Magnum toilet no water

[Jerry Carr]

WE have a Magnum Opus model 3000 toilet in our 06 Thunder, its been a trouble free unit until we left Seattle for AZ, the toilet is made by Dometic. The unit will flush but the bowl does not fill with water after se we have been filling the bowl with water from the sink.

I did trouble shoot the problem and ultimately call support at Dometic, they think it's the water control solenoid gone bad. A new part is $120.00 that seem about right for a 3 buck solenoid.  I guess it could be worse I thought it was a bad circuit board($560.00)

I plan to change it out tomorrow.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy New Year everyone

[Gary Wolfer]

Jerry
My suggestion to you is buy a new toilet. I recently installed two different toilets Both new Dometic 310 high profile. I am very happy with them. They are porcelain and do not have a rim under the seat where the water comes out is angled slots so the water spins easily in the bowl and you do not have to clean under a rim. Also if it leaks at the gasket you can replace the gasket from the top inside the bowl instead of tearing the toilet apart. Easy maintenence is a plus. I like the fact I do not have to drop so low to sit down. It comes with a plastic seat but a wood seat is available. The best part is mine came with a sprayer and was less than 200 dollars. It installed in less than half an hour. I personally would not put that much money into a repair unless you are in love with the toilet you have. Technology has much improved and price is much cheaper since they got bought out.

[Steve Huber]

Jerry,
Gary makes a good point. I rebuilt the Sealand in my Contessa and by the time I was done buying parts, I was in striking distance of the cost of a new unit (and would have  avoided the hassle of cleaning and rebuilding).
Steve

[Gary Wolfer]

My question is why would you need a solenoid or a circuit board in something simple as a toilet?

[Gerald Farris]

Gary,
The electric solenoid is necessary in an electronically controlled toilet. The electronically controlled toilets are nicer than the manual flush units. After all isn't the desire for something nicer the reason that most of us are driving a Beaver in the first place. Do I need electric window shades in my Marquis? No, but they are nicer than manual ones, so I like them and I will keep them regardless of the cost.  

Gerald

[Gary Wolfer]

I forget sometimes many Beaver owners do not work on their own rigs and just drive them. I come from a different background I guess. I was ripped off by a Cummins/Onan shop to the tune of 3,000 dollars on a propane genset they had no idea how to repair. I see that alot here where people have been unhappy with dealers and shops I guess I just purchased a Lady Kenmore but will have to continue finding ways to repair it myself as I  cannot afford to throw money away on high end items that constantly need repairs when there are other alternatives. To me it is pretty easy to put my foot on a lever to dump the toilet.  In Fact when I returned to my stick built house a couple weeks ago I kept trying to step on the pedal instead of flushing with a handle.

[David T. Richelderfer]

Different strokes for different folks.  Some people because of their careers have the expertise to work on electrical things, some on mechanical things, etc.  In my career I got to know computers - operations, programming, etc., not repairs - and later got into corporate management.  If I have an electrical problem, then it better be simple... or I go to an expert.  If I have a mechanical problem, then I likely don't have the heavy tools or knowledge to make repairs... so I go to an expert.  A good manager knows how to delegate, but he also knows expertise can be expensive.  I try to diagnose the problems as best I can so I can have a better idea of the expertise I need to solicit.  Certainly, if I can perform a repair, then I try that.  But on these coaches there are a lot of systems.  Rarely can we find one person who has the expertise for repairing one system, let alone several of them.

Here on the forum we are lucky to have a handful of gentlemen who by their careers and/or years of Beaver ownership can help diagnose and talk us through repairs.  This fact has saved me at least hundreds of dollars in my first year of Beaver ownership.  I thank you all.  Perhaps after another ten years I will rise to their level of helpfulness.

[Gary Wolfer]

David I completely understand. I always wanted a Beaver but could not afford one til I found one that was 15 years old. I have owned a 94 Safari Sahara since 2001. I have thanks to help from others on web sites like Safari Friends at Yahoo.com  who realize SMC is gone forever along with many parts and suppliers. As time goes on there will be less technicians that are able to work on your coach or even find parts for them. That is why forums like this one and Safari Friends are so important. I have gleaned so much information from others who have had to make do with what they can find like cross referencing parts from international trucks,ford and chevy parts that are interchangable. I will always try to help find an alternative or an easy way to do things on my coach and try to share my achevements and mistakes. I have to admit I am a cobler but I would rather put my money into fuel than pay someone over 100 dollars an hour that half the time do not know what they are doing. I will relay information on shops that have done good work for me as well. In Fact you mention you would have trouble with electrical and mechanical problems Here is a very competent shop I ran into in Colorado Springs. It is called One Stop Custom Shop. He does all kinds of work but specializes in Inverters. He maintains police and fire equipment and is not cheap but very knowledgable. He has a hoist that will handle a motorhome and all the equipment to do whatever you need. Just google the shop name and you will be able to see lots of photos of his projects. I have no relationship with him but have had him do work for me that was outstanding.

[Jerry Carr]

Thanks for your reply's we'll the change over to the new solenoid unit was EZ, I did add a water shut off valve under the toilet so next time I will not need to drain the water system
The new unit was $111. To bad the dealer wouldn't sell me the 3.00 solenoid that was the issue over time the magnet must have weaken

Happy new Year

[Lee Welbanks]

Just today received the new toilet to replace the Magnum 3110 in the Patriot Thunder. The board gave out in it and after figuring out cost I just bought the new 4310 replacement for it. Not cheap but damn it sure is pretty and this one doesn't have any of the electronic mumbo jumbo. Gerald is dead on and I wasn't about to put a CheapO manual toilet in this class of a motor home. Will set her in place tomorrow and connect a couple of wires.

[Lee Welbanks]

Just today received the new toilet to replace the Magnum 3110 in the Patriot Thunder. The board gave out in it and after figuring out cost I just bought the new 4310 replacement for it. Not cheap but damn it sure is pretty and this one doesn't have any of the electronic mumbo jumbo. Gerald is dead on and I wasn't about to put a CheapO manual toilet in this class of a motor home. Will set her in place tomorrow and connect a couple of wires.

Installed the new toilet today and it went pretty much as planned, had to make up a new water supply hose as the one that came with the toilet was to long, wiring was a snap. This new toilets foot print is just a bit smaller than the old one so the edge of the tile shows in the front, a little white silicon caulk solved the minor issue. This new model works and flushes completely different from the old one, it actually swirls the incoming water like most home units.

[Jerry Carr]

Great feed back Lee, my 3000 is working great after I changed the water contro.
If i have an issue with the main board ($555) then I will change it over to the new
4000 series how much was the new unit and where did you buy it?

[Lee Welbanks]

Jerry, I bought the toilet from Ardemco, Inc. in Costa Mesa, Ca. The item # is 441110 description 4410-GT/12/WS/-/SP/WHT. After Rick applied a discount the net cost was (hang on to your panty hose) $1352.00, freight was $149.00 and they didn't charge tax. It came with new base plates and gaskets, wall switch and wiring, bolts and screws.
If need to cross check the part numbers on the new with the old to see what to keep as spares. The motor and water valve look the same. The ball and seat are the same but pretty much worn out. The drive mech and such is completely different.

[Jerry Carr]

Thanks Lee, Ardemco was the same supplier I used for the water control valve, what year is your rig? it looks like an 06 same as mine?  

[Lee Welbanks]

Jerry, 06 Patriot Thunder 525 Cat it has 27K on the clock, bought it last year here in Mesa, Az from a dealer friend who got it from the original owners out of S Carolina. Was like new when we got it, even came with all of the factory books, which take up just about a whole cabinet. I see you are out of Washington state, we just sold out the place in eastern Or and moved down here where it's warm in the winter.