Powered Vent for Thetford Recirculating Toilet

FlyboyTR · 11-09-2019, 03:01 PM

Howdy...!
I have been off the forum for quite some time. We have been traveling! Before I went dark, I had mentioned a powered vent system I was wanting to build for the stinky Thetford toilet. We tried and tried different things but was never able to keep the odor at bay. Either stinky poo or chemical...or both. Now that I have built and installed this simple vent fan...the stink is gone!

I built the system using a 2" 12 volt electronics fan. I moved the fill/status gauge from the right side over to the left side. I then plumbed into that opening and installed the system.

I used the existing blackwater drain/vent line. It was cut and then removed to the outside. Part of it was cut out to allow a Tee fitting to be installed. It was then reinstalled and inserted into the new Tee. The outside area/vent cover was resealed and a new vent cover installed.

Below is a link to my YouTube video that shows the build. The parts list is there in the description. I hope it is beneficial and helpful to those of you that are searching for a solution but don't want to replace the toilet.

https://youtu.be/lyg_d4Q7gJs

**Larryjb** · 11-09-2019, 04:46 PM

Are you saying this new powered vent you installed did NOT solve the odor issue?

tentcamper · 11-09-2019, 06:17 PM

Congrats it sounds like you have a solution for the toilet smell. I like it, great idea.

FlyboyTR · 11-13-2019, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larryjb

Are you saying this new powered vent you installed did NOT solve the odor issue?

Larry,
My OP could be a bit confusing...thanks for pointing that out. YES...the little vent van does great. (before the mod...it was either chemical or stinky poo smell). At some point I may want to add a slightly larger fan in the system.

But, as is, it works fine and does keep the odors from drifting upwards into the bathroom/camper.

**Larryjb** · 11-13-2019, 06:38 PM

I finally found a link to what I had seen for the recirculating toilet:
https://www.thetford.com/wp-content/...3-Vent-Kit.pdf

It's nothing but a vent kit. I had thought of installing an inline fan for it, but you've outdone it!

I've seen so many abandon the recirculating toilet because of the smell. I knew something like this could work, and you've proven it. This will likely be my summer project for next year.

Now, to prevent clogs. That is a topic from a different thread.

FlyboyTR · 11-14-2019, 04:27 AM

Thanks. Glad the video mod has been beneficial.

Someone PM'ed me and asked why I didn't "just" exit the sidewall under the lavatory. The answer would be ease of access. Working under the lavatory is next to impossible (for me). As is, there is reasonable access for everything I needed to do. Using the flexible bilge hose allows me to easily remove one screw from the elbow on the toilet, reach under the lavatory with one hand and pull the business end out to where it can be serviced.

**Larryjb** · 11-15-2019, 04:19 PM

The other related item I was trying to remember is called the Lil Stanker. It is a fan designed for this purpose and uses very little current. Unfortunately, it seems to be unavailable now.

If you're interested, I came across this long thread and will be pursuing some other refinements. The vinyl flap replacement for the Thetford vinyl skirt will be a good start for me.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ead.php?t=8112

Bill, you said once that you tried cutting the Thetford skirt and it made no difference. I am thinking of trying the same, but cutting it in 1" wide strips. I may just go directly to ShrimpBurrito's solution and ziptie a vinyl flap.

FlyboyTR · 11-17-2019, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larryjb

The other related item I was trying to remember is called the Lil Stanker. It is a fan designed for this purpose and uses very little current. Unfortunately, it seems to be unavailable now.

If you're interested, I came across this long thread and will be pursuing some other refinements. The vinyl flap replacement for the Thetford vinyl skirt will be a good start for me.

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ead.php?t=8112

Bill, you said once that you tried cutting the Thetford skirt and it made no difference. I am thinking of trying the same, but cutting it in 1" wide strips. I may just go directly to ShrimpBurrito's solution and ziptie a vinyl flap.

Last year when I first started trying to deal with and understand the toilet I discovered the vinyl flap was dead. I used a black Glad heavy duty trash bag to make a flap. I used our seal-a-meal to make the tube the size I needed and even made a pocket for the weight to fit inside of. So far, that part has worked well. When I took the toilet apart for the vent upgrade the bag was still soft, flexible and showed no signs of deterioration. That info and a video are floating around here or on the Facebook page.

FlyboyTR · 04-06-2020, 07:45 AM

04/06/20 UPDATE

It has been 6 months since I installed the little fan to create negative pressure inside the toilet. So after 26 nights and 5,500 miles since the install...I remain SUPER PLEASED with the results. It is nice to not have any odor in the camper (poo or chemical).

On the Facebook Fans page there were concerns about the odor being pumped/blow outdoors (Really...where else would you want it to go! LOL). I can say that if you are standing near the vent outlet you can smell it. But the odor disperses so quickly in the great outdoors that it truly is a non event.

Again...I'm super pleased with this mod and it has exceeded my expectations!

Shane826 · 04-07-2020, 12:26 PM

To clarify - the concern was pumping the smell at people level, instead of venting out the roof like on a traditional camper. But to be fair I vent my SeaLand toilet out under the floor and have no issues either...

Glad the fan works though.