Thetford Toilet Question

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mudshark

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Nov 15, 2014
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Hi All
We have a Thetford toilet and the valve no longer holds water. It slowly leaks down. I have to hit the pedal a few times to stop it from draining down. We tried the vinegar/baking soda mix with no results. Short of taking it apart (Ugh!!) does anyone have a solution?
 
I always just put in a new toilet. Only about $150 and you don't have to take the old one apart. And believe me you don't want to take the old one apart, royal pain.
 
I must have high resistance to pain, cause I've taken several RV toilets apart. It's neither messy nor difficult.  On the other hand, a replacement toilet isn't a whole lot more expensive than some parts, so a viable option for those who dread the chore or simply lack the diagnostic skills to figure out what parts are needed. You can get a new Thetford Aquamagic V for $115 at Walmart.com or Amazon.
 
I have a newer Thetford toilet and the seal goes in from the top with nothing to dismantle. The seal doesn't seam to last very long and are about $30.00 and up as you know what ever the traffic can bare. I now keep a spare. I put one in in Feb last winter , left antifreeze sitting in it over summer and wouldn't hold again. I used trailer a couple of days in August and it drained out again. I remembered I had purchased some seal conditioner and put more antifreeze and conditioner and so far 6 weeks not leaking down. Any way if newer style you open valve with your foot and pull out the seal. Then let the valve close and run a rag or paper towel to make sure groove is clean , drop the new seal and push into place. If you have older style refer to previous responses.
 
My one year old one was acting the same way.
The toilet had a two year warrantee, so I told them about it and the fact that I tried their different remedies with out any success. They wanted the model and serial number which I gave them, and they said they would be shipping me a new one and to just throw the old one out, (they did not want it returned). That was two weeks ago and they said it would take about a week. It arrived three days later, and I just installed it last week.
I was quite surprised about their quick and good response.
I just hope this new one lasts longer

Jack L
 
Is there nothing I can add as a last resort? Toilet cleaner or something?
 
mudshark said:
Is there nothing I can add as a last resort? Toilet cleaner or something?
Click to expand...

I doubt it. I had a feeling on ours that the spring that closes the ball was not doing its job, since when I put my foot under the lever and picked it up the ball would close that last 1/4" or so.
I mentioned this to the Thetford lady and asked if the spring could be replaced. She replied that it couldn't be replaced and there was no way to adjust it, and that is when she said they would be sending me a new toilet.

Jack L
 
I ended up rebuilding my two year old Thetford toilet. From day one the ball seal did not hold water. I had it checked under warranty but it continued to leak. When the water valve began leaking, spreading water around the base of the toilet I decided to fix it.

A new toilet would cost just a little more than parts so I decided on a rebuild to save a few bucks. On an older toilet it would probably be easier to just replace it with a new one.

I replaced the ball valve gasket,  the water valve, and for good measure the vacuum breaker.  It finally works like it should have direct from the Thetford factory.

If you want to delay fixing you toilet for now you might try silicone plumbers grease applied to the rubber seal. According to Thetford do not use petroleum based products on the seal such as vaseline.
 
I recently replaced an older Thetford toilet with a Dometic 320, one of the big selling points to me on the Dometic is the seal can be replaced from the top vs the bottom on the Thetford.
 
Mine holds water sometimes, but I never get any smell from it. How bad should it be before I worry about repair/replacement? I bought the TT in april and didn't move in it until august, it sat that long dry. No telling how long dry before I bought it. It seems to be getting better about holding water, and I have no complaints otherwise.
 
It seems that the slide valve is working part time now.
I am going to get some plumbers grease and see if I hold off replacing it.
 
Question, do all rv toilets hook up to the water supply on the same side, and the same way? I have tried different ways to stop my rv toilet from slowly leaking down into the bay below it and all haved failed. Looks like a new toilet for me.


Bill
 
No, mine was hard plumbed to the toilet when I switched from a Thetford to a Dometic 320 last year, and the inlet fitting did not line up.  I solved this by using about a foot long modern toilet supply hose looped into a pigtail to raise the connection point up and mover it over a couple of inches.
 
Before you apply Vaseline or plumbers grease, use a burnishing tool to clean all around ball seat. Hard water buildup can keep ball from making water tight seal. Last time I used an old finger nail file with very fine grit.
 
I just went thru this exact scenario with a Thetford Galaxy.... vintage 1996.  Ordered parts to reseal, about $40.  Dumped and flushed the tank really good, and pulled the toilet off to make the repair.  Got it all apart and discovered that the "blade" was de-laminating. (a thin layer of the plastic was disintegrating, which would not provide a flat, flush surface for sealing).  Called Thetford, but that part is not available, so, ordered a new toilet.....

went to install it, and learned that the supply line was 2" too low, and also a bit short because the inlet is in the center of the back, as opposed to on the side of the back......off to my least favorite store.

it took me 3 trips to finally learn that RV plumbing and household plumbing parts are NOT the same.......so off to my local RV supply for a piece of poly and a couple of fittings, installed it and called it a day.

  The parts kit for the old one is available for a nominal fee.  :)  say, $20 to cover my time and shipping..... :D
 
When I replaced my OEM Sea-Land with a Tetford added a cut off valve (to make the job easier NEXT upgrade) and a flexible valve to toilet line (Very common hardware store item) total problems... ZERO.

But I do need to do yet another upgrade.. Budget is starting to look like it will happen next spring. The Tetford I have is better but they make one better still.. I'm a big boy.
 
I replaced my Thetford with the Dometic 310.  The 320 would not fit.  Dometic is a nice product but there is quite a difference in the 310 vs the 320 and I wish I had stayed with the Thetford now.  The 310 is just a big rimless bowl, and splash goes....all over.  It is now a sit only toilet.  The 320 actually has a rim.
 
As an update, I bought some silicon grease at Lowe's that is used for sink valve stems.
Spread it around the rim of the valve and on the edges of the valve. Three days now and it worked fine.
Now to see how long it lasts. Much cheaper than replacing the toilet.
 
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