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Old 04-19-2005, 10:33 PM   #1
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Flush valve leaking

Our Thetford toilet has a standard sliding flush valve. With water in the trailer again, I’ve noticed that this valve leaks slowly, allowing water to flow into the black water tank until the toilet is empty.

Is there a way to fix this without dismantling the toilet?

I have already cleaned the valve area as well as I could from above. I also sprayed silicone spray lubricant on the valve. This seems to have helped, but did not entirely cure the problem.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Loren
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Old 04-20-2005, 01:18 PM   #2
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Loren, the first thing to examine is the groove in the plastic into which the sliding valve fits when it is closed. This ocasionally traps a tiny piece of toilet paper, and this prevents total closure of the valve. If you use a small mirror you will be able to inspect the groove. With a matchstick or tooth pick you can gently scrape round the groove to clear the obstruction. If that doesn't solve the leak you are into a valve seal rebuild kit from the manufacturer or from a site like
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...anks/20686.htm.
Removing the toilet to do this is a little tricky the first time, so let us know if you need help on how to get to that back left hand nut. Good luck. Nick.
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Old 04-29-2005, 08:58 PM   #3
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Apparently my valve just needed a minor cleanout and some silicone spray to loosen it up a bit. I must have removed whatever was blocking the seal when I ran the brush around it.

In any case, the valve has been holding water for several days now. I think it's fixed.

Thanks for the pointers, Nick.

Loren
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Old 05-24-2011, 09:43 PM   #4
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Tiolet Bowl Slider Seal Dried Out

This is an old thread but I thought it was worth resurrecting as the summer hits and folks run a higher risk of having this problem.

We use our trailer often enough that we normally leave water standing in the toilet bowl. However, it had to sit dormant for about a month. I forgot to check the toilet and let the water in the toilet evaporate, leaving a scale-like residue on the "slider valve" and a dry rubber gasket. The gasket was also rough from the mineral deposits, when it should be smooth and pliable. When we filled the toilet with water, it would not hold water...and just leaked out into the black tank below. Most annoying.

To try to remedy the situation, we first turned off the water pump, cleaned the slider valve as best we could from above and cleaned the mineral deposits off the rubber gasket that the slider slides into to with a toothpick. (be careful not to tear or damage the rubber.) But it was still a little crusty and it still leaked.

Convinced the slider was as clean as we could get it, I decided to focus on lubricating the rubber gasket. First I poured a little soap on the closed slider and let that sit for a while to continue the cleaning process and "moisturize" the rubber... It was better then, but still leaking.

So then I let the slider valve close again with no water in the toilet bowl and drizzled a small amount of vegetable oil onto the closed slider valve in the bottom of the bowl ... and just let it sit for a while to soak. This probably isn't the best solution, but I figured it couldn't hurt anything. Then I cleaned off the excess vegetable oil with a paper towel, cleaned the groove in the rubber gasket again with a tooth pick, and applied a clear spray lubricant to soak the rubber seal again.

It took 3 or 4 days of working at it to get that rubber lubricated and supple enough to make a good seal, but our toilet is now holding water normally! Lesson learned: don't let your toilet slider seal dry out! And if it does, be patience as you re-moisturize the rubber gasket and bring its sealing ability back.

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Old 11-06-2013, 04:19 AM   #5
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These posts were so helpful to me. I was winterizing and found my seal wouldn't hold the anti-freeze in the toilet after a piece of TP had been left to dry in the bowl obviously getting stuck in the groove of the seal and causing a leak. I tried wiping the seal to no avail then went to this thread and tried the toothpick and mineral oil. Bingo! Thanks to all who contributed!
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Old 11-06-2013, 07:58 AM   #6
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I have also found, when winterizing, to cover my toilet bowl with plastic wrap after pouring in antifreeze. It keeps the antifreeze from evaporating over the looong Minnesota winter!

Kay
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Old 11-06-2013, 08:10 AM   #7
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I had the same problem one season when I didn't put enough antifreeze on the toilet and everything dried out.

When we got to warmer weather on our winter trip, it took me several days to get it to hold water - tried checking/cleaning the seal area (with disposable nitrile gloves!) to no avail, and finally wound up applying a bit of dielectric grease (silicon grease?) that I had in my toolbox to the seal.

That seemed too do the trick.

Since then I have made sure to leave lots of antifreeze in the toilet when we store the trailer for a few months in Fall/winter.

Brian.
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Old 11-06-2013, 08:47 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minno View Post
I have also found, when winterizing, to cover my toilet bowl with plastic wrap after pouring in antifreeze. It keeps the antifreeze from evaporating over the looong Minnesota winter!

Kay
Thanks Kay. I hadn't thought of that but will try that tip.
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