Toilet only partially dumping

[Pater C]

I have never had any problems with my Thetford until yesterday. I was breaking camp and I pulled the valve to dump the toilet and it worked only it didnÂ’t. There was definitely liquid and solids which came out into the sewer, but when I came back in the toiled still read as full and has enough liquid to recirculate. I had to leave so I put a little more toilet chemicals in and closed up the trailer.

Before the problem yesterday I suspected that the toilet or the pipe from the toilet has a slight leak. I have noticed some people talk about a problem with the valve on the toilet inside causing leaking on the outside. Does it sound like the valve would be the problem?

[Bill]

Sounds like you have a couple issues.

First, if the gauge reads FULL when the actual content is much lower, then the gauge has become jammed. It is an easy fix. The gauge is mounted in the top of the toilet with a black rubber collar. This collar is a press-fit into the opening. Pry gently under the edge of the collar with a non-marring screwdriver, plastic putty knife, or whatever, and the gauge will pop up and out. In the center of the gauge assembly is a spiral strip of metal, with a float riding on it. Either the strip or the float has gotten gunked up, so clean it under a garden hose and press it back in place. Incidentally, this problem will quite often clear itself as you drive down the road with liquid in the tank. The sloshing removes the junk.
It is possible that the strip has gotten bent somehow, in which case it will jam the float. If that has happened, you will need to straighten the strip with your fingers until the float moves freely.

I suspected that the toilet or the pipe from the toilet has a slight leak.

Do mean that the toilet is leaking into the drain pipe, and the liquid is building up behind the outside dump valve? If so, the toilet's Slide-EZ valve (which you activate with the white handle near the floor) has developed a leak, and one of the gaskets in the assembly needs to be replaced. You can buy a kit with new gaskets, or you can buy a complete Slide-EZ valve. Both options are outlined in some of the posts you read. An annoying and somewhat time-consuming job, but not difficult.

Or do you mean that the toilet is leaking onto the floor of the bathroom? In this case, you need to replace the "foam donut" that forms the seal between the toilet and the big dump pipe below the trailer. The foam donut is available at any RV service place, but it is different from the donut seal (aka wax ring) used in home toilets, so do not buy what they have in a big box store.

There is some potentially helpful information in the TM Technical Library here, but you should do a Search to find many other posts on the topic.
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ghlight=toilet

when I came back in the toiled still read as full and has enough liquid to recirculate

After you pull the handle and drain the toilet, I'm not sure how it could retain enough liquid to recirculate. You will probably have to remove the top of the toilet (the part containing the seat) so you can see inside the tank and see what is going on. Removing the top of the toilet is easy. It is held on with four Phillips-head screws. Two are easily visible from above, but the other two are inserted in an upward direction, and so are not visible until you get your face down near the floor and look upward. After you pull off the top, you will see a conical wire screen set in the center of the tank. The cone is not symmetrical, so if/when you remove it, be sure you remember which end goes toward the front.

Bill

[Bill]

One further thought. When you are camped, I hope you do not leave the black and gray dump valves below the trailer open. This is a no-no. Keep them closed. If you leave the black dump valve open, then when you flush solids and liquids down the toilet, the liquids run out immediately, but the solids just lie there in a heap, building up into what is called "the black cone". Nasty. By contrast, if you leave the outside dump valve closed, the solids and liquids both remain in the tank, and when you pull the dump valve, the "whoosh" carries both out of the trailer.

You should drain the black tank (toilet) first, and when it is empty, then you drain the gray tank. The gray water rinses the dump pipes and the dump hose.

Bill (again)

[Pater C]

I will get to checking the gauge float and taking off the top of the toilet. However, the gauge still reads full after driving down the road. When I was camping I did NOT leave either the grey or black valves open. The first time I opened them was when breaking camp. I opened the black valve, then when inside to open the toiled valve. I waited outside until I didn't hear any more liquid coming out, then I closed the black and opened the grey. It was after this point that I noticed the toilet gauge read full and still had enough liquid to 'flush'.

The leak that I noticed is on the outside. I have observed liquid leak from the top of the elbow joint. I have also found that liquid leaks out of the cap even after a successful 'dump' of the toiled. E.g. when I set up my trailer at the beginning of my previous trip I found some liquid at the cap come out when I went to hook up my sewer line.

[Pater C]

I got the top off and it was completely full with liquid. I didn’t take a picture of mess with it much because I didn’t want to mess up the vinyl flap. I guess tomorrow I can go to a nearby place with a d’imposte and try to dump the tank again and then investigate further. Any suggestions if it doesn’t dump? It would seem that either I need to clear something from blocking the toilets valve or get the valve open.


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[Bill]

Quite a mystery. I can conclude first that either the Valeterra valve outside is not opening - easy to determine, since you can see up into the outlet pipe. Or the toilet's Slide-EZ valve is not opening when you pull the white handle inside. For me, pulling this handle has always required a strong pull, and it opens suddenly, rather than a smooth easy slide that the name suggests. Is it a tough pull for you, or does it pull really easily, almost as if it is not connected to anything? Beyond that, when it does open, you should hear a sudden strong WHOOSH-GURGLE noise, not a smooth stream like you would get from running water in a sink. I bet you are not hearing that, since that is the sound of 6 gallons of water suddenly dropping down through the valve and into the outlet pipe.

As for how to get it initially empty so you can see what is going wrong? Something is obviously blocking (or jammed down into) the outlet. Either the Slide-EZ valve is not opening, or there is something sitting across the outlet. I think that to get the initial flow going, you are going to have to probe, either from the top or the bottom. You will push something into the valve area, and hope to dislodge the blockage.

Start from the top - it's a lot less messy. Attach the dump hose, open the Valterra valve, pull the white handle on the toilet, and gently push a piece of quarter-inch wooden dowel straight down the middle of the toilet, through an opening in the mesh of the screen. The outlet is centered directly under the seat, and slightly aft of the opening in the bowl. Be aware that the floor of the tank is flat, not tapered downward, so you may have to probe around with the dowel to be sure you have found the outlet.

As you probe, you could find any of several things. You may hit a hard surface - most likely this is the blade of the Slide-EZ valve. Or, perhaps a previous owner dislodged the original vinyl flap, which is now lying across the opening, blocking it. Or perhaps someone flushed something that shouldn't be flushed. Do you have a little kid who might have dropped a teddy bear or a blanket into the bowl? Feminine products are a definite no-no, too.

You can also probe upward from the Valterra outlet, though you will need a stiff but slightly flexible probe to get around the corner. Obviously you will disconnect the dump hose and close the Slide-EZ valve before doing this.

The other alternatives are even less fun. Get a bucket and bail. Or ask a veterinarian for a full length arm glove, and dip your hand down through the liquid to see if you can identify and clear the blockage. You will need to pull out the screen to do this.

Incidentally, when you are draining the toilet, the vinyl flap has no function. It is involved in filling the toilet, but not emptying it. You can remove it at will.

The dripping you see is almost certainly a separate issue - the foam donut needs to be replaced.

Let us know.

[Larryjb]

Great. I happened to be eating my lunch while reading this!

I hope you find and fix the problem soon.

[Pater C]

Larry I hope your lunch went alright. I ordered some replacement valves for outside because these are easy to change. I haven’t decided what to change on the Thetford. I think I may just change the whole slide valve instead if the seals.

[Bill]

Have you found a way to empty it yet, or is it still full?

Bill

[Pater C]

Yes, it emptied out easily.


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