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Old 05-17-2011, 12:53 PM   #1
kingdaddy
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Minor problem with toilet...

Didn't find anything about this by searching so here goes:
One of the two toilets is not able to keep water in the bowl...the ball valve closes but not quite all the way so the water I want to keep in the bowl will quickly drain out (yes I did try just lifting a bit on the foot pedal).
Looked through the Thetford owners manual but didn't see anything about an adjustment. Anybody dealt with this before? Thanks!
 
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Old 05-17-2011, 01:41 PM   #2
ole dude
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Maybe a good cleaning of the gasket and some vaseline on the gasket. Just a thought.
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Old 05-17-2011, 02:02 PM   #3
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I have read several suggestions on what to do about this in this forum that solved this problem that were more extensive than cleaning and Vaseline. These are good suggestions, but I think it's more complicated than that in your case. Since I haven't had this problem, my retention of the solutions are gone. Be patient for other suggestions that should be coming along soon.

It's so rare that a manual describes their problems, they always discuss what YOU are doing wrong.

The good news is you have TWO toilets? Now you're talking.
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Old 05-17-2011, 02:58 PM   #4
kingdaddy
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LOL...ya I do have a "spare"
Actually the toilet does work just fine; I just can't keep water in there as recommended for an "odor barrier".
I did find a few suggestions on another RV forum too, so tomorrow I will go over the the Monty and see what I can do.
I will post results for others future reference of course.
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Old 05-17-2011, 03:33 PM   #5
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Has happened to us a couple times over the winter with continous use over a period of 5 1/2 months. I just held the valve open and cleaned the sealing surface of the gasket with a soft small hand brush. An older used tooth brush will serve the same purpose. You may not want to brush your teeth after with the same brush!!!
That cleaning procedure has worked well for me every time with good sealing results.
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Old 05-17-2011, 03:47 PM   #6
bncinwv
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Not sure what kind of toilet, but one thing I have learned from this forum is to let the toilet ball valve slam shut. As a matter of fact, after "flushing" I do that two or three times. Press down and release all at once. After I learned this from the forum, I have never again had a problem with the toilet bowl holding water. On some toilets there is a band behind the toilet that can be tightened, almost like a hose clamp but obviously much larger. Try the slam method first though, you may be surprised.
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Old 05-17-2011, 04:25 PM   #7
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Could also be a pinched/deformed seal. I'd be inclined to 1st try as others have suggested before tearing apart the toilet and doing a "rebuild"
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Old 05-17-2011, 04:54 PM   #8
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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After 3 years, our toilet developed the same problem. Well, actually we had the "water won't stay" problem two years ago, but a good cleaning of the seal and a couple of the foot-slams fixed it. This time, alas, nothing has worked. So, the new seal kit is sitting on the counter and will be installed tomorrow. We hope a bad seal is the problem because that's a relatively easy fix.

In the interim, to keep odors at bay, we've used the water-in-a-plastic-bag sealing method (from Waynem?), and it's working like a charm: Fill a small baggie with water and drop that over the valve in the bowl after the water leaks out. You have to remove it to use the toilet, obviously, but it surely has worked to keep then black tank odor out of the trailer.
Carolyn
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Old 05-17-2011, 06:02 PM   #9
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As usual, the MOC forum comes through...thanks for all the suggestions and feedback!
I'll be spending some time playing with my toilet tomorrow! OH BOY!!
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Old 05-18-2011, 01:35 AM   #10
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I started having that problem last year and a good cleaning with some Q tips and pouring in some liquid Calgon into the bowl for a few days when not using the Monty. The Calgon seems to soften up the gasket. The problem has redeveloped a few times but I just repeat the earlier procedures and good to go.
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Old 05-18-2011, 08:07 AM   #11
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by CORattler

Could also be a pinched/deformed seal. I'd be inclined to 1st try as others have suggested before tearing apart the toilet and doing a "rebuild"
I just put a new seal in ours a couple weeks ago. It got to where it wouldn't hold water. Like you said, the the ball valve had hung the edge of the new seal and pulled it down, blocking the valve from closing all the way. I cleaned and rotated the seal slightly, and lubed good with Vaseline; problem solved.
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Old 05-18-2011, 02:20 PM   #12
exav8tr
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I could loan you Waynem's toothbrush but you must return it soon so he can keep his tooth clean.. Oh, the devil made me do it.......Sorry Wayne!!!!!!
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Old 05-18-2011, 05:17 PM   #13
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Not sure what toilet you have, but here is a link to the Dometic Toilets webpage. You can click on the model of toilet you have and download the owner's manual which has troubleshooting information in it...one of which is "Water will not stay in bowl". Dometic Toilets. I have tried to download every manual for everything we have in the rig so I always have a digital copy as well as the hard copies that came with the rig.

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Old 05-18-2011, 07:51 PM   #14
Lije Baley
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A timely thread indeed. Thanks for the link to the manual, Jack. BTW, what's up with the Dodge?
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Old 05-18-2011, 08:03 PM   #15
kingdaddy
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Thanks again to all who have chimed in on this...my toilets are Thetford; not sure of the specific model right now. Nice quality porcelain bowls, work just fine so I'm sure the problem is something relatively minor.
Try again tomorrow to get over there to check it out (sure wish I could keep my trailer at my house!)
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Old 05-18-2011, 08:29 PM   #16
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BTW - KingTrailer... the gasket should seal. If it doesn't, odors could come up from the tank because there is no trap (at least I don't think there is), then if the bowl holds water, you'll know that the seal is working correctly.

Same principal as P traps on drains. The goal is to create a plug to prevent odors from coming back into the living quarters.

I hope you post how you get this working. There were a lot of terrific ideas short of tearing everything apart.
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Old 05-19-2011, 05:08 AM   #17
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quote:Originally posted by Lije Baley

A timely thread indeed. Thanks for the link to the manual, Jack. BTW, what's up with the Dodge?
Bill,
Still waiting on the truck. I have been bugging the heck out of the dealer, but all they have been able to tell me is that it now has a VIN# and is approved for production. It has been 2 weeks since I got that info and a total of 8 since we ordered. We are getting anxious.

Jack
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