Thetford toilet flush problem

TexasCamper · 06-24-2020, 01:46 PM

Hi everyone,
My 2008 TM3023’s original Thetford toilet is having a flushing problem....

It started with a failed flange where the toilet dumps (made a huge mess!), and I had my local RV repair shop repair it. The leak was fixed but the flushing wasn’t normal when put back together. There was very little water flowing from the rim. There was some water flowing at the bottom of the bowl, but not enough to push toilet paper through the skirt (previously this was never a problem).

The shop took the toilet apart again, cleaned the rim (soaked it in a bath of cleaning solution), hooked everything together and still not right. They convinced me to purchase a new pump assembly (pump motor & shaft), but this still didn’t solve the problem.

What I’m seeing now is some water flowing at the bottom of the bowl, and some water flowing from the rim from 7:00 to 12:00 position, but no water flowing from the rim from 12/1:00 to 6/7:00 position (entire right-hand side is bone dry). Of the water that does come from the rim’s left side, there isn’t any rotational flow, just straight down.

My questions to this wonderful forum:
(1) does a correctly-operating Thetford toilet flow clockwise or counter-clockwise?
(2) this previous post on the subject no longer has video or pictures:

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ead.php?t=8045

So if anyone has a video of a properly running toilet, I’d love to see one

(3) the same post mentioned that the solution was “...an elbow which is an integral part of the bowl, which attaches to the inlet tube.” It was the 12/12/2008 post from nonichris referencing photos from Shrimp Burrito. Does anyone have a photo of this part? Or a photo of the “undercarriage” when properly assembled?

(4) any other tips or ideas of what may be wrong?

Many thanks!
John

**Bill** · 06-24-2020, 03:10 PM

Was the flushing normal before the RV Repair shop worked on it?

Here is the video that shows how the toilet should flush. It shows a huge swirling slosh when you push the flush button. It sounds like you are not getting anywhere near this action.

Note: the correct name of this video is Flush video.mov However, the forum software does not accept .mov files as attachments. I fooled the forum software into accepting the file by changing the fie extension from .mov to .pdf and then attaching it to this post. But in order to get it to play, you have to save the file to your computer, and change the file extension back to .mov from .pdf. Now when you double-click the file on your computer, your .mov player should play it. I apologize for the complexity - it is the only way I could find to attach the file.

OK, if you don't want to go through the file-diddling, it is not critical. The problem is almost certainly the following. When the pump runs, it pumps water into a tube or hose, the other end of which fits into the toilet top. There, the pumped water flows through a channel under the rim of the toilet, squirts downward through some small holes, and swirls down into the bowl - just like in a home toilet. One end of the tube or the other has come off its fitting. Find the end, and replace it.

If you are handy, and decide to proceed on your own, you may find that the diagrams on page V-27 of the manual will help in the following. Follow the text on page V-28, under DISASSEMBLY, Section 3. The tube in question is mentioned in step 3E. Note that Sections 1, 2, 4, and 5 do not apply.
http://www.bdub.net/manuals/Electra-Magic-Brochure.pdf

Bill

**ShrimpBurrito** · 06-24-2020, 06:57 PM

John,

Bill has given some excellent tips to investigate. Additionally, check out the photos of the toilet's insides in the first post of this thread:
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ead.php?t=8112

Additionally, you can see a video of how the toilet is supposed to flush when working correctly in post #2 in this thread:
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...ead.php?t=2354

Please let us know how it works out!

Dave

TexasCamper · 06-24-2020, 08:11 PM

Thanks Gents for the info.
I downloaded the file and changed the fake .PDF back to .MOV and the file can be played. But I'm experiencing a strange technology glitch: after 2 seconds the video freezes while the audio continues for the rest of the video duration. So I'm not able to see whether the flow is clockwise or counter-clockwise. (same exact problem on both files-the one Bill just posted and the other file in that other thread Dave provided)

But from the pictures and the Thetford manual you both supplied, nothing with my toilet visibly looks wrong. So I suspect something is wrong within the rim. Since there is just the one hose fitting, the water must split between the rim and the bottom via compartments within the internal plastic molding. I can't remember what % of the flow is supposed to go to the rim vs % to the bottom.

And yes, the toilet was running perfectly just before the failed flange to the dump line. So I suspect the physical act of taking the toilet apart for the repair may have lodged a gremlin into the rim.

John

**Bill** · 06-24-2020, 08:33 PM

Dave, you found the thread I was looking for, but couldn't locate! Your first link (...t=8112) contains a bunch of pictures, and picture #6 of 8 clearly shows the tube I tried to describe. When one end of this tube falls off, the toilet doesn't flush right. The tube is also barely visible in pictures 7 and 8.

John - You need to try a different player. Many won't handle .mov files, which are an Apple-specific invention. For example, the default player on my computer is something called Movies and TV. It does exactly what you describe. Windows Media Player doesn't work either. But when I Open With Media Player Classic - Home Cinema, it plays perfectly.

And John again, I don't think any of the pumped water goes directly down into the bowl. It all goes to the rim. The answer to your question is Counter-Clockwise.

Bill

TexasCamper · 06-24-2020, 09:12 PM

Thanks Bill; you're right: video doesn't play right with my existing Windows Media Player, but it plays perfectly when I use QuickTime Player.

Now I see that all water comes from the rim: a good portion (~50% of total flow) from 12:00 position straight down into the bowl to give good water pressure to get paper through the skirt, and the remainder (~50%) across entire rim in counter-clockwise rotation, getting 100% of the bowl wetted during the flush.

Now I know exactly where my pluggage is: right at 7:00.

I'll let you know what we find!!!

**Kwantau** · 06-25-2020, 08:56 AM

I had that same problem and it took me awhile to figure it out. I found that the fitting that the short hose from pump is attached to was slightly cracked where it attached to the bottom of the bowl. It was epoxied to the bowl and it had partially separated from the bowl letting part of the fluid back into the reservoir thereby having only a partial fluid entering the bowl. I would check that to see if that is the case. Good luck.

**ShrimpBurrito** · 06-25-2020, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwantau

I had that same problem and it took me awhile to figure it out. I found that the fitting that the short hose from pump is attached to was slightly cracked where it attached to the bottom of the bowl.

How did you repair it? Did you use some sort of epoxy?

Dave

**Kwantau** · 06-26-2020, 06:37 AM

No I ended up replacing the upper section of the toilet which included the top cover that the bowl is attached to. Thetford P/N 35779. I temporarily fixed the tube with some epoxy as I was at the campground when the failure occurred but I never trusted it so ended up replacing the part called a Cap by Thetford.
I managed to order it through our local RV centre. The cap also cracks after some years at the front left corner. The cap ribbing underneath is not strong enough and some of the blue liquid start to seep through. There is no fixing it as I tried. It is a design fault. So again I'm replacing my Cap plus also my slide valve as it is starting to leak. In other words the toilet is coming out for repair. One thing I also did was to add extra bumpers to the underneath of the toilet seat thereby distributing a persons weight more evenly to hopefully avoid the cracking problem. The bumpers are available at any hardware store.
By the way the Cap cost me $ 385.00 Canadian. Hope this gives you some insight.

**ShrimpBurrito** · 06-26-2020, 11:19 AM

Ah yes, I had that same exact problem with the “cap” (the part on which the seat rests) cracking in the front. I too used lots of toilet seat bumpers to spread out the weight, and that helped a lot. I also shipped the cap to a place in Arizona that was reported to do good work in welding plastics, and they did indeed fix it (cost about $50 IIRC), but that too eventually failed.

I actually like the design concept of the Electra Magic, but just think it is poorly executed. I eventually just got tired of dealing with the many issues, and so I just replaced it with the Thetford Curve. In hindsight, though more expensive and more involved in install, I think I would have preferred to replace it with a a true cassette toilet where the cassette can be removed from outside through the wall. That would eliminate the need of walking through the TM with a toilet full of waste, and would also be far easier to handle/carry. The Curve requires 2 hands, while a cassette would require only one.

Dave