2900mk, Toilet Trouble

charris57

Member
After calling up there and speaking with Randy and Jim several times yesterday 5/22, while at Bates RV in Tampa,Fl. I have to bring up the final findings from yesterdays visit for warranty issue on the toilet in our Sundance. After spending all day at Bates and they finally went to Campers World to get a seal and gasket kit for the toilet and installed it After leaving and getting home we discovered the toilet still does not hold water in the bowl. My son being a auto mechanic decided to look further into this situation. After removing the bowl form the pedistal he noticed that by mounting the bowl at a angle of about 20 degrees off of center and reinstalling everything we filled the bowl and now after 24 hours it is still holding water. We have discovered that the toilet is mounted to close to the back wall thus not allowing the bowl to fully seat tightly because the bowl is being held up by the pressure applied by it riding up on the wall. Randy,I left a voice for you earlier today, and would like to know of you resolution.....Thanks Charles Harris, TAMPA,FL.
 

Wild Wind

Active Member
Our Big Horn has the same problem, even 3 weeks after the kit to fix the leak was install. While in Floridia for 3 months several RV'ers with other brand newer trailers had the same trouble even after kits where installed in their Domenic Toillets. The RV tech talked to Domenic, and I talked to Domenic also. The casting on many of these toilets are off and there isn't a kit in the world that will fix the leak permanetly. Our 3055 is at SLI right now to have a new toilet installed among many other Q.C. problems, don't know if it will be fixed for the Rally or not. Luckly we still have our previous 5th wheel RV. We pulled nearly everthing out of unit because of the extenive amount work to be done.
It is a shame that our factory or dealers can't be up front and admit to the real problem, put a new toilet in and get you on the road.
 

Scott

Well-known member
Toilets Holding Water

Just an FYI for those discussing their RV toilets. I am going to tell you that there are a number of factors that play a part in whether or not an RV toilet will hold water over a period of time.
Without getting into all of them - here is what a 40-year RV industry service tech. told me yesterday:
They need to take vasoline and apply it to the entire area of the seal - whether it's a "bulb" or a "sliding seal". The vasoline keeps the area slick so that when the toilet is used - nothing (i.e. toilet paper) sticks there - and so that it never dries out.
If things stick to the plastic parts in this area, they will eventually dry out and will not allow that area to properly seal.

This was his summary:
"You can have new "seals" installed a dozen times, but if this area is not greased up with vasoline - things will stick; dry out and cause it to not hold water."

FYI - from someone who is as interested as you are in figuring out how to keep water in the bowl.

ST
 

Wild Wind

Active Member
Scott, then why did the factory put a toilet in our 3055 that was not greased with vasoline, did Q.C. miss this, are the toilets checked when they come into the factory before installion for vasoline? If so why did our toilet work for only one day before leaking. The twenty some year service tech, new what he was doing to install the kit from Domenic to fix their problem. I watched the tech very closely, having retired after being in the Custom Constrction/Remodeling Business for 40 years plus. During that time, I have done a lot of plumbing, set hundreds of toilets, replaced a few of my new toilets that were leaking, do to factory quality.
The repair/fix-it kit only lasted 3 weeks, seals do no dry out that fast, especially if they are used every day.
In the pass 30 years and 6 RV toilets, we have only had trouble (never had to service one) with this Domenic toilet.
Scott, I/WE do really appreate you listening and trying to help us, but not once did you say Heartland is sorry for our crappy toilet problem. Did you talk to Domenic, this Domenic's problem, not your company's fault, until we start getting alot crap about fixing it and stalling tactics.
Being in business for 40 years, you learn alot tricks of the trade, many of which some tradesmen use to for a quick fix to make their customer temporary happy. Happy repeat customers are earned with quality workmanship, caring workers, and constant quatily control, talk is cheap.
If I ever get my Bighorn back from your factory, I can read the instructions included with the Domenic repair kit. In the mean time, while I am waiting, I will go to the drug store and get my vasoline.
 

Scott

Well-known member
FYI "Wild Wind" - I was just trying to pass on what I heard from a very experienced RV tech yesterday that might help people deal with what I know has been an on and off issue for over 25 years - keeping toilet paper and other "crap" from clinging to a plastic RV toilet seal, drying out, and becoming hard as a rock on the seal and making it near to impossible to hold 100% of the water.

Heartland installs our toilets according to the manufacturer's instruction -and is not doing anything different than any other RV manufacturer in this area.

I'm sorry that we didn't know the vasoline trick.

Dometic has obviously agreed to replace your toilet - I just don't know if that is the long term fix for RV toilets with plastic inner parts. Thus, my passing on the tech's suggestion.

Maybe talk is cheap - but that's not what I'm about.
 

phranc

Well-known member
Just to chime in here a little .. We too have toilet that will not hold water in the bowl..It went back to the dealer to be fixed along with a very short list of minor adjustments. The Mechanic did lube the seal with vasoline and it was only a short time fix untill the vasoline wore off, the next weekend actually. Logic would say that a modern rv toilet would not have to have vasoline applied to make it work properly.I too have had no problem with past RV's. This does look to be a Dometic design problem and not a Heartland installation problem..
 

salmon919

Member
Hey guys try using magic lube with teflon. This will work better than vasoline and will not harm the seal. This is used on pool pumps to keep the pump seal on the cleanout from sticking or cracking from opening everyday. Water will not wash it away as it will Vasoline. You can get this from a pool supply store. Thx :D
 
I know that I'am very late in the game for this tread. However I have never had any problems with thetford and I would let it dry out every winter while in storage. Maybe Scott might want to switch brands.
 

nhunter

Well-known member
My toilet leaked and I changed seals twice because the back end of the seal was getting drug down. RV dealership changed the seal and the spring cartridge 2-3 months ago and now everything is swell.
 

phranc

Well-known member
Just as a follow up too... I finally got to the dealer and had the bowl seal replaced and now all is well.. This is the first Dometic toilet I've had and I like the way it operates . The design of the bowl is good with ample water pool and when you step on the foot pedal it empties with a real woosh(technical term).. Maybe the closet room is bigger on the BigHorn as I have about 3 inches of space in back of the toilet..
 

RickNB

Well-known member
I know that the original post to this was sometime ago but nobody realy addressed the problem the real problem that the poster described was causing the problem that being that the bowl was set too close to the wall and was not allowing the bowl to set down level against the seal if this is the case then the original floor hole/mount must have been placed accidently too close to the wall. All the lubrication in the world is not going to fix this problem. Our Dometic toilet works fine and has from the start it has about 3/4 inch clearance from the wall. We do take care in making sure that nothing becomes clogged in the flush mechanism. Lots of water and a toilet brush has always worked for us in this unit and previous units.
 
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