Broken Toilet in my '75 Argosy

[1Michigander]

The previous owner of my '75 Argosy broke the toilet off at the base. When you lift it up you see rusty bolts broken off. Although I do not plan to use the toilet often it would be nice not to have to go outside through the rain to go to the bathroom. Has anyone dealt with this issue before? What was your solution?

[Janets Husband]

Originally Posted by 1Michigander

The previous owner of my '75 Argosy broke the toilet off at the base. When you lift it up you see rusty bolts broken off. Although I do not plan to use the toilet often it would be nice not to have to go outside through the rain to go to the bathroom. Has anyone dealt with this issue before? What was your solution?

The bolts you see should be attached to the tank closet flange. It should be a simple matter replace the closet bolts and reattach the toilet, if the toilet is not broken. You should be looking at a round flange screwed into the tank, it will probably also have some screws into the tank cover.

[overlander63]

And if the closet flange is damaged, it can be replaced.

[1Michigander]

Thanks, what a releif! I took one look at that and I was thinking I was in serious trouble. What about replacing the toilet? I have seen some porcelain units that are designed to be lighter. Do you know if they will work without adding too much weight?

[Happycampers]

Hello ... Try RV Surplus in Elkhart Indiana... well worth the trip over.. we got most of the stuff for our Argosy there... have a web site also... our toilet was $149 ...

[1Michigander]

Very cool!

Thanks for the information. I will try it out.

[overlander63]

Just be aware that the new toilet will sit further back, and you may have an issue lifting the seat and cover fully. Depending on which toilet you buy, you may have to modify the secret compartment behind the toilet to get the lid open fully. You will aslo need to specify low profile, if available.

[Janets Husband]

Originally Posted by 1Michigander

Thanks, what a releif! I took one look at that and I was thinking I was in serious trouble. What about replacing the toilet? I have seen some porcelain units that are designed to be lighter. Do you know if they will work without adding too much weight?

I have a Sealand Traveler Lite "Short base" toilet. They fit just fine and I have not had any weight prolems with it. You have to rotate the flange but that is not a problem. My Minuet has had one for 4 years and I have a second one going into our 24' Argosy rear door. The new one has a sprayer attachment however I have found little need on the Minuet, it's an option. They are only available in Bone or White so you are color limited.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Janet's Husband

I have a Sealand Traveler Lite "Short base" toilet. They fit just fine and I have not had any weight prolems with it. You have to rotate the flange but that is not a problem.

Gary, did you have to do anything to the secret compartment to get the Traveler to fit? Almost every other one I have seen has had to have that area modified to some extent.

[1Michigander]

Thanks, Gary. I will check it out.

Thank you too Terry. The funny thing is that I did not know there was a "secret compartment". I thought it was just a back rest. I just went out to my trailer to check it out and I had to laugh out loud. I wonder what other "secret" things are hidden in my Argosy...

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Gary, did you have to do anything to the secret compartment to get the Traveler to fit? Almost every other one I have seen has had to have that area modified to some extent.

No - the beauty of this model is that it will fit (very tightly) without cutting into the "secret" compartment. It does have a different bolt pattern for the flange, but there is a conversion kit available or you can modify the old one fairly easily. Use the search function to find posts about doing this. many Argosy owners have installed this toilet in the last couple of years with great success.

[1Michigander]

Originally Posted by Janet

No - the beauty of this model is that it will fit (very tightly) without cutting into the "secret" compartment. It does have a different bolt pattern for the flange, but there is a conversion kit available or you can modify the old one fairly easily. Use the search function to find posts about doing this. many Argosy owners have installed this toilet in the last couple of years with great success.

That is great info. It is always nice to hear of more than one person who did this new toilet install. I am looking at the avatar in your profile and it looks like the front windows in that Argosy have newer style rock protector. It that what it is or are the windows simply tinted?

Thanks agian!

[Foureagles]

Incipient hijack:

Are there toilets available that are more, ahh, guy friendly without sticking out too far? I imagine such would necessitate some trimming & moving back, but having to relocate the hole seems a bit much. I'd say how many inches I'm thinking, but that seems somehow inappropraite.

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Foureagles

Incipient hijack:

Are there toilets available that are more, ahh, guy friendly without sticking out too far? I imagine such would necessitate some trimming & moving back, but having to relocate the hole seems a bit much. I'd say how many inches I'm thinking, but that seems somehow inappropraite.

You might look at the Thetford aria and style series. RV Toilets, Holding Tanks & Sanitation They have pics and specs on the site for all these models. The sealand takes a standard size house toilet seat, so you could swap it out for one that's more "guy" friendly. On the other hand, I would hate to have to chop into the trailer wall to install .... how about a nice tree? Actually, you may be able to fit these other toilets into your overlander. The Argosy had NO extra room and so most Argosy owners are using the Sealand model - as it's the only one that fits.

And about the dark front windows... we added rock guards. If you do a search, you will find the instructions here on the site. The rock guards are cheaper and more available than replacement glass.

[1Michigander]

Originally Posted by Janet's Husband

I have a Sealand Traveler Lite "Short base" toilet. They fit just fine and I have not had any weight prolems with it. You have to rotate the flange but that is not a problem. My Minuet has had one for 4 years and I have a second one going into our 24' Argosy rear door. The new one has a sprayer attachment however I have found little need on the Minuet, it's an option. They are only available in Bone or White so you are color limited.

I finally got around to replacing my broken toilet with the one you suggested but I now have a question. I had my local RV shop do the replacement and it seems the toilet is back too far. The lid cannot be put up all the way so it stays up. It is a few inches shy of that position. When you said you had to rotate the the flange was that so the toilet was not quite facing straight out so the lid would rest in the "up" position? If not, how do you accomplish that? I hope you can help me out.

TJ

[Gosman]

Hi all i am new to the air stream family and have just purchased a 1975 26ft. Argosy and would like to replace a broken toilet seat not the whole toilet .
The rest of the toilet is fine , but the seat being so old is taped and broken and i would like to replace it .

I need a place to purchase such a seat and would like to know if one can just replace the toilet seat with out replaceing the whole thing.

If the seat can be replaced ,,how hard is it and what is the procedure.
Thank you all george

[azflycaster]

If you toilet is the same as the one in my 75 Trade Wind, the seat is available from Thetford. Here is a link to the parts breakdown: Aqua Magic Galaxy Parts

The seat was removed by removing the clips on the bar that the seat pivots on. The new seat came with a new lid as well. The cost was around $65. Not cheap, but cheaper and easier then replacing the entire unit.