Loose Toilet

Help and Suggestions requested!

We have a 2008 2720SD with very little use - about 4 weeks worth so far. Our toilet has worked fine thus far and we've had only a leaky main seal - I think anyway from reading the forum ... we've had dribbles of blue down the sides a few times after travel and it was not coming from the seat, but below. Figure that seal needs to be reset and maybe lubbed? ! Don't understand why that is needed when the unit is so new with so little use, but more critically now...

I have opened up to start getting ready for what we hope will be a busy camping season and the whole toilet is loose ... can rock slightly and turns from side to side. Seems like it is loose at the mounting, but again don't know why!!

Before I break into it per Bill's instructions for dismounting, are there any suggestions? I've emailed Thetford Cust Service but no response. THANKS ion advance to all!

Fred

[ShrimpBurrito]

Referring to this diagram:

http://www.thetford.com/HOME/PARTS/P...8/Default.aspx

If you are getting a leak just below the seat (like maybe 2 inches below), then you need to remove the top part of the toilet (item 2) and reseat the seal (which goes around the edge of item 3). That is definitely what is leaking. Be careful when reassembling the toilet as it's easy to jam the seal. If, after setting item 2 down onto item 3, and you need to pull it back up to check something, pull it up ALL THE WAY and verify that the seal is still seated properly.

If your whole toilet is also loose, that's an entirely different issue. You will have to pull the toilet off the floor and tighten the floor bolts closer to the floor a bit so that when you install the toilet, the white plastic clips will hold the toilet down tighter. Bill's instructions tell you how to do it. You definitely want to take care of this so you don't have a leak at the floor.

There's only one thing worse than a blue leak: a brown leak.

While you're at it, get some fender washers that have an OD that is a hair less than the ID of the inside of the toilet feet. Position the toilet exactly where it will be installed, and trace the circumference of one of the feet (I did the front left one, as viewed from looking at the toilet). Remove the toilet, and take a few of the washers (so you have maybe 1/4" height) and screw them in a stack to the floor inside the mark you just made. When you reinstall the toilet, the toilet leg will slide over those fender washers, and prevent the toilet from moving around. Amazingly, I found this tip as instructions in the toilet installation manual, but the TM factory skips this step.

Dave

Dave, THX so much! You're so right about the desirability of the type of leak! I too saw those instructions in the "manual" for the "locating disk" and slid a piece of paper under the toilet to see if there was any such item ...nope! You have a great solution! Do you figure just our 'normal' use of the bathroom loosened the toilet? I presume I should likely replace the gasket per Bill's instructions as well? I always do on a home toilet when lifted. Also, Bill's instructions don't really state it, but I presume mechanically, the plastic wedges actually wedge between the floor and brass Mounting Brackets so the nut is tight against the bracket, correct?

While I can get them easily, I'm ordering the Main Seal and Vinyl Skirt everyone seems to have so many issues with so I have them when needed!

I will tell you, as I work with this trailer, I am finding more little things that the TM factory seems to skip or just do poorly .. or did I just get the unit built on the last Friday of the month?! We still really like the concept and layout, but it is becoming frustrating the number of things I have to take care of on a relatively new RV that has a $30K+ list price!

Again, THX for the advice!

[ShrimpBurrito]

My pleasure. Glad I could help.

Do you figure just our 'normal' use of the bathroom loosened the toilet?

That, in combination with flying down the highway and bouncing around like a kid on a carnival ride, it's a wonder why everyone's toilet isn't loose. Mine was before I did the repair as I suggested, and I haven't had to mess with it since.

I presume I should likely replace the gasket per Bill's instructions as well? I always do on a home toilet when lifted.

The gasket that seals the toilet to the floor? Yes. Cheap insurance.

Also, Bill's instructions don't really state it, but I presume mechanically, the plastic wedges actually wedge between the floor and brass Mounting Brackets so the nut is tight against the bracket, correct?

No. The plastic wedges slide in a metal tray bolted to the bottom of the toilet, and they have a slot down the center of them. IIRC, the floor bolts poke through those slots, and when the wedge is pushed towards the rear of the toilet, the wedge slides under the nut on the floor bolt, securing the toilet to the floor.

While I can get them easily, I'm ordering the Main Seal and Vinyl Skirt everyone seems to have so many issues with so I have them when needed!

Excellent idea. Order 2 while you're at it. They are cheap, and you'll have difficulty finding them locally in an emergency or the day before a trip.

I will tell you, as I work with this trailer, I am finding more little things that the TM factory seems to skip or just do poorly .. or did I just get the unit built on the last Friday of the month?! We still really like the concept and layout, but it is becoming frustrating the number of things I have to take care of on a relatively new RV that has a $30K+ list price!

I think most of us experience quality control issues if we look for them, and especially if we do the work ourselves. Granted, while TM does not have the same quality as an Overland trailer (which also doesn't have nearly the amenities), TM is WAY better than some of the other mainline manufacturers. I was on a Fleetwood factory tour that made Bounder motorhomes, and my mouth was open for nearly the entire tour. And not from admiration.

Dave

[Bill]

Dave, you've hit everything just right. Let me add only a couple very minor notes.

First, while you are ordering parts, order a replacement Slide-EZ valve kit. It is my experience, and others have reported, that the Slide-EZ valve fails with some regularity. The valve is a thin plastic plate that slides on a paper-thin gasket. Eventually the plate snags the gasket and rips it, and then the toilet seeps down into the dump pipe. You can buy a kit of replacement gaskets and save a little cash, but when you need to do the replacement, it sure is nice to have an entire assembly ready at your fingertips.

Second, I agree with replacing the floor flange gasket - the big foam donut. When you replace it, snug down the plastic wedges REALLY tight. The toilet is very light weight. If you replace the donut, then set the toilet on it, then snug down the wedges just a bit tight - well, you haven't really compressed the gasket. Then when you put weight on the toilet, it compresses the gasket, and woops! Now the toilet is loose. In fact, I don't think it would be a bad idea to have someone sit on the toilet, feet in the tub, while you are sliding the wedges into place.

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

Dave, you've hit everything just right. Let me add only a couple very minor notes.

First, while you are ordering parts, order a replacement Slide-EZ valve kit. It is my experience, and others have reported, that the Slide-EZ valve fails with some regularity. The valve is a thin plastic plate that slides on a paper-thin gasket. Eventually the plate snags the gasket and rips it, and then the toilet seeps down into the dump pipe. You can buy a kit of replacement gaskets and save a little cash, but when you need to do the replacement, it sure is nice to have an entire assembly ready at your fingertips.

Second, I agree with replacing the floor flange gasket - the big foam donut. When you replace it, snug down the plastic wedges REALLY tight. The toilet is very light weight. If you replace the donut, then set the toilet on it, then snug down the wedges just a bit tight - well, you haven't really compressed the gasket. Then when you put weight on the toilet, it compresses the gasket, and woops! Now the toilet is loose. In fact, I don't think it would be a bad idea to have someone sit on the toilet, feet in the tub, while you are sliding the wedges into place.

Bill

I realize this is rather late to the thread, but having just gone through this agony: It will be extremely helpful to have a small LED flashlight handy. It will be very helpful to have a LONG nosed needle nose pliers handy. Get a ratcheting right angle philips head screw driver. Extremely helpful will be an "inspection mirror", which you can likely find at an auto parts store. This will be helpful in examining the wedge installation. I recommend that when you have the toilet up, carefully inspect the metal slides upon which the white plastic wedges ride: make sure they are parallel to the floor, also make sure that the wedges can slide all the way. (on my toilet - which was leaking due to incorrect installation - one of the slides had been bent down and on the other side of the toilet part of the metal slide had distorted so that neither wedge rode UNDER the nuts on the flange bolts, but both had ridden up over the nuts and were wedged between the bottom of the toilet/EZ slide valve and the metal slide, giving the appearance of being correctly installed, but in fact not holding the toilet in position, as a result the toilet had moved off of the flange seal. Fortunately the toilet was only filled with water when I discovered the leak. I don't know if the floor covering had been replaced with thinner product, but I had approx 1/8 inch between the lower part of the "legs" and the floor when I got the toilet finally installed. I used a wooden wedge under each front "leg" to remove ANY movement.