Victim of the C230 toilet freeze up of pump

[picasso02]

Cleaned my 1 year old van after the winter and service last weekend and I thought (after reading on this forum about problems with
the freezing of the pump) I would fill the toilet tank and do test to see if all ok - yes the pump worked fine so I opened the cassette
door to check to see if everything OK in there and to my dismay found a steady leak of water through the blue pump housing so
I assume its going to be a cracked pump casing this was obviously missed at the service as it was only done end of Jan and
we have had no major frosty nights since then. Dealer is going to have it in to replace pump under guarantee he says this is a
common problem and he has replaced about 15 already - but is this going to be a problem whereby the pump gets changed annually - I made sure it was drained fully before winter my son has suggested putting some Vegetable oil in the tank over winter to stop the pump freezing up - does anyone on here have any other suggestions to combat this common problem. I know this has been covered before on this forum but is there a solution ?

 

[cairntess]

Hi,
Had the same problem this winter, got a new pump from Thetford's, carefully removed the toilet (2008 Swift Challenger480), and you could see the design fault, the pump feed pipe enters the pump from underneath, and this is below the drain tube level. So I am still working on how to avoid this problem next winter, ?? work pump when draing down, find away to blow (presurise top tannk some how) or suck out residue.

 

[catherine2]

We had the same problem - pump replaced foc by dealer.
I know how the pump cracked right across at the base - its a design fault acknowledged by Thetford. If you look inside the door where the holding tank is kept you can see a U shaped tube which connects the water supply from the flush tank to the pump. The only way I can see to prevent water staying in here, even if the system has been drained down, is to disconnect this short length of tubing and leave it like this if you don't use your van over the winter. A hairdryer will help to soften the tubing and help in its removal.
As our van is only 1 year old I'm not going to do anything while it is under warranty. This last winter was particularly hard and it may be OK next year, especially if I lag the tubing. Here's hoping!

 

[TonyH1]

Hi Picasso02,
I suffered the same problem last winter and loke yourself, the pump was replaced foc but my dealer thought it unlikely they would do it again.
I resolved the problem (at least it didn't freeze this winter and I'm sure it would have if it wsn't) by cutting the feed pipe at the bottom of the U shape and fitting a Y joint. Previous to fitting it I filled one of the arms of the Y with a liquid metal then drilled it and fitted a self tapper screw (if you can find one with a hex head it's easier) with a rubber seal.
Now after draining down in the prescribed way, I remove the screw and get around another cup full out of the system.
Hope this helps

 

[cairntess]

That sounds a decent idea, I think thats better than removing the U pipe as mine doesn't feel that tight already

 

[cairntess]

That sounds a decent idea, I think thats better than removing the U pipe as mine doesn't feel that tight already