Thetford Vinyl Skirt

[davlin]

So I took my Thetford toilet apart to give it a good cleaning. Since the vinyl skirt was especially nasty, I decided to replace it. I was only somewhat angry when I found out that this piece of vinyl cost about $30.

Then the real fun began. Apparently, six months ago (according to Thetford's service representative) they made the marketing decision to no longer sell the vinyl skirt as a separate part. It's now "bundled" with the cover and bowl assembly, and caps and splash guards. Wanna guess the price? $225.00. That's right folks, for 40% of the price of an entire toilet, you too can get a new vinyl skirt!

Lauren from Thetford suggested that I search the Internet for the last good part number of the vinyl skirt (33724) and see if there were any in stock at dealers. What you have to be careful of though, is that all the dealers I found whose website said they have it in stock actually don't when you call them. You order from them online, they attempt to get the part from Thetford, and then just reply back that it's on "back order." You keep thinking you'll get it some day, but you never will.

So with "shrimp burrito's" pioneer work in this area, and my own engineering, I guess I'll figure out how to make one.

Dave

[TrailManorMan]

Ouch!!

Does the skirt really do anything except prevent/lessen splashes? Since it isn't a seal, it certainly doesn't prevent odors. If it is just a splash preventer, there are other things that could be done to accomplish this. Like sticking a towel or some such in the hole, or not travelling with the Thetford full, or other things that the fertile minds on this forum can come up with... It has always seemed like a strange design to me, particularly since it is the major part of the toilet which can not be cleaned at all.

[davlin]

I'm starting to think the same thing, Scott. We almost never travel with liquid in the toilet. I pulled the existing one off and am fairly convinced it would easy to make with a piece of heavy gage vinyl, a piece of metal wire, and a zip tie, but I would sure like to hear from others that have just completely done away with it.

Dave

There are a few threads from the past that folks said to remove that thing. Some used Saran Wrap over the seat area when traveling to keep splash under control. Its removal also eliminates clogs.

Dave

[Sterman]

Wow, I have yet to use my TM's toilet and am a little askeered to.
I'm not sure about the Thetford swish system.
I'm considering the Thetford curve change-out that's been talked about on this forum. It seems like it has the same capacity and doesn't need a dump station and hose to dump it.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...thetford+curve

[davlin]

Sterman,

I'm mad at Thetford for their current "packaging scheme," but we still like our Electra Magic in concept.

I think the fundamental separator between those that like the idea of replacing it with a cassette toilet and those that don't depends to a large degree on how much camping you do without on-site sewer hook-ups. We almost always have sewer hook-ups, so the idea of lugging 40+ pounds of black water out of the bathroom is unappealing. If you mostly camp without sewer hook-ups, then not having to find a way to a distant dump station, i.e., the cassette, probably makes good sense.

Dave

[Redtail Cruiser]

I agree with Dave, we primarily dry camp, so the "Curve" was the best choice for us,but if we had full hook ups most of the time, we probably would not have made the change

Originally Posted by davlin

I'm starting to think the same thing, Scott. We almost never travel with liquid in the toilet. I pulled the existing one off and am fairly convinced it would easy to make with a piece of heavy gage vinyl, a piece of metal wire, and a zip tie, but I would sure like to hear from others that have just completely done away with it.

Dave

I'm also considering the removal of that skirt but I'm not sure how you went about it. Did you have to take the toilet apart in order to remove the skirt or did you just grab a pair of pliers and pull?

[Bill]

As I recall, the best approach is to take the top off the toilet (don't take the toilet off the floor!) It is easy. There are four Phillips-head screws. Two are in front of the toilet and are inserted upward, so they are not readily visible. The other two are near the back.

With these removed, the top of the toilet lifts off. As you take it off, pay attention to the position and orientation of the black rubber seal between the body of the toilet and the top. It needs to go back the same way. Also, don't move or remove the wire mesh cone that sits on the floor of the toilet tank.

Bill