on the RV sometime this week.

blw2 · 07-17-2017, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Did you use their kitchen and bathroom cleaner or the really strong calcium and lime remover?

I used this stuff
Jelmar | We Clean More Than You Think - Home
but I'd imagine Lime Away or anything similar would work just as well

I didn't dilute, just poured it straight in

tenbear · 07-17-2017, 03:17 PM

This happened to my toilet twice. Each time I took the toilet out, removed the seal, cleaned it well and put it back in. Works fine.

As I remember, I just used water and soap to clean it.

The seal (and the RV) is now about 12 years old.

axis earl · 07-17-2017, 03:58 PM

I used a silicon gel lubricant on the toilet seal and it worked. Same stuff used on pool filter gaskets.

Oneilkeys · 07-17-2017, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blw2

I used this stuff
Jelmar | We Clean More Than You Think - Home
but I'd imagine Lime Away or anything similar would work just as well

I didn't dilute, just poured it straight in

Thanks, I even have some if that stuff lying around.

Travelin' Texans · 07-17-2017, 04:55 PM

The best solution is to remove the Thetford & use a sledge hammer to stop the leaking & replace it with the Dometic 310 or 320, but if you don't want to do that use some plumbers grease or the silicone lubricant mentioned above on the seal occasionally (without removing the toilet).

JamieGeek · 07-17-2017, 09:53 PM

Stopped by the RV this afternoon: My repair worked. Yeah its the small victories that are important LOL.

mcars302 · 07-17-2017, 10:21 PM

Thanks for the video. I ordered the replacement parts yesterday. I'm having the same issue. I also ordered a hand sprayer to add since I have to pull the toilet. I had one on a previous RV, convenient for cleaning.

Stan fowler · 08-03-2017, 03:38 PM

Yeah,Jamie- just did mine today. Bad news is you have to repair these toilets a lot ( already replaced a broken flush valve ) , good news is they are easy to fix. This job was less than an hour......

My last motorhome - a Monaco with a very high end Thetford toilet, was just as bad - maybe worse...... Maybe we need residential toilets also......

JennBart · 08-10-2017, 06:16 AM

The toilet is not holding water in the bowl indicates that the rubber seals around the large valve are damaged. You should replace the seal to solve this issue. Cleaning the seal can solve the issue or else you have to replace the value. It is important to check two main parts of the toilet to detect and solve the problem
The blade seals
The water valve
These are the two main areas suggested by the toilet service providers to check for the toilet issues. Check whether it has any damages and replace it in case of any.

SuperD · 08-10-2017, 09:32 AM

Putting silicone grease on the ball and gasket on a regular basis will make them last a long time. Like everything else, the toilet needs maintenance on a regular basis too.

pstandiford · 08-10-2017, 11:08 AM

The instructions for our toilet indicates to let the ball "slam" shut. When we do that it does not leak. When we flush we just move our foot to the side and let it slam. Not sure why this works but it does for us.

ComputerChips · 08-11-2017, 04:03 PM

I like the video where the guy puts his toilet on top of the dinette table in order to do the repair.[emoji13]

dcbenny · 08-11-2017, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstandiford

The instructions for our toilet indicates to let the ball "slam" shut. When we do that it does not leak. When we flush we just move our foot to the side and let it slam. Not sure why this works but it does for us.

used to have to do same uses the lubricate have had no issues for 5 months now dont need to slam it shut

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