Swift RULE OF THUMB I_21
The final of 3 blogs on “toileting while travelling” in your caravan made easy?
A picture tells a thousand words.
This is what seals things in and out of a typical Thetford toilet as viewed from the underside i.e. the mechanism has been removed from the cassette.
It’s a great service practice to lubricate the large rubber seal with a good quality olive oil or better still an approved lubricant from Thetford or even a good quality rubber grease – all will essentially do the same job (no pun intended).
Removal of the mechanism is easy but there are a few things to be aware of;
- First empty and clean the cassette.
- Using the slide / flap in the open / extended position (as a lever) rotate mechanism to un-align the triangle reference point from one circular point to the next. This will allow you to then remove the whole mechanism but do this all very gently.
- Here you have two options;
- Lubricate the top and bottom side of the seal as these are the two contact areas that need to be kept clean and lubricated.
- Remove the seal and replace/lubricate it. These seals work based on compression and over time/heat/chemical action deteriorate to a point where they stop working. If you purchase a replacement seal it comes with a full set of easy to follow instructions. If you want to make the job VERY simple, then you could replace the mechanism and if so keep the old one as a spare of even replacing the seal in it, so you can use it again in the future. ***These mechanisms regularly break so having a spare on hand is not such a bad idea***
- Reassemble everything and there you have it – hopefully no more unnecessary smells in the toilet area PLUS no more leaks
During a caravan service its highly unlikely that the toilet gets any attention and it doesn’t take Einstein to work out why – that’s why it’s a DIY and something to remain on top of (again no pun intended)
Over to you…
Caption – Keeping things where they belong.