Hi Dr. G. J.
I had to do a lot of work on my '74 Argosy commode as it was defective,
constantly draining water onto the floor when flushed, etc. Tried
replacements, but due to the surround constraints, I never could find a
suitable replacement other than porcelain. The porcelain would be too heavy
for the holding tank supported platform and also too expensive. So, I
worked with home brewed fixes until exasperation forced me to take drastic
steps.
The flush valve is obviously one major typical lead due to thread or valve
body failure. The not so obvious freeze damaged part is the flush reservoir
in the top of the toilet. Even if it isn't freeze damaged, the valve
deteriorates and either sticks closed or disintegrates and won't close at
all. If it sticks, water cannot drain into the bowl when the flush lever is
closed. If the valve doesn't operate at all, water spills out the valve
(flooding the floor or commode surround) and little water drains into the
commode bowl.
My eventual fix was to eliminate the reservoir. I can use the spray peddle
to add a small amount of water that helps keep the bowl tidy during use.
With out the small amount of preuse water, the bowl could take much more
cleaning and water than otherwise.
Could be that your commode didn't have this reservoir to add about 4 ounces
to the bowl after the flush gate closes. Possibly it was bypassed by a
previous owner. I don't find it a big inconvenience to go without it. I
would be much more concerned about not having a sprayer as happens with many
of the newer commodes.
Does your commode fill automatically? Maybe yes, maybe not in it's original
form. :)
BTW, the commode line is very difficult to remove all the water such that
the valve and/or reservoir is not damaged from freeze. I stopped the
nonsense and use a gallon of RV antifreeze to flush/fill all lines to
winterize my units.
Regards, '74 Argosy, Joy