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Old 12-26-2017, 05:42 PM   #1
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Stinky toilet!

I'm following a thread on one of the all-molded towable groups on Facebook. It's about a smell arising from a foot flush toilet. I don't know if anyone is trying to track down a similar issue, but I wanted to capture the information for a future Search. This link actually takes you to a Roadtrek page, but it's all about the toilet

https://roadtreklife.blogspot.com/20...oilet.html?m=1
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Old 12-26-2017, 05:53 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
I'm following a thread on one of the all-molded towable groups on Facebook. It's about a smell arising from a foot flush toilet. I don't know if anyone is trying to track down a similar issue, but I wanted to capture the information for a future Search. This link actually takes you to a Roadtrek page, but it's all about the toilet

https://roadtreklife.blogspot.com/20...oilet.html?m=1
That was an interesting read. The guy certainly did his homework, even taking a saw to the Thetford and making detailed drawings. I suppose if I ever have odor issues with the Thetford, I can swap it out with a Dometic low profile one.
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Old 12-26-2017, 06:18 PM   #3
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Was it here or FiberglassRV where someone was having major issues? Fan on/fan off, many different black water odor control treatments, even going so far as plugging the overflow hole? I have to wonder if THIS might be/have been the issue...
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Old 12-26-2017, 06:20 PM   #4
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The article is 100% correct. Whenever I buy a trailer with a Thetford 5 I replace the toilet with a Dometic. The article suggests a 300 but that is an all plastic toilet but without the issues of the Thetford. I spend about $40 more and go with the Dometic 310 Series or higher ceramic bowl toilet. It is much easier to clean and I think it comes with a solid wood seat or it is at least an option.
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Old 12-26-2017, 07:16 PM   #5
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If you have a 19 or the 5.0 TA that uses the same size wet bath you are limited in what can replace the toilet. From the center of the flange mounting bolts to the rear wall is right at 7 5/8 inch. Our toilets fit flush with the rear wall. So the upgraded toilets will not fit. I'm not sure on the 17 as far as how far it is from the wall. I ran into this when we wanted to replace the toilet with a elongated bowl toilet like the Dometic 310. I debated seeing if an offset flange or heating and dishing the rear wall would give me a little more room and decided the existing toilet is not that bad.
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Old 12-26-2017, 07:21 PM   #6
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The 21 seems to have more space and someone was able to fit a different toilet in theirs. Here is the link to the thread where I had to give up on the idea of a larger toilet.

EDIT, and Elongest was who changed theirs out.

Edit#2
Thanks for the link, I'll check out the Thetford 300 if we ever need to replace the toilet due to the issue they showed. It still is 1 inch to deep and ours was right at the wall but maybe I could heat and dish the rear wall enough to give it room.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post194129
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Old 12-26-2017, 07:42 PM   #7
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I installed an 320 short/elongated toilet in an E-21. The 310 is a standard round toilet about the same size as the Thetford 5. The 310 comes in short and tall versions. The raised tanks used in the Escape and Casita use the short version toilets. I know the E-19 Thetford toilet is a tight fit but I would think a 310 short would fit. (But can't say for sure.)
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:16 PM   #8
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I installed an 320 short/elongated toilet in an E-21. The 310 is a standard round toilet about the same size as the Thetford 5. The 310 comes in short and tall versions. The raised tanks used in the Escape and Casita use the short version toilets. I know the E-19 Thetford toilet is a tight fit but I would think a 310 short would fit. (But can't say for sure.)
Eddie
Here is a quick edited screenshot of the Dometic rough in specifications. The 300 and the 301 are the only ones that might be able to be forced IF we can dish the rear wall. I have not checked what is behind it . I do know that adding an offset flange would take a lot of work to fit and may be beyond what I would ever want to try.
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:21 PM   #9
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I think I need to sit down and think about it.
Actually, my Thetford had never done me wrong.
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:33 PM   #10
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I think I need to sit down and think about it.
Actually, my Thetford had never done me wrong.
So far neither has ours. We wanted to replace it in the beginning as the Dometic 320 we had in a previous trailer is nicer.
But I decided it was to much work for the small benefit. However if ours does do what was described then I will want to replace it. We had a class c that had a bad ball valve type flusher and let fumes in.
That was the one we installed the Dometic 320 in.
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:46 PM   #11
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Does it help to leave an inch of water in the bottom of the toilet after flushing? I think it must.
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:52 PM   #12
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Does it help to leave an inch of water in the bottom of the toilet after flushing? I think it must.
I hope it does. And when we are not going to use it for awhile we dump a bit of the Walmart RV antifreeze in the sink and shower traps and an inch or so in the toilet. But I do it for a different reason than you might. Ours does not ever freeze. But it does evaporate and I think the antifreeze will stay around longer.
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Old 12-26-2017, 09:16 PM   #13
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Does it help to leave an inch of water in the bottom of the toilet after flushing? I think it must.
I guess it would, if odors were coming from the flush valve due to an improper or dried out seal. But if they are coming from a leaky flushing arm seal, as the linked article suggests can happen, the water in the bowl would make no difference. The linked blog post does a good job of illustrating a design deficiency, in that the underside of the Thetford bowl is exposed to the black tank, vs the Dometic, where the underside is sealed.
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Old 12-26-2017, 09:24 PM   #14
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I hope it does. And when we are not going to use it for awhile we dump a bit of the Walmart RV antifreeze in the sink and shower traps and an inch or so in the toilet. But I do it for a different reason than you might. Ours does not ever freeze. But it does evaporate and I think the antifreeze will stay around longer.
Don't want the liquid to evaporate from the traps? Put the plugs in! Sink drain plug, bathroom sink drain plug, shower drain plug, etc. Because I use Dri-Z-Air crystals in Ten Forward, I don't want it drawing the moisture out of the traps. Easy solution...
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Old 12-26-2017, 09:39 PM   #15
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Don't want the liquid to evaporate from the traps? Put the plugs in! Sink drain plug, bathroom sink drain plug, shower drain plug, etc. Because I use Dri-Z-Air crystals in Ten Forward, I don't want it drawing the moisture out of the traps. Easy solution...
Where did you find a toilet plug?
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Old 12-26-2017, 10:02 PM   #16
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Where did you find a toilet plug?
hahahahaha, I suppose if the flapper didn't seal well, you could always use plastic wrap on the rim.
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Old 12-26-2017, 10:24 PM   #17
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Don't want the liquid to evaporate from the traps? Put the plugs in! Sink drain plug, bathroom sink drain plug, shower drain plug, etc. Because I use Dri-Z-Air crystals in Ten Forward, I don't want it drawing the moisture out of the traps. Easy solution...
I do all that and the toilet/drain/bathroom still reeks of stinky waste matter when I pull in at a campsite after driving. It's quite horrible. Doesn't matter if the tanks are full or not. Plugs all in. I put stuff down all drains that supposed to keep that smell down. Yep, stinks. Drives me nuts. I mentioned it to Reace when I had the trailer up there awhile ago and he said to make sure the plugs are in. Told him they were and then he went on about the p-traps and all that. I just figured I was stuck with the smell and wouldn't invite anyone over to the trailer for the first day.

Maybe replacing the toilet would do the trick. Gotta show all this to Dirk and see what he thinks. He would be helping with the toilet replacement job.
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Old 12-27-2017, 07:49 AM   #18
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As roadtrek Mike says at the very bottom "No wonder Thetford recently shorten the toilet warranty from 3 years to 1 year, I wonder how many RVer's having the same problem with this toilet."
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Old 12-27-2017, 08:27 AM   #19
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I do all that and the toilet/drain/bathroom still reeks of stinky waste matter when I pull in at a campsite after driving. It's quite horrible. Doesn't matter if the tanks are full or not. Plugs all in. I put stuff down all drains that supposed to keep that smell down. Yep, stinks. Drives me nuts. I mentioned it to Reace when I had the trailer up there awhile ago and he said to make sure the plugs are in. Told him they were and then he went on about the p-traps and all that. I just figured I was stuck with the smell and wouldn't invite anyone over to the trailer for the first day.

Maybe replacing the toilet would do the trick. Gotta show all this to Dirk and see what he thinks. He would be helping with the toilet replacement job.
Just a theory but is it possible that the front vent and thus black tank is seeing a positive pressure going down the road and it is pushing smelly air into the bathroom? To test the theory one could cover the vent with some plastic and duct tape on a trip that would normally produce a smell. If it is deemed to be the vent then maybe one of the venturi style caps would work to solve the problem.

Cyclone Sewer Vent - Camco 40595 - Sewer Accessories - Camping World

360 Siphon RV Vent Cap, White - Lippert Components Inc 389381/364466 - Sewer Accessories - Camping World

Some have even made their own:
http://rv-living-magazine.com/rv-tank-vents.html
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Old 12-27-2017, 09:19 AM   #20
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Does it help to leave an inch of water in the bottom of the toilet after flushing? I think it must.
I thought this was standard practice did it from day 1 on our Pleasurway and then with our 5.0 TA. So far no stink from toilet.
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