Toilet talk
As the one who normally deals with such things, I was interested to read about Christine Turrell’s problems with the toilet leaking (Oct 2021, p118). While the reply from Peter Rosenthal is correct, I think it doesn’t quite cover the whole story.
The seal on the top of the toilet cassette is actually two seals. The first seals to the blade inside the cassette and generally works very well, even wheeling it over a bumpy campsite!
The second is to seal to the underside of the toilet bowl and I think this may be where the problem lies.
When the cassette is slid into the cupboard the cover is pushed back and the seal should interface with the underside of the bowl. If there is not enough pressure to make a good seal then there is a possibility of a leak.
The manual says that the toilet can be used with the blade open or closed and if you keep it closed, as we generally do, then the urine will stay in the bowl for a short time and could escape through any small leaks before it is flushed away.
This would then get onto the outside of the cassette and into the cavities underneath. Flush water will probably go straight into the cassette as the blade will be open and, of course, the toilet fluid will only be in the cassette. This could explain why your reader is finding urine outside the cassette.
For the seal to work correctly, the height of the cassette to the top of the seal needs to match with the internal height of the cupboard. It is possible that fitting a new seal would solve the problem, but it may be that the cassette needs to be lifted a little to put a bit more pressure on the seal. I have heard of people fitting a thin layer of vinyl flooring to the floor of the cupboard to lift the cassette a little, which has worked.
Alan Walters
In relation to the letter from Christine Turrell about a leaking toilet.
We had a similar problem with our Thetford cassette, to a much less extent, but still smelly.
We had a few drops in the cassette compartment and also in the recess under the blade handle (inside the ’van). We found a slight rim of calcium on the blade under the rubber seal.
This was removed very easily with white vinegar. This was obviously caused by camping in hard water areas.
A rinse, dry, spray with silicone and reassembly finished the job.
We have not had a problem since; however, we now always fill our tank before we leave home as we live in a soft water area. It is a shame we have to carry the extra weight but we feel it is worth it.
Chris Gould
We had a similar problem with our C250 swivel loo in a Rapido motorhome. Our problem wasn’t the seal, but screws coming loose for the plastic brackets that hold the swivelling section of the loo to the fixed part. This caused the loo to rock slightly, allowing liquids to miss the cassette. Once tightened, problem solved. With care, these screws are accessible from beneath the loo (cassette cupboard).
Bill Shallcrass