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Old 03-01-2014, 08:24 AM   #1
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Toilet fills until it overflows--FIXED



3/8/14: the problem was the water valve. Wayne replaced it this morning and the toilet is now working properly. The replacement spring assembly is being returned because we didn't need it.
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I flushed the toilet this morning and filled it with clean water as usual. About half an hour later, we were greeted with a flooded bathroom and part of the bedroom. When I used the foot lever to refill the toilet, obviously something went wrong and the water didn't turn off. By jiggling the pedal, we finally got the water to stop running.

The tank had sealed properly; water is not leaking out of it. A second flush to check if the situation was a one-time deal showed that it wasn't an isolated incident, because the water continued to run after the pedal was released. Once again, by playing with the pedal, we got the water to stop.

Advice, please! Is this a water inlet valve problem? The toilet does seal tightly, so I don't think there's a problem with something keeping it open even a little bit.

Carolyn

 
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Old 03-01-2014, 08:58 AM   #2
bigskyjimmy
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It happened once to ours and thank god we caught it pretty quick our pedal was defective and it finally just broke off and Keystone replaced the toilet on warranty but if it happens again I will buy a Dometic instead of the Thetford AQua flush
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Old 03-01-2014, 09:03 AM   #3
mhs4771
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Couple of questions:
Is it a Thetford Aqua Magic Style II?
Did you just recently move or have you been parked on the same spot?
Do you use a pressure regulator on the fresh water line?
The reason I ask is because we had a similar incident with ours. Everything was fine, then we moved to a different CG. Water pressure didn't seem to high and we were only there for a couple of days, so I didn't put the regulator on and resulted in a minor flood that night.
Once I installed the regulator no problem. Talked to Thetford Tech Service and didn't get a good straight answer, but sounded like to much pressure prevents the toilet water shut-off from completely closing.
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Old 03-01-2014, 09:13 AM   #4
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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It's a SeaLand toilet, we've been parked in the same spot for 7 months, and we do have a pressure regulator on the fresh water line (which is somewhat of a joke because the campground water pressure is so low that it's nearly non-existent most of the time).
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Old 03-01-2014, 09:30 AM   #5
rohrmann
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Is your Sealand the same as the Dometic? If it is the same as the 200 and 300 series toilets, it appears to be pretty easy to replace the water valve assembly, which is probably worn or sticking. It's either repair or just replace the toilet, not good to risk the expensive damage from a major flood inside. We just replaced our Thetford with a Dometic 310, and was around $200 and only took about 30 minutes to replace.
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Old 03-01-2014, 09:38 AM   #6
richfaa
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Pull off the cover and take a look at the pedal assembly. It may be broken or about to break.Ours did the same thing.
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Old 03-01-2014, 11:17 AM   #7
Art-n-Marge
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Yup, I think Richfaa has the right idea. It sounds like the pedal assembly may be the problem. Otherwise, doesn't the pedal need some amout of water force to help it closed. Like you mention, maybe the lack of pressure for your hookup, might be a cause. I don't know how you would fix it, but it might require more effort to pay attention when using the pedal.
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Old 03-01-2014, 02:45 PM   #8
richfaa
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There is a spring assembly in there that when you depress the pedal it opens the ball allowing the flush and to let water in then springs back. If the spring has slipped out or has come loose it will cause your symptoms. If it comes off it will cause a flood. I know....
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Old 03-02-2014, 12:46 AM   #9
1retired06
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We just went through that with the Aqua-Magic. Was the pedestal assembly. Replaced with a dometic 320
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Old 03-02-2014, 02:28 AM   #10
Bigboomer
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Carolyn,

Oh boy we know that probem....not a happy surprise to come across. Here is what I did to fix the issue which we found was due to low pressure. These toilets will not shut off with water pressure at 40 psi and below.

http://s962.beta.photobucket.com/use...toilet%20valve

All told the fix cost about $20 and took about 30 minutes.

Good luck,

Les
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Old 03-02-2014, 03:31 AM   #11
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I would first pull the side cover off and spray the mechanisms down with silicone spray. It gets all sticky in there with age. As Rich said check for the spring pack and see if it is sprung off. If it is out of position do not try to put it back. I spent a day trying lol lol, the RV tech laughed to and said everybody tries lol. But most RV places have replacement spring packs and they are cheap. Not a hard job and it is pretty obvious how it works once you open it up.
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Old 03-02-2014, 03:50 AM   #12
richfaa
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The groove in the pedal assembly were the spring goes failed on mine. The spring has a lot of tension on it and the plastic on the pedal assembly was not strong enough to hold it not to mention that the spring was in the wrong groove.
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Old 03-02-2014, 04:12 AM   #13
PackerFan
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How do get the cover off of the foot pedal? Does it just pull off? I was afraid to pull on it.
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Old 03-02-2014, 04:39 AM   #14
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I'm not following something here Les (Bigboomer). If the pedal uses a properly operating spring to close the valve then should the water pressure matter? The installation of a shut off which you did would not fix the problem but would be an alternative to shutting off the water supply in case you needed to temporarily work around a defective valve that wouldn't shut off. We have RV'd at some campgrounds with low pressure and I'd hate to think my toilet doesn't work right because of it. I can't help a slower trickle, but a non-functional toilet is intolerable. I'd fill the fresh tank and use the rig's pump which hopefully delivers the pressure that's needed.

I guess I would have to see how the valve is put together and how the valve gets closed by the spring pressure. I've never taken my toilet apart, so maybe I should just so I can see how it works in case I have to debug something when there is a problem. Thanks for the heads-up.
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Old 03-02-2014, 04:54 AM   #15
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I'm not at my trailer right now but if I remember right I think there is one screw in the side that holds the cover on. Here is a pic of the spring pack for a Sealand. If the spring looks good try the silicone spray. When you get it open you will see that when you push down on the pedal that there is a round plastic head that should slip along a rounded area of the pedal that can get gunked up and sticky. This prevents the ball valve form completely closing. This is the type of Sealand toilet that is in my rig so not sure it you have the same but they all should be similar.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...ectedIndex=469
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Old 03-02-2014, 06:26 AM   #16
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Art,

Doing the research on these the toilets I found that there is a minimum pressure they need to have to force the valvd closed. I seen in other forums that certain Thetford models have had this issue. You are right that it does not fix the problem with the toilet but in lieu of replacing the toilet I installed this valve. Now we turn this on and off during each use and take no chances, certainly do not want another late night clean up.
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Old 03-02-2014, 10:36 AM   #17
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Good info bigboomer, thanks.

I have a pressure gauge for my water supply so I should be able to tell if the pressure is too low (since purchasing it, the pressure has been pretty right at 45 psi all the time and since the gauge is on this side of the pressure regulator that is preset to 45 psi. But if the supply is less than 45, the gauge should show this and then what? Do I used the fresh tank and pump, like my plan stated? I can't imagine there's any way to increase water pressure at the supply. I'm under the impression that a pressure regulator just makes sure the pressure goes no higher that what's preset, but if less, then it should be less. Is this correct?
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Old 03-03-2014, 01:20 PM   #18
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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We have a spring cartridge and a water valve kit ordered. Both are supposed to be here by Saturday. I'll post a follow-up and let you guys know if that solves the problem.
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Old 03-03-2014, 01:52 PM   #19
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by steelpony5555

I would first pull the side cover off
Does the side cover just pull off or are there tabs or something else that holds it on? It doesn't want to come easily and I don't want to break it.
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Old 03-03-2014, 02:13 PM   #20
steelpony5555
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Ooops I was wrong there is no set screw, the round cover just pops off. Start at the bottom though. There are 2 tabs, one above where the supply lline goes in and one below. The bottom one seems to be smaller so it is easier to get loose. Now just remember the 2 screws that hold the valve in,,,DO Not tighten them real tight, just enough to hold everything in, otherwise it will bind. Hope this helps and you have the same Sealand toilet...
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