Thetford circulating toilet doesn't flush well

vickiem · 10-02-2016, 04:36 PM

How long should I have to hold the flush (water) button to get the toilet paper to go down? Doesn't seem like it's working that well as I have to hold the button for several minutes.

Shane826 · 10-02-2016, 06:43 PM

As long as it takes... Not like you're gonna run out of water!

I've read a lot of people on this forum and the Facebook page have this same complaint.

**Bill** · 10-02-2016, 07:03 PM

Does your toilet flush like this?

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2354 (See post #2)

Bill

vickiem · 10-03-2016, 04:18 PM

Heck no, it doesn't flush like that! I don't think I would be complaining if it did. LOL. How do I get it to flush like that? Right now it just kinda trickles out.

**B_and_D** · 10-03-2016, 07:56 PM

I know this may be a dumb question, but is it fully charged with water?

ThePair · 10-04-2016, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vickiem

Heck no, it doesn't flush like that! I don't think I would be complaining if it did. LOL. How do I get it to flush like that? Right now it just kinda trickles out.

If you're not getting a good flush, the return tube to the rim may have fallen out. I've heard that happens...

There should be some good instructions on this website to remove the lid and inspect/repair that tube. If the tube is good, the pump could be bad. Or blocked.

**ShrimpBurrito** · 10-04-2016, 11:01 AM

Or, perhaps most likely, the vinyl skirt is preventing waste from going down the chute. If you've got good water flow going into the bowl as shown in that video, but the waste simply isn't falling off the chute into the tank, then that is almost certainly your problem. Certainly the pump and tubing are in tact if that is the case.

If that is indeed the case, pulling out the vinyl skirt (a opaque piece of vinyl tubing, roughly the size of a sandwich bag) will solve the problem. Many folks here have done it.

Can you describe the exact problem in more detail? Or post a video to youtube or something and paste the link here?

Dave

**Bill** · 10-04-2016, 12:23 PM

Vickie -

I remember the thread that The Pair mentions. I think it was this one

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8045

Take a look at Scott O's posts, especially #9 and #16. There may be other posts with more info, but this will get you started. Dave, this is the thread where you originally posted the video that I linked in post #3 above.

Getting access to the area with the hoses is fairly simple, as I recall. DO NOT remove the toilet from the floor! Instead, remove the deck, which contains the seat. As I recall, you have to remove 4 Phillips screws. Two are big and very visible, at the back edge of the deck. Easy! The other two actually screw upwards into the deck, from somewhere around the front of the toilet. Easy to find, if you realize you have to get down on the floor and look upward. Once you remove these screws, you can lift the deck off, and I believe this will give you access to the hoses. An exploded parts diagram of the toilet will help. Although Dave posted a link in that thread, it seems to be dead now. The diagram I think he intended is in your blue binder, or you can find it here

http://www.thetford.com/wp-content/u...c-Model-80.pdf. Check pages 6 and 8 especially.

Someone please correct me if I've got this wrong. It's been a long time since I was in there.

Bill

vickiem · 10-05-2016, 10:03 PM

Thanks for all the feedback. It was charged with water. It does not have good water flow. So I will check the tubing and the pump.

**Bill** · 10-06-2016, 05:59 AM

Quote:

I will check the tubing and the pump.

Vickie -

As you do this check, you may need to remove the "tower", the wide white box on the back of the toilet. After removing a couple screws, it can be lifted off the toilet to expose the pump motor and switch, as well as an internal in-line fuse. When you lift the pump motor, you will find that there is a small white nylon cylinder, either on the lower end of the motor shaft or down in the shaft well. DO NOT LOSE THIS CYLINDER! It is the coupling between the motor itself, and the pump rotor which is down at the bottom of the well. It is easy to lose, and hard to replace.

Bill