Thetford dump valve

[RickNewcomb]

Originally Posted by rtcassel

Could the pipe leading to the external valve get filled when charging the Thetford with water and chemicals, remain undisturbed when the Thetford is flushed, and thus form a "valve" (sort-of)?

In my case, the pipe leading to the external valve would get filled. When the leak was slow I would notice after the charge that the toilet wouldn't flush because enough had leaked into the pipe. When I realize the valve was leaking I changed my procedure for charging the toilet. I would just open the valve and start filling with water and no chemical. When the level indicator started moving, I would close the valve and add the chemical. By filling this way I felt like less of the chemical was getting into the pipe leading to the external valve.

Originally Posted by mikeyy1953

Your dealer is right the gasket gets distorted, but NOT from using antifreeze-I never use it in the toilet.

Thanks Mike for the info that you don't use antifreeze. I guess it rules out that theory.

Originally Posted by miachia

What exactly are you guys talking about?

The leak we are experiencing is from the valve at the base of the toilet. The toilet would leak into the discharge pipe and fill it. For me, none leaked into the trailer. Also, I don't travel with the toilet charged except to the dump station.

[Virginia Deacon]

When doing the blackwater dump at our site, the toilet drained, but slowly. I was pretty sure the Slide-EZ valve was not closing all the way.

So, after we got home, I removed the toilet - not an easy task, I discovered. The left slide was jammed and there is very little space to work it loose. I discovered that there was a "plug" accumulated between the bottom of the valve and the "skirt" in the hole at the top of the blackwater drain in the floor of the TrailManor - confirmation that the toilet couldn't drain properly once the Slide-EZ valve was opened. I soon had confirmation that plumbers really do earn their money!

Then, I managed to drop one of the slide screws into the toilet bowl. In the next half hour, I got a lot more familiar with the entire toilet than I had originally intended. Finally, I was able to get the screw out and flush/clean the entire toilet assembly - inside and out - something I discovered needed to be done anyhow. Given the high cost of the toilet, I am disappointed that there is not a cassette or other means of disassembling and/or cleaning the inside of the toilet. The wire mesh "filter cone" is a sludge trap that will only accumulate solids and contribute to odors.

I called my RV dealer to see if they had a replacement flange seal. Using the part number from my Electra Magic Owner's Manual, they said their suppliers and alternate suppliers have zero, in the whole US. I called Thetford and found out they had changed the part number from 24304 to 33364.

Thetford Customer Service also said there is a Slide-EZ valve "Service Repair Package" available, so that we can rebuild the valve, instead of having to replace the whole valve - providing the existing valve is not cracked. The part number is 09872 and cost is $16.91, instead of $45.23 to replace the whole valve. I ordered a repair kit, since I will probably need it in the future. The parts should be here in a few days.

In the meantime, I have thoroughly saturated the Slide-EZ Valve with silicone spray, as recommended elsewhere in this forum. This loosened some old deposits, and now the valve seems to be working as good as new.

I hope this helps some of you deal with some of the problems of keeping the toilet in good working order. It appears that we are going to have to remove, thoroughly clean, and re-install the toilet after every season - and, the two of us don't place the demand on it that a family of four or more could. And, we use the right supplies, to minimize problems!

Finally, I appreciated the courtesy of the Thetford Customer Service representative, but it seems to me that they only have one person. What happens when that person is sick or takes a vacation? That's a rhetorical question.

I'm sure many of you have experienced the same - or similar - problems with the Thetford toilet. When all is said and done, those of us who have used a Thetford Port-A-Potti Model 160 found that unit a whole lot easier to clean and maintain. And, it didn't cost nearly $500! In either case, we wouldn't care to give up the convenience in the middle of a very dark, rainy night in bear country.

Happy Camping!

I'm still in the thinking stage, but a Port-a-potty sounds to me like a real good alternative to the recirculating thing that causes so many problems. I thought about removing the Thetford, plugging the hole and sealing it so the smell is no longer a problem and then just putting a Port-a-potty in its place. We never had any problems with the Port-a-potty in the many tent trailers we've had. They're easy to empty and maintain and then there would only be gray water to contend with in the TM. Another plus, the Port-a-potty doesn't make all that noise in the middle of the night. Somebody on this forum already did this and I think I'll copy them. Somebody else replaced the Thetford with a regular RV toilet, and reported that it was a huge improvement.

Virginia Deacon -- Thanks for the detailed information. It was both descriptive and helpful. What a great forum.

[B_and_D]

I was reading the rv.net forum today and some people there recommend keeping some water in the toilet at all times. We don't do this, but we use our toilet lightly and always clean it out twice when we dump, and flush it over, over, and over again with the second rinse (and don't use it for #2, unless we have sewer hookups, or it's just a quick weekend trip). Perhaps this would keep solids from forming on the valve?

I am not looking forward to having to ever having to pull the toilet off the TM bathroom floor...but with our TM's age, we will probably have to do it at some point. It would be interesting to see the inner workings of the "terlet".

[commodor47]

Originally Posted by B_and_D

I was reading the rv.net forum today and some people there recommend keeping some water in the toilet at all times. We don't do this, but we use our toilet lightly and always clean it out twice when we dump, and flush it over, over, and over again with the second rinse (and don't use it for #2, unless we have sewer hookups, or it's just a quick weekend trip). Perhaps this would keep solids from forming on the valve?

I am not looking forward to having to ever having to pull the toilet off the TM bathroom floor...but with our TM's age, we will probably have to do it at some point. It would be interesting to see the inner workings of the "terlet".

I find it interesting that you have not had any issues with the Thetford in your unit . . . given its age. Most of the problems posted on the Forum have been with fairly new models. Makes me wonder what has changed in the interim?