Leaking toilet bowl

[Dan Murphy]

We just had our final punch list done on our Beaver Contessa and one item was a leaking toilet bowl. The tech put a new seal on the toilet but since we have left Lazy Days now the bowl is leaking out the water once again. We have scrubbed around the rim and the ball but the water still leaks out slowly.
Any ideas on what we can do to hold the water in the bowl??

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Dan,

Not sure which toilet you have in your much newer than mine coach.  However, you may try vasoline on the seal.
It might be just enough to seal it until it is used a bit.

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks Tom I will try that! The toilet is a thetford but I don't know which model.

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Hope it works,  I have done that myself and it held very well.

[Dennis Crawford]

Dan,
Just finished this job myself.  I assume you mean the water is leaking down into the tank from the bowl.  If that tech did not center that seal perfectly, it will leak down.  Knowing most techs, they are in such a hurry they do not do high quality work.  If you are handy, this is something you can tackle yourself.  Not a bad job just takes time.

Dennis

[Dan Murphy]

Dennis,
I think you are right about the service tech. I was not overly impressed with his work and had questions about several of his repairs. It was kind of hit and miss with him. Just when I thought he was the greatest ever he would do something sloppy.
The bowl was leaking into the tank when we returned after a shakedown cruise and he said he changed the seal. The next day we saw the empty packaging for the new seal but the bowl was still dry. He said he had to fix the seal again and it held water for a week. Now it is leaking again. Not a lot but it won't keep the water in overnite.
How would I go about making this easy fix you suggest??

[Dennis Crawford]

Dan,
Determine which toilet model you have and download user/Service manuals. Most likely you have a china bowl sitting on a plastic base. First remove shroud from the base. You will see a large screw clamp that holds the bowl and base togetherLoosen clamp and try to align seal by moving bowl.  If this is not possible, remove water supply and remove china bowl from base. Align seal and clean the flush ball thoroughly. Reassemble.

Good luck with this.

Dennis

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks Dennis

[Edward Buker]

Dan,

Sometimes the plastic flush ball and seal have to be changed as a pair to get a good seal given the ball surface can be scratched or worn. At times I have had good luck with using some joy or dawn dish washing soap and cleaning the top and bottom of the rubber seal by hand while it is in place. Not my favorite job but sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do....

Later Ed

[Bob Stone]

For the past year the water was retained in the bowl for only minutes. I was prepared to replace the seal when I came across a SeaLand toilet seal cleaner. It's about the size and shape of a tongue depressor, plastic and thin. On one side there's a small patch of what looks very similar to the 'hook' side of Velcro.

Apply the supplied, paste like material to the bristle side of the tool.

'Let the flush ball gently close, pinching the tool between the seal and the flush valve.  Scrub aggressively around the entire seal 2 or 3 times. Open flush valve, remove the tool, invert and repeat with the bristle side opposite to first procedure.'
This cleaning resolved the seal leak problem. Simple, quick and effective.

According to a local RV supplier this tool is difficult to find as SeaLand may not be making it available.

Bob

[Joel Weiss]

One thing that is often overlooked is that mineral deposits can build up on both the seal and the ball.  For the first couple of years of full-timing it seemed as if I was always battling this problem and I tried Vaseline and silicone plumber's grease and cleaning, none of which produced results that lasted very long.  Then I read a post in an RV forum about using CLR; pour a few ounces it into the bowl with the water line shut off and the bowl drained.  Let it drain out then repeat.  I've never had to do this more than 3 times to get the bowl to hold water well.  Some people say you can use vinegar but I haven't tried it; CLR isn't all that expensive and it does work, so why mess with success.

[neil omalley]

If you call Sealand,explain your problem , they will send you one of the aforementioned bowl cleaners. At least that was my experience.

[Bill Sprague]

FWIW, when I rebuilt my toilet seal last year I poured in a full gallon of bleach and filled the black tank with a hose through the bathroom window.   As  soon as the water was part way up the bowl itself, I drained the tank.   The shock bleach treatment was short.  The result was that the entire repair process was odor free!  It may have been "germ free" too!  At least is was not as unpleasant as it would have been and I didn't need to air out the motorhome when I was done.