Toilet leak? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Toilet leak?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Borrow Mitches Toothbrush....Open the trap and clear the groove then put Vaseline on it and you should be good to go if he doesnt notice!!!!

(dont put the Vaseline on the toothbrush , it has a bad after taste!!)

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Monday 23rd of June 2014 06:57:36 PM

PD CFK · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well Mike, that was a quick fix! Should we be putting Vaseline on the toilet valve regularly?

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

If Vaseline does not work then the seal might be shot. You can get a new seal kit from an RV supply or Amazon and replace it yourself. I have changed the seal on my Dometic/Sealand toilet and it is not a fun job, do doable.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I coat mine or the ones I've redone yearly....they shrink and stiffen from sitting dry......you can also wipe them with brake fluid but its not good for the plastic housing

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Allow the foot pedal to "snap" back from the flushing action helps in our case. Jo has a tendency to occasionally be a little weak in allowing the snap and ours drains out as well. Being the "heavy-handed (foot?)" guy of the house, I allow more of a snap.

After full-time living in our Mobile Suites for three years, I recently had to replace the "spring cartridge" that causes the foot pedal to go back to center.

Terry

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

when ours quit holding water we used "CLR" purchased at the Dollar Store. Poured 1/4 of the bottle into the bowl. Ours took two or three applications before it started holding water again, that was almost a year ago and has been fine since. I keep an extra bottle of it just in case the calcium builds up again on the seal and we'll give it another treatment.

Phil

on edit: corrected brand name after I checked our stock and it was CLR and not Lime away.

-- Edited by Workinrvers on Tuesday 24th of June 2014 07:49:16 AM

CurveCarver · RV-Dreams Family Member

Congratulations your patience finally paid off.

I've found that plumbers grease works super after cleaning the groove grit. The silicone based grease lasts a good long time and doesn't harm the rubber seal.
Good Luck!!
Bruce

cheryls-other-half · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:

Allow the foot pedal to "snap" back from the flushing action helps in our case. Jo has a tendency to occasionally be a little weak in allowing the snap and ours drains out as well. Being the "heavy-handed (foot?)" guy of the house, I allow more of a snap.
After full-time living in our Mobile Suites for three years, I recently had to replace the "spring cartridge" that causes the foot pedal to go back to center.
Terry

Hey. Terry...

Seems to be part/or most of the problem.

I discovered that when I FIRMLY flushed, and pushed the pedal to the Floor (all the way)
it seems to hold water (2 hrs so far), without any problem.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lucky Mike wrote:
Borrow Mitches Toothbrush....Open the trap and clear the groove then put Vaseline on it and you should be good to go if he doesnt notice!!!!
(dont put the Vaseline on the toothbrush , it has a bad after taste!!)

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Monday 23rd of June 2014 06:57:36 PM

A common phrase on here is "ask me how I know." Not going to do that in this case. My eyes are already bleeding from the image! biggrin biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by biggaRView on Tuesday 24th of June 2014 09:02:57 AM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

LOL.......Mine go in a cup!!!!.......all-tho I have to admit they did fall in Nikki's dog dish once!!!.....(poor dog thought her food was going to attack her!!)

southernvagabond · RV-Dreams Community Member

We never thought of this before. We are not full-timer's yet, but, take out the trailer every chance we get on weekends -which is NOT enough. Are we supposed to keep water in the toilet bowl even if we are not using the trailer for a few weeks?

CDuck · RV-Dreams Community Member

I'm in the same boat as Cheryl B., a leaking toilet bowl. Mine is electric and has a type of knife slide valve. I've tried using a coat hanger two or three times, a stiff brush two or three times(both to try and remove any thing that shouldn't be there), sprayed the rubber parts with silicone all to no avail. It still leaks down within 30 sec. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.
I hope this isn't considered highjacking, if so, I apologize.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would durring the summer season....as long as you know its not going to freeze

its also good to add water to the sink traps every now and then it will stop things from solidifying in the traps and keep vapors/gases from entering the coach

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

CDuck wrote:
I'm in the same boat as Cheryl B., a leaking toilet bowl. Mine is electric and has a type of knife slide valve. I've tried using a coat hanger two or three times, a stiff brush two or three times(both to try and remove any thing that shouldn't be there), sprayed the rubber parts with silicone all to no avail. It still leaks down within 30 sec. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.
I hope this isn't considered highjacking, if so, I apologize.

Chuck,

You've NOT hijacked the thread. Your comment/question is relevant to the original post. However, I can't help with your problem as I don't have an electric toilet. But, I did find this:

Thetford Toilet Bowl Not Holding Water

Terry

CDuck · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks Terry, that post gave me some ideas to try.

southernvagabond · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks Mike. As always your knowledge is much appreciated.

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

While not the most pleasant job the toilet can be removed for a closer inspection/cleaning. I had to replace the water valve, foot pedal spring, and the foot pedal cable, on the toilet in our MH (not all at the same time). Thetford sent me pictures showing how that spring was supposed to be installed since mine broke I wasn't sure how to install the new one. The kits included new gaskets, apparently they knew I would remove the toilet to install the parts. I found the company to be very customer friendly.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ok, we have this problem again - that the water is not staying in the bowl. What Terry suggested before (making sure to push the pedal down hard) worked all this time.

Mitch just cleaned the seal and lined it with vaseline. That didn't work. If he needs to change the seal, how is that done? (it's a dometic toilet if that helps any). Is taking the toilet off the base something he'll have to do (he's not at all comfortable having to do that. I think replacing the seal is as far as he's willing to go).

Thanks for any help and suggestions!

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Time for a You tube repair video

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Actually, I wonder if we're using the right terminology, as all the online videos and instructions show having to remove the whole thing from the base. We're talking about the rubber thing around the ball that opens when you flush that's on the inside of the bowl.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well, I just watched the video below and it looks like one does have to remove the toilet bowl from the base to replace the seal

YouTube Video

Two things I noticed from that video. One, I'm glad we have a side bathroom unit with a LOT of room around the toilet for working. Secondly, in their video, they didn't mention the spring in the mechanism that lets the foot pedal spring back into place. In the video, it looked like that pedal was pretty free in its movements when he went to put it back on.

Terry

The Junkman · RV-Dreams Family Member

I wonder how much the local rv repair guy would charge for that job? lol

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Junkman wrote:
I wonder how much the local rv repair guy would charge for that job? lol

A least one portrait of Ben Franklin, in my experience, and maybe more. You might luck out and they only charge for half an hour, $50 to $75, but $100 to $125 is often the minimum. They will also overcharge you for the seal kit, $75 or more, when it is under $50.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Tuesday 4th of November 2014 07:06:07 PM

The Junkman · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'd order a seal kit.. and get on CL, and offer them $50..then.. but $100 would be ok too. Will cost me 30 for mask to wear...lol

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

My husband has done this a couple of times and pretty much, he says the youtube video that Terry posted is the way it is done. I see what Cheryl is thinking though that maybe you could get it done going through the bowl itself but also understand from the video, not even close, darn it! I am a big fan of cassette toilets and am interested in composting toilets after having dealt with these fancy crappers and feeling like I am just done with it and this thread has reinforced my feelings.

-- Edited by SnowGypsy on Tuesday 4th of November 2014 07:27:57 PM

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well, he restrung a day/night shade today. Do you think he can handle this project or should we call in the pros?

I guess you're all saying there isn't a rubber ring or gasket or something else around the ball in the bowl?

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cheryl: Do you have the owner's manual for the toilet? If so, you might look at that because they usually have a drawing that gives you an idea of what the thing looks like on the inside. If you don't, you can go to Thetford and look up the manual for the one you have.

I'm guessing but the way I see it, that seal that is letting the water out is between the bowl and the pedestal of the toilet rather than just in the bottom of the bowl. I know when ours couldn't hold water, I thought the same way that you are thinking. So, you have to get under the bowl by taking it off the pedestal, I think. The drawings are pretty good.

-- Edited by SnowGypsy on Tuesday 4th of November 2014 08:31:22 PM

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

Removing the toilet, while not a fun job, is not difficult. I know Thetford includes new gaskets with their repair kits. The toilet we had in the motor home was designed so the bowl could be removed from the base without having to remove the base from the floor. That made replacing the flapper gasket a very easy job. The toilet we now have in our 5th wheel requires removing the entire toilet from the floor before you can separate the bowl from the base. Different designs so the fix will be different.

I know 2 mobile repair guys who do not work on toilets...they will replace them, but they don't fix them. Be sure to ask...

Diana and Jim · RV-Dreams Family Member

Great job on the day/night shade, Mitch! I just did my first 4 stringer yesterday. I think I have done probably half the shades in our rig now.

Jim (and Diana)

-- Edited by Diana and Jim on Friday 7th of November 2014 12:38:45 PM