Thetford Problem

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
G

Gordiegaffer

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Posts
63
Location
Farmington Michigan
I have a thetford problem sometimes when i step on the pedal to flush if i step too hard the valve will stay open if i reach in (with gloves on) and move the slide it will close. do i need to rebuild the valve or replace or adjust the cable Help my grandsons are coming and they are not old enough to understand step lightly
 
depending on the model it may have a shaft drive and plastic gear workings. Mine has that and the shaft breaks really easy. Maybe some wd40 will make it more slick. The flusher thing is like half an egg shell.pressed up against a rubber seal..Good Luck with the little guys...
 
Yep, what John said ^^^^^^. The parts and repair are not that expensive and the consequences of not fixing it and the possibility of a overflowing toilet are not worth the risk.
 
Difficult to say whether something is just sticking or there is an bad component. You pretty much have to take it apart to see. Could be the lever mechanism, or the bowl valve itself. Is yours the flat slider type or the half-ball that rotates? Either one can stick when gunk gets into the mechanism.

I would look first at the pedal mechanism and try to determine if it hangs up when moved to the extreme. Lubricate it.  Also clean around the bowl valve as best you can without disassembling the bowl. Maybe that will solve the problem.  If not, I would order bowl valve parts, cause once you disassemble that portion, you may as well rebuild. You've already done the labor and the parts are not expensive.
 
In the past I have usually found that if it was the "sliding ball" type of flush system, the gasket that it slides on would be wearing out causing it to stick.  I usually buy the repair kits off of Amazon.
 
If you are using moderate to hard water for flushing, there will be a buildup on the sliding ball gasket. Kits are available with cleaning tool (like finger nail paper file) and lubricate. Worked for me and I did not have to disassemble valve assembly.
 
If you don't have time to work on it now...and with the kids coming, you can do a quick temporary fix.  Roll/fold up a hand towel or news paper or the like and tape it under the foot pedal to stop the pedal at a point where it opens the valve far enough to flush but not far enough to stick.  It you leave the trailer for any length of time turn your water off just to be safe.  I do that every time anyway.  I have seen enough RVs with water running out of doors and compartments.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 997 (members: 28, guests: 969)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,929
Posts
1,387,691
Members
137,677
Latest member
automedicmobile
Back
Top Bottom