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;

1. First empty and clean the cassette.
2. 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.
3. Here you have two options;
   1. Lubricate the top and bottom side of the seal as these are the two contact areas that need to be kept clean and lubricated.
   2. 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***
4. 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.