toilet test?

[MariaRita]

So, my plumbing saga continues, I'm working my way back, next--the toilet. It's the original, I think. Is there a way to test it before I go to the trouble to completely hook it up? (I spent days getting the right fittings for my old water heater, only to find that it was kaput....)

Forgive me if this is already posted, I've using the search feature and couldn't find anything.....

Thanks!

Maria

[uwe]

A new toilet will have the same requirements for hookup as the old one, with the exception maybe of the fitting that connects the water line to the toilet's water input. So making the water available to the toilet wouldn't be such a waste of time and resources.

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, Maria,

Some of the toilets used in older Airstreams weren't, uh, elaborate. You may have one that sits right atop the tank with a slide valve in between. You may not even need to hook the toilet up if the shower sprayer is close enough to reach, fill the bowl, and add enough to flush. I think some of the trailers even relied on this approach.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by uwe

A new toilet will have the same requirements for hookup as the old one, with the exception maybe of the fitting that connects the water line to the toilet's water input. So making the water available to the toilet wouldn't be such a waste of time and resources.

I found that the Sealand Traveller Lite I replaced my Thetford Aqua Magic Deluxe with preferred a modern day toilet flange.

Not saying that the old flange would not have worked, but it did not look like it had the same footprint for the gasket.

Moot point though because my old flange, being part metal & part ABS, was unusable in it's recovered condition.

Water connection was definitely different.

Tom

[MariaRita]

So, you mean that you use the toilet, then a slide door opens and water rinses the bowl (if you've got the fancy version)?

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, Maria,

That even happens with the (relatively) inexpensive ones. Does your toilet have a foot or hand lever on it?

Lamar

[MariaRita]

Foot lever.

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, MariaRita,

That sounds like one of the simple toilets. Is it made out of plastic, and does it show an open cavity when you step on the lever?

Lamar

[MariaRita]

Pressurized the system today and the 42-year-old toilet works like the day it was made! Amazing!

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, MariaRita,

That's great. I'd not keep the system pressurized while sleeping until you've verified the system integrity for a week or so. (I learned that the hard way.)

Lamar

[MariaRita]

Thanks for the heads-up! Is that because of the possibility of leaks?

[SafeHarbor]

Right! Poor connections, old repairs, and some good old field repairs don't fail the first day you turn on the water. They wait until you're good and asleep, but after the first one, you'll be listening even in your sleep, and that characteristic "piszooor" sound will jolt you up.

Lamar

[MariaRita]

Thanks! I did in fact spring a leak -- the only remaining connection I had made that Marko didn't re-do. I'm am definitely plumbing-challenged.

[Dotti&Ditto]

another question here, good folks. I have been connected to sewer for 3 months now and not rinsing my tank out at all. I have just been told that I will have to put liquid in my black water tank to get the solids cleaned out. I don't understand why it hasn't been all going on out. Do I need to go to a dump station now before I move?

[TomW]

Dotti,

I take it that you parked a functional Airstream somewhere, and hooked a sewer hose to it, and left the black tank gate valve open?

If so, then quoting thenewkid64, you probably have a "tower of terror" in your black tank.

Your RV toilet does not drain through a pipe like your home toilet does. When flushed, your RV toilet dumps into a tank where the solids more or less stay put, and the liquids drain off through the open waste gate. In time, quite a tower of... solids can form. Given enough time, the tower can block drainage.

The best thing at this point would be to shut the valve & fill the black tank up with water. Let it sit a few hours & then open the dump valve. Repeat until, with the aid of a flashlight, you see nothing in the tank while holding the toilet's foot pedal down.

Tom

[bobechs]

In addition I would add a bacterial and enzyme digesting product like Rid-X and fill the black tank at least 3/4 full with water. Leave the solution to work as long as you can.

I used this technique to dissolve a mound in my tank when I bought it. I left it alone for about three months and when I drained it the effluent was yellow, clear and ran like water. It smelled really, really bad- which is good. The mound was completely digested.

[Foiled Again]

It was a hint I got from a link in this forum that allowed moi (relative newbie) to assist a total virgin who had bought a used SOB with severe "black hills" syndrom. Close your valve, dump about a gallon of cool water in the black via the toilet, add a 5lb bag of ice - then go driving down a bumpy road for about 25 miles, or as we did, drive through the campground very slowly, braking hard, then backing up and braking hard again. The ice cubes scrub the bottom of the tank and collide with the black hill, chipping away at it.

By the time the ice melts the mountain has broken down considerably. Then add 2 gallons of pretty hot water and your Rid-X, wait 24 hours and hook up the slinky. (This is one place where the little sewer solution hose would be useless.) When the stuff stops running, go pour buckets of warm water in the black tank, agitate gently (we cranked the tongue jack up and down a couple of times, and jumped around in the camper with the stabilizer jacks up) and repeat. When we could shine a flashlight down the toilet without totally retching we declared victory. (It isn't perfect but most of the problem was gone.) She will continue to put lots of Rid-X down her toilet and not leave the black gate open all of the time. I've never believed in formaldehyde based products - formaldehyde is the main ingredient in embalming fluid and I have no desire to preserve my poo.

Tin Lizzie