[VAC] Re: Toilet Leak

[Tom Jacobs <tdj@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ok. I looked at the photos you posted on the web.

I repaired a similar problem with the toilet of my 75 Tradewind last 
month. The problem I had was water leaking out of the bowl. (Could 
not keep water in the bowl.) I was finding the water in almost the 
exact location that I see the blue in your photographs.

>I think the problem is with the seal on the bowl side of the little 
>disc that moves aside to let the contents of the toilet fall into 
>the tank.

This is what is called the slide (or sometimes blade) valve seal. I 
don't think it is the source of your problem. If the slide valve seal 
leaks then you would not be able to keep water in the bowl. If all 
the other seals are good the water would leak into the black tank.

My best guess is that the flange seal has gone bad. To replace the 
flange seal all you need to do is unbolt the toilet from the tank. 
Doing this repair should take you a couple of hours.

>I am not sure what caused this leak, although it does seem to be getting
>worse. I cleaned the toilet with bleach when I first got it - could that
>have caused something in the toilet to deteriorate?

No - I wouldn't think that bleach caused this problem. My guess would 
be that the seals are just old. When I got the toilet off the tank in 
my Tradewind the flange seal was in sorry shape. I knew I was going 
to replace it as soon as I looked at it. I also suspect that a 
previous owner had worked on the toilet before me. So the seal should 
be somewhat younger than the trailer. (I found a socket lost inside 
the toilet.)

>How do I repair this problem? Do I need to replace the toilet?

Thetford has a seal repair package. This kit contains all the seals 
used in most model toilets. I bought this kit and replaced all the 
seals in my toilet. The seal package cost about $35 at my better 
(SOB) local RV dealer.

>I don't know if it is the original toilet, it is not the one 
>pictured in the Owner's Manual that I have.

On my toilet, which looks like the one in your photographs, I found a 
data placard on the toilet after I removed the seat and lid. (Yes I 
didn't know the model number of my toilet when I bought the seal 
package. Sometimes you get lucky.) You might look there to see if you 
find a model number for the toilet.

>Thank you for any advice you can offer!

For me fixing the toilet was another learning experience. I feel very 
confident that I can handle anything that might go wrong with the 
toilet in the future. There is no mystery left for me in the Thetford 
toilet.

-- 
Take care,
Tom
Wilmington, North Carolina

mailto:tdj@isaac.net                                 KD4BFQ