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AUSSIEBORN

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Joined
Apr 8, 2017
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17
We've been fulltiming in our 2016 Reflection for a little over 18 months. Just recently we noticed our toilet is having issues holding liquid. It drains away by itself without any flushing. I suspect it's the seal. Is there a way I can fix the problem without too much hassle? If the pedal is pulled up a tad it seems to hold okay for a while, then the drainage issue returns.
 
Yes, it certainly sounds like a SIMPLE seal issue which is easily fixed.  Unfortunately, I am the wrong person to explain how.
 
I like simple first and foremost.  Sometimes it's as simple as cleaning the seal and flap edges.  It's common for toilet paper (or other "stuff") to get caught, perhaps when there's not enough water in the bowl or when the flap closes before everything is flushed.  I keep an old toothbrush nearby for cleaning that seal.  Hang onto the toothbrush so you don't drop it down the drain!  We put a little string handle on ours so that won't happen.  ::)  You also might want to use a toilet lubricant which you can buy at camping stores.  It helps the flap go into the seal and "seat" better.  After cleaning the seal fill the bowl pretty full and see how well it holds with that extra pressure.  We spend most of the year in the desert so things like that seal tend to dry out and making sure there's always water at the seal prevents drying.

ArdraF
 
To follow up on Ardra's post, the same holds true for your dump valves.  Add a bit of water to your tank after you dump to keep any gunk on the dump valves wet and pliable.  The valves jam and leak when the gunk hardens and tears up the seals.
 
We found a fix by accident. 

Last April we were summerizing our TT to leave it in Yuma AZ for the summer, prior to doing this the toilet let the water leak away like yours.  One of the items on the list was to spray white lithium grease into the toilet around the seal to protect it from heat degradation.  I was a little skeptical about it working. 

We came back in November and the seal looked normal but messy.  We cleaned the grease off and low and behold it does not leak now.  It holds water like a charm.  If it works for you it's a cheap fix. ;D

Tom...
 
We had the same problem. All kinds of scrubbing along the edges didn?t fix it, so Kevin bought a new seal and replaced it. It took him less than an hour to do the replacement, and he says it wasn?t too hard. And this was in a travel trailer without a lot of space!

ETA Once it was out it was easy to see the hard water deposits on the seal. They had scratched the seal surface and made it rough. We did get a tank of horrifically hard water about a year ago that left deposits in my ice cube trays for months.
 
I knew I could count on you guys "out there" for an answer to my question. Our RV community is so very helpful. Thanks to you all for your comments and advice.
 
Hopefully one of the above suggestions will fix your problem. If not a new seal may be in order as Pam says. Most parts can be had on Amazon and shipped to you in a few days.  The fixes are not difficult.
 
Since the seals are made of neopreme a silicone based lubricant might be a better choice. 

I buy a tube of pool lube about once every 3 years and use it on the toilet seal, the seals on my TPMS sensors, and the pool seals of course.
 
I had the same problem, and my wife suggest vegetable oil, and it worked. The oil is also environmentally friendly
 
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