Often the problem is the rubber seal around the ball valve in the bottom of the bowl. Yes, you can cure the problem by taking the toilet apart and replacing the seal, but wait! You may be able to solve the problem with a less invasive procedure. At times a build up of minerals around the seal will no longer allow for a water (and stink) tight seal. A simple clearing away of those minerals may relieve you of the problem, and the hassle of a remove-and-replace job.
Here's what some creative RVers have done to clear up a seal problem.
Bowl cleaner trick: Some swear by pouring E-Z RV Bowl Cleaner (Valterra product V88229) in the bowl. Of course, if the bowl leaks excessively, it may take quite a few "pour it in, let it sit" cycles for you to make this one work.
Banish it with a brush: Get a small brush, like a toothbrush, and after opening the valve, do the "dental hyginist" trick around and around inside the seal. Minerals (and other not-so-foreign material) can sometimes get stuck in the seal. Obviously you'll want to reserve this toothbrush for the biffy, not your mouthy!
Shoot it! Nah, leave the gun in the gun safe, shoot it with silicone lube. DON'T use stuff that contains petroleum products, which includes the ever-popular Vaseline. Rubber and petroleum are pretty much incompatible in a sort of dog-eats-cat scenario. Yes, it might work for a while, and then your rubber seal may vamoose permanently.
I have fought this same problem, I must say this Sealand toilet is a piecie of sh_t. My other motorhome had a Thetford and it never gave me trouble like the Sealand junk has. It seems every 3-4 months I have to take this piecie of junk Sealand toilet apart and clean the rubber seals and ball. The ball is made of plastic which will will get groves and scrathes from the mineral deposits. When this happens, it will leak no matter what. This part should have been made from stainless steel. What is worse the plastic and rubber parts are way over priced. I do think the gun idea is a very good idea and maybe a utube video should be made and sent to the Sealand company. Their engineers who design this piecie of junk should be casterated with a dull rusty knife.
ReplyDeleteCLR does the same....(used as described for E-Z RV Bowl Cleaner).
ReplyDeleteI've used it when necessary for 10+ years.
Available everywhere, (Walmart, harware stores, etc.).
Hubby says to clean out the groove really well and the repair will last a lot longer.
ReplyDelete