Question on toilet supply line

[ridinatlast]

I asked about removing the toilet the other day and everyone was very helpful. We will try it this weekend as our AS is parked at the lake (about 35 miles away) and we can't get their till we get off work on Friday night.

No internet there so I need to get as much info now as I can. Will there be enough slack in the supply line (which is where the slow leak is) that we won't just rip it out of the trailer when we remove the toilet? We can't get to it at all because it is behind the toilet...very inconvenient. Pardon my dumb questions - we are very new at this. We don't want to cause more damage than the leak we already have.

Thank you!

[garry]

There should be plenty of slack to remove the toilet.

It may or may not be the input line most RV places sell toilet parts but depending on the problem some overhaul kits cost almost as much as a new toilet.

I don't remember what was leaking in mine but I had to replace a part inside the toilet and it only cost around $12 to repair.

You can go on-line and download a complete parts list and trouble shooting instructions from the manufacture.

[blickcd]

I had a slow leak on a 1979, which turned out to be at the stem on the water valve on the toilet, not the connection. Since you can't see the back of your toilet, your leak may be in the same location.

For such a problem, many people replace the whole toilet. I bought a replacement valve, expensive at $50, and just replaced that.

I've attached photos of the worn out valve which fell apart in my hand, and the finished job, looking thru and access panel from the bedroom to the back of my toilet. If you don't have such a panel, I suggest you make one.

For me, where the water line connected to the toilet, it was impossible to get apart. I cut the line, and after the repair I installed a new fitting at the valve, a 90 degree angle, and a short piece of pex tubing to complete things. All Flair-It fittings which are easy and almost foolproof to use if you buy the special wrench.

A few more tips since you are new to RV plumbing: You will need to replace the foam rubber seal at the toilet flange. Cheap and easy. Also, I could not get the fitting to stop leaking where it threaded into the new valve. Tried teflon tape, pipe dope, everything. The final solution, JB Weld used as pipe dope. Put it on the threads only, and let it set up before turning on the water. You have one chance to get it right. Should the toilet need to be removed in the future, that new piece of pex I spliced in will be come apart easily enough.

Christopher