Recirculating Toliet Problem (Mold Smell)

We have had our 2619 TM for 2 yrs now it is a 2002. We have always stored it inside and still remains inside. We noticed last week-end when we went camping that our toliet smells like mold when you open the lid to use it. We hadn't used the camper in about a month. We thought that by covering the toliet with plastic when we were gone this would keep our camper smelling fresh which it did.

How do we get rid of this toiet mold smell?
We use Potty Toddy Tablets from Camperworld plus the liquid stuff & they work great thanks to one of your formum members posting this.

Thanks for your help.

[ShrimpBurrito]

I would think a weekend's use of the Thetford Aqua Chem "blue" chemicals would kill whatever is in there....it has formaldehyde and methanol. If whatever is in there survives, you have much bigger problems.

Also, make sure the TM is relatively level when you dump the toilet so you don't have any residual waste after dumping.

Dave

[commodor47]

Some mold can grow slowly when exposed to limited amounts of air. Conditions may have already been ripe for the mold to reproduce, even though you covered the toilet opening with plastic. By plastic I assume you used some type of food wrap. Keep in mind the food wrap will allow a slow transfer of air - it is not an impervious barrier. Look up anaerobic mold for more information regarding mold and how and where it grows. Not sure how to control the mold, except as Dave suggests - through normal use.

Dick

[B_and_D]

We always dump our toilet and rinse it out at least twice when we have full hookups, and always at least once if in the line for the dump station and there's people waiting. I think that putting plastic over the toilet would make the mold worse as there would be no way for it to dry out.

[davlin]

I concur that the Thetford's "Campa Chem" toilet chemicals would absolutely kill any mold growing inside the Electra Magic toilet. You might fill your toilet to the "full" level, add one 8 ounce bottle, push the flush button to stir the chemical into the water thoroughly, and then just let it sit for a day (maybe hit the flush button periodically).

Incidentally, I am a "Thetford (Electra Magic) Lover," but if you've ever taken the top off of your toilet, you know that there is some residual "brown sludge" (yuck!) that rides around at the bottom of the toilet that is almost impossible to dump. It gets on the outside of the filter cone, which then acts like a barrier to prevent its access to the dump valve. What's remarkable though, is that this sludge has almost no odor; just the faint smell of the Campa Chem. That stuff really does work!

Dave

Thank you for all of your comments. I'll post comment on how this pans out. We used a plastic bag to cover toilet so sounds like this wasn't a good idea. Thanks & we'll appreciate any other ideas you may have.

[Bill]

If nothing else works ...

We had a thread a few years ago by someone who found crud growing on the underside of the toilet top. In other words, inside the toilet, but above the level that the toilet chemicals can reach. The top is easy to remove and clean.

Dave, was that you?

You can do a Search in the Plumbing forum, or perhaps someone can find a link for you.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Bill

We had a thread a few years ago by someone who found crud growing on the underside of the toilet top. In other words, inside the toilet, but above the level that the toilet chemicals can reach. The top is easy to remove and clean.

Dave, was that you?

Yes, that was me. We had soldier fly maggots in the toilet as a result of storing the toilet fully charged, ready to go for the next trip, with fresh water and Aqua Kem. We immediately stopped doing that and resumed our former practice of storing the toilet empty, and all has been good since.

That thread is here: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8041

Dave