Replacing toilet - Montana Owners Club

gkbutler · 07-22-2008, 05:10 PM

Haven't seen this one so here goes. We discovered that our toilet was leaking and had been leaking for quite some time it appears. I took the toilet off and found out that the rubber gasket was leaking and the plastic ring had broken. I replaced the ring but can't find a gasket anywhere. Tried wax rings,but the toilet has a four inch opening and the rings are three, so we are still leaking. I'm wondering if we can replace the toilet with a regular one.

Thanks

HughM · 07-22-2008, 06:10 PM

You could replace with a regular toilet BUT what about the water that stays in the bowl when you travel..It would create quite a mess.
Hugh

HamRad · 07-22-2008, 07:06 PM

GkButler,

When our oem toilet broke we looked at getting a kit to fix it but reading the instructions was like reading how to build an atomic bomb! So we looked at a new one. Found one at CW and took it home because CW could not install it for 2 weeks! We were leaving next day. Just so happens there was a local fellow that was referred by office staff at RV park. Called him and he came out in an hour and had it installed in a short time. And the cost was less than CW was going to charge. The new toilet fit better sat higher and looked nicer than the original. It has worked great since it was installed. It has now been just over a year and all is well.

Yes. You could install a regular house type toilet and it would work. But you would have the problem of sloshing water in the water cooler. For that reason we opted for a regular rv type toilet. It was just a different brand. We like it a lot. It sits higher and has slightly different drain line. We like it a lot. And it is a bit easier to clean.

Good luck.
Enjoy whatever you get.

HamRad

gkbutler · 07-23-2008, 01:57 AM

Thanks. I've been looking at CW but the closest one to us is about 100 miles away. Home Depot is only 30 miles away. Plus we are really kind of desperate. Since we travel only twice a year right now, I am thinking maybe we will go with a regular toilet. I usually drain the toilet before we travel anyway, so as long as the vibration doesn't break the tank.... Thanks again.

ols1932 · 07-23-2008, 04:38 AM

Ours is a Thetford toilet that we've replaced twice in eight years due to broken cable from the foot pedal. It's no great task to replace. Remove two nuts on either side of the toilet and lift the toilet off. Replace the toilet with a new one, ensuring that you install a new seal that comes with the new toilet. Tighten the nuts down and you're good to go. That is, if you reconnect the water line!

Orv

fulltimedreamer · 07-23-2008, 07:46 AM

gkbutler,

Have you considered odrering a new toilet via the internet. You might also consider contacting Dometic for a new seal. I don't think you will be happy with a regular household toilet as it will use 1.6 gallons of water per flush, it weighs much more than a RV toilet and the water in the tnak will slosh out while traveling. If you come up with a way to drain the bowl during travel, there will be no water in the trap and sewer gases will escape into the coach. The RV toilet has been specially designed to address all these issues.

BB_TX · 07-23-2008, 08:20 AM

If there are any large RV dealers within a reasonable drive, they would likely have a parts and accessories department that would probably have a standard RV toilet to replace it or maybe the parts to fix it.

Waynem · 07-23-2008, 02:33 PM

After a few problems with the original OEM toilet under warranty, I paid the slight difference for an upgrade to the Sealand 510. It has the sprayer nozzle. It sits a little higher (you can order different heights. I also got a riser, 3", but took it out as DW's feet would not hit the floor and she sort of complained.) we really like the new toilet (Sealand 510) and you could order one directly from Sealand.

Good luck in whatever you do.

radio flyer · 07-23-2008, 03:33 PM

Call Dometic, I had my new parts in two days, great to deal with.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 07-23-2008, 03:49 PM

Ditto on Fulltimedreamer's comments! He is right on.

Good luck with the toilet, and if you go with a house one, let us hear how it works out.

dsprik · 07-23-2008, 04:12 PM

I am waiting for the Rally (Service Center). I have a slight leak in the plumbing under the toilet in the basement. Seems to be clear "before the toilet" type water. My shoulders will not let me dig around in there too much.

gkbutler · 07-24-2008, 02:54 AM

Thank you all for your suggestions and comments. I really appreciate all of the input. However; my biggest problem was that the floor under the toilet was "soaking" wet as the toilet had been leaking for some time it appears, and I had to have a bucket underneath the toilet to catch the stream of water that was escaping out the toilet. And I do mean stream. I had looked on line, at the nearest RV dealer which in Rockford and had no luck. We were really rather desperate.

I went to Home Depot and picked up a clearance toilet and everything to install it for under $75.00. I put in a shut off valve like we used to have in our stick house, seated the toilet, tightened it down, and turned the water on. I have no more leak and I know that there is enough water going into the tank when we flush it.

As I said earlier we only move twice a year and I empty the black tank every morning before we leave. We also dump about five gallons of water into the black tank every morning along with Borax to clean the side walls and the bottom, so we should not have the odor problem.

The only problem we have encountered so far is that the new bowl is larger than the old one, so we lost about a foot of space making the new "privy" rather cramped, but that is something I'll have to get used to.

Now we have to clean the basement to get the odor out of the carpet. Right now we are leaving both doors open in an attempt to get the baement dried out. Then comes the bleach to clean and disinfect.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

dsprik · 07-24-2008, 03:48 AM

Gary, that sounds like a fix for now. Our 3400 would never work, as it is already cramped. We are thinking of moving the RV toilet back. Sure couldn't handle anything that would move it forward. Have to sit sideways with the door open...

gkbutler · 07-25-2008, 02:05 AM

Amen to that Dave. It's really no fun having to sit sideways, but for now, it works. I'll probably keep looking for a "compact" model or eventually replace it with another RV toilet. Or maybe, I'll see if I can move the drain back about a foot. Oh boy, another project.

dsprik · 07-25-2008, 03:07 AM

If you decide to tackle that move, Gary, make sure you check in with John (Hemlockusa). He has done this and has lots of pics.

gkbutler · 07-29-2008, 04:23 AM

Thanks Dave, I may do that.

Waynem · 07-29-2008, 05:04 AM

Having had both ACL's repaired in my knees, I'm deprived of space when using the toilet in the 3400RL. I am waiting for a good carpenter to cut away the bottom of the front wall into the under storage of the sink so I can stick my toes under there. Don't have to move the toilet then. Only need about 4 inches of clearance.

c214dick · 08-05-2008, 05:23 AM

Boy am I glad I found this thread. We had ours raised before we took delivery as I need the additional height but it seems to "rock" and we are discovering some leakage. Unfortunately, I also have to sit side saddle with the door open. We want to replace it with a unit similar to what we had in our Cedar Creek which appeared to be a Thetford marine type.

I'm waiting for a call back from our dealer to see if it's possible. Any suggestions from the more experienced "re-modelers" ?

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