Squealing Toilet flush

[woodsieboy]

Our Thetford toilet has started squealing when the flush is pressed,it will stop if I open the outside flap,as soon as the flap is locked it starts squealing again,any suggestions please?

 

[Buckman]

Maybe there is a vacuum being formed around the flap and the squealing is actually air being drawn in?

 

[audiorob]

Never heard of this one, but perhaps start with the simple things. I would empty the flush via the drainage pipe into a container (larger than you expect!). If there are no black bits you can refill with what came out. If thee are black bits its worth treating the water tank (see previous thread) and starting afresh. As you will have seen the top tank filler has a rubbery cover that closes over the hole when closed, and I presumed the purpose was to stop any spilling out in transit rather than to create an air seal. Might be worth drying the rubber patch with a kitchen roll seeing if that helps.
Just drained mine prior to service with a watering can and even though the flush tank was by no means full it still got rather heavy, so best to remove the waste tank so you can rest the receptacle in the space rather than relying on muscle power - and this should also save it splashing down the external flap door!

 

[Beehpee]

Draining the flush on my bailey is a pain as the pipe isn’t long enough to hang out the door so I have to stand and hold it till it’s all drained, a minor annoyance but one that could easily have been avoided if designers stopped and thought, no idea why there’s your squeal though, sorry.

BP

 

[audiorob]

I know what you mean Beehpee! It's difficult to drain away from the hanging door flap or splashing your feet with the standard drain pipe! And to unbung the pipe and direct it into a container seems to require more than my two hands! Hence the watering can in the cassette space. Actually I normally flush most of it into the cassette then drain the final bit from the outside then check the flush again so I can assume it's empty.

 

[GeorgeandAde]

I hold a funnel and piece of hosepipe under the tube to drain toilet flush water.

 

[woodsieboy]

Thanks for the replies, i tried cutting a small piece out of the foam seal in the flap and the noise stopped , as soon as I put it back the noise came back, so I am thinking some kind of vacuum is making the pump squeal, everybody I have spoken to has never heard of it although I found a 2010 post on another forum,with the same problem who suggested cleaning the flap and seal ,tried that and made no difference, will try to speak to Thetford on Monday

 

[Gralay]

There is a vacuum breaker in most flush tanks to stop them syphoning from flush tank to waste it may be that making the squealing noise

 

[CustardAvenger]

I have started to experience a similar issue: the flush will squeal when pressing the button for more than a split second. The noise dies-off and stops fairly quickly and the flush water flows normally; I'd assumed this was a faulty pump, but I'd not tried running the flush with the filler cap open.

I've reported this to my dealer for investigation on the next service, but that is not until 2021.

 

[Beachball]

The way GeorgeandAde do it might be easier for me to try because i would like to drain toilet flush water and see if these black bits come out .

 

[bertieboy1]

Draining the flush on my bailey is a pain as the pipe isn’t long enough to hang out the door so I have to stand and hold it till it’s all drained, a minor annoyance but one that could easily have been avoided if designers stopped and thought, no idea why there’s your squeal though, sorry.

BP

Why drain the flush tank that way,Just flush the lot into the cassette as you would do for a normal flush.

 

[Beehpee]

i can’t see how flushing the loo 27 times to empty the flush tank and then having to empty the cassette being a simple method or are you joking?

 

[bertieboy1]

Of course you don't flush the loo 27 times .You hold the button down until the cassette full light comes on then empty the cassette and repeat until flush tank empty,It only takes two maybe three operations to empty flush tank.

 

[Beachball]

To flush a loo 2 or 3 operations to empty a flush tank is better than 27 times in my book.

 

[otherclive]

Not if it’s a manual flush 😂

 

[Beehpee]

Our van has electric flush, I’m not sure but let’s say the flush tank is half full I’d need to have the motor running none stop for 10 minutes to empty the tank into the cassette, I don’t profess to know the spec of the pump but I doubt it’s built to run none stop, where as in its daily use it’s a quick flush or a couple of quick flushes, anyway as I said it wouldn’t have taken a rocket scientist to have realised a drain pipe that was simply 2 inches longer was more usable than the one fitted, I’ll stick with draining it by holding onto it rather than risk burning out the motor, and holding the pipe would be not much longer than standing there with your finger on the flush button each to their own though.

BP

 

[Beachball]

Our van like Beehpee got a electric Flush but so far everything working ok .