Thetford Toilet Leak??

[Dustydog]

Elsan Double Blue and Pink for me for last 15 years.
Aquachem was rubbish at disolving bits and the pink caused black bits to form in the flush tank.
No problems at all since I changed.
The cassette gets a good clean out twice a year with a tank cleaner solution.
The main failure is the blade spigot. Thus I suggest everyone carries a spare.

 

[chrisn7]

I have never previously had to replace a main seal because it was split, lost pliability or pee-rotted! The call to replace it is a bit like the call to replace your car battery the moment it won't start leading to loads being replaced unnecessarily, as the cause lies elsewhere.
First time out in our latest van we had this problem too, the cassette being our first wheeled type. At some point a previous owner had applied some sort of tape to the wheel 'tracks', presumably in an attempt to tighten the seal as suggested in a couple of posts. These tapes were now sodden with...pretty disgusting, but the effect had been to make the cassette more difficult to locate properly as something was catching. I removed the tape, replaced the seal, (finding that the old one showed absolutely no difference from the new one). I also realised that this type of cassette has to be clipped home-which I was unaware of-so almost certainly the cause of the 'leak'
Further thorough checking also revealed that there is a separate curved section below the bowl, held with two screws, that aligns the bowl up above with the plastics below, and this had been displaced and had one screw found loose in the compartment, so was probably a contributory factor.

In other words make sure the original components are all in place and functioning as they should before resorting to diy remedies.

Whats wrong with DIY remedies?? Better than paying some "Qualified" person,just for them to tell you It's knackered and you need a complete new unit at so many ££££££££'s
Think after 5 years with this van I am aware it Clicks into place, if not done the blade is difficult to operate anyway.
You also suggest...... leading to loads being replaced unnecessarily, at the cost of a blade and a seal which was done in about 10 minutes coming it at less than £16.00 I think it was worth it, it cured my problem
and is now in working order.

And NO I do not have a screw loose.

There was everything wrong with the DIY remedy someone had applied to my van. The additional tape should never have been used, and even if still used, should have been non-absorbent in a toilet location. My point is that it is better to ensure that with appliances, the original manufacturer parts are present, without wear and assembled correctly before launching into diy solutions that some were suggesting. In my case these simply caused more problems.

 

[Gagakev]

There was everything wrong with the DIY remedy someone had applied to my van. The additional tape should never have been used, and even if still used, should have been non-absorbent in a toilet location. My point is that it is better to ensure that with appliances, the original manufacturer parts are present, without wear and assembled correctly before launching into diy solutions that some were suggesting. In my case these simply caused more problems.

Hi Chrisn7 have to agree about your DIY remedy, if my repair hadn't worked I may have tried putting plastic shims under the wheels as a temporary measure to see if that worked and if so I would probably changed the wheels as I do wheel it to the emptying point so they may have been worn, but alas no need on this occasion.

 

[Reevco]

Cant see why not it's as thin as water and designed for rubber seals, got to be better than Olive oil or Vaseline....
It's better than anything else if you haven't got the Thetford spray to hand.

 

[chrisn7]

Hi Chrisn7 have to agree about your DIY remedy, if my repair hadn't worked I may have tried putting plastic shims under the wheels as a temporary measure to see if that worked and if so I would probably changed the wheels as I do wheel it to the emptying point so they may have been worn, but alas no need on this occasion.

Can't check the van as its in storage, but IIRC the 'tracks' have a slight upward slope at the innermost end, which I guess pushes the main seal up against the mating surface under the bowl. I always prefer to try to establish the cause of a problem whether with the cars or van, as you can apply the correct solution then...In your case I would imagine that worn wheels might have contributed to a leak as well as the old seal. You might still have to replace them if your leak re-appears. Glad you got it sorted though.
With mine I also had to deal with heavily corroded fuse terminals and failed/corroded connections on the little PCB that activates the red 'full' light. This now has an inverted plastic cover over it...just in case!

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Number 1s - blade closed
Number 2s - blade open

why?

Why not?

Uric acid rots seals hmy:

Just read the user handbook and the book says that the toilet may be used with the blade open or closed.

 

[Dustydog]

Number 1s - blade closed
Number 2s - blade open

why?

Why not?

Uric acid rots seals hmy:

Just read the user handbook and the book says that the toilet may be used with the blade open or closed.

Use with blade closed. Then have a look as you open the blade

 

[swpostie]

Should you gather the family around then open it with the air of a conjurer?

Mine's always open.