2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

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2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

October 28, 2024, 11:13:01 pm

Out wandering the country in our LD and having an issue with the toilet. When I press on the side pedal, water goes into the toilet bowl but the toilet dome/flapper stays sealed. I can open it manually, but it does not move when the pedal is pressed. I found this thread on the Forum from seven years ago.

Help please .....toilet

Apparently, something in the pedal assembly broke (a spring?) and Dometic doesn’t provide a replacement pedal. So the person in the thread had to have the toiled replaced - it was one year old.

I decided to try and removed the pedal and just scope it out. When I removed the plastic cover, I found that there’s a screw or bolt that could be loosened with a flat head screwdriver. But then I noticed some stamped lettering on the inside of the assembly that said “Do Not Remove”. I obeyed. Anyone have any thoughts?

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #1 – October 29, 2024, 05:17:53 am

Hi Glen; I haven't had to deal with the flush hole cover yet, but I did replace the bottom gasket, and soon the water valve / foot pedal shaft. Every part of the toilet can be obtained and replaced. Your model is new enough that parts should be available. No need to replace the entire toilet. Service people often will tell you that to avoid working on the old (not so clean) ones, and to avoid 'call backs'. There should be helpful videos on the internet. https://www.amazon.com/nipponAsia-385318162-Cartridge-Replacement-Compatible/dp/B08HYT3S9C/ref=sr_1_44?crid=1EE6PA1PQTY0G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.18DJ5RycAGoY_TOKmr3ST2k1keO0p_eoZANWh2NY5gAsIv6INVSFeNP7cURKlS4U1eb3VmJlebJDHdpmz5sr2B-ds80hNXztqsilqLgcSJf0h5tXfVjgWaB4VNbk6lwYlE5hxT8YjrFP7xgOaxRkn71lh5BPikBTFilsJKZOT5MMJdPEmkNBNW8WhxlNcuaDuYnFHEQbQYGfZpZVjxh3YUp69UMknA7z8SRGGpLoPjw_XLDTtaNwGUrb533Im6ELBTDneFXAWTmfikYmaQSHuKWoqF0co4UAqA0vHUPfS5g.9Egm3uFRhN9g5BVSqi0cj1H1Uv43NSftfKZqgARcHkw&dib_tag=se&keywords=rv+sealand+toilet+foot+pedal+control+valve&qid=1730192963&sprefix=rv+sealand%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-44 These parts and pictures may help. I have a SeaLand 510 Traveler. I don't know what you have. (much newer) I'm pretty sure you have to remove the china bowl, to get to the flush valve/hole cover. Likely that shaft has broken.
Our archives should have pictures, and the Companion also. RonB

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Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #2 – October 29, 2024, 11:06:24 am

Thanks RONB for the comment and link to Amazon. I have a Dometic Model 311. I took a picture of the warning message imprinted under the pedal cover. It says “Danger Do Not Remove.” Now with my over-active imagination, I’ll have to determine the extent of the “danger” involved in removing the pedal. 🤪

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #3 – October 29, 2024, 02:09:40 pm

There's a strong spring involved, so disassembly is tricky. It's been a few years since I have done this job, so I can't give you detailed instructions, but here's the exploded diagram. The part that broke on your toilet is almost certainly the "waste ball drive arm." As I recall, you'll have to buy a new valve kit to get a replacement part.

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #4 – December 09, 2024, 02:54:47 pm

UPDATE:

So apparently, Dometic does not make a replacement pedal or its internal parts for the Dometic 311. The solution is a new toilet. I also noticed two places on the ceramic portion of the toilet bowl that look like hairline cracks. I have no idea how those happened. Anyways, I ordered a new toilet from Etrailer. They also confirmed that there is no replacement pedal. The new toilet is installed. I took apart the old pedal and noticed there's a plastic shaft that sheared off. That was the problem. I've attached some pictures of the hairline cracks and the pedal.

During the 15 years we owned our 2002 MB, there was no such problem with the toilet. We are in the 7th year of our 2017 MB. Oh well.

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #5 – December 09, 2024, 03:21:10 pm

Wow!, a broken pedal shaft is cause to throw the whole thing out.
The 311 series of Dometic toilets are built in a very different way than the older toilets used by LD.
With so few of them used in late models LDs, the 311 series seems to have a lot of problems reported here.
The lack of replacement parts would encourage me to replace the 311 with one of the old Traveler series toilets. They are completely rebuildable.
The 311 are probably cheaper to build, a trademark of Dometic products.

Larry

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #6 – December 10, 2024, 08:34:46 pm

Glenn, sorry to hear about your toilet! What model toilet did you order? Hoping my same year model doesn’t have a similar problem, but just in case . . .

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #7 – December 10, 2024, 10:48:35 pm

Yes, that plastic shaft is a well-known weak point--a stupid design! When the toilet in my 2003 midbath failed in the same way, the replacement part I received from Dometic was brass--much better! But apparently that was a fluke, and they went back to plastic. :-(

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #8 – December 11, 2024, 02:09:06 pm

Quote from: Andy Baird - December 10, 2024, 10:48:35 pm

Yes, that plastic shaft is a well-known weak point--a stupid design!

Andy,

I sent an email to Dometic customer service and included the picture of the pedal mechanism with the broken plastic shaft. Here was the response:

Thank you for contacting Dometic. We are very sorry to hear of the issue you have experienced. This is not a common issue we see or have had complaints about with the 311 toilet. Unfortunately, we would have no way of knowing what would have caused this to happen.

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #9 – December 11, 2024, 03:40:45 pm

"we would have no way of knowing what would have caused this to happen."

Oh, sure. They used cheap plastic for a small part that undergoes strong torsional stress every time the user flushes, which is typically at least a thousand times a year. The fact that many years ago they sent me a brass replacement shaft proves they knew very well that making that part out of plastic was a recipe for failure. It has happened twice to me, and it has happened to others in this group. But "we would have no way of knowing." What a crock.

Re: 2017 MB Toilet: Flush Dome Won’t Open

Reply #10 – December 11, 2024, 04:17:23 pm

Quote from: Glenn Lambert - December 11, 2024, 02:09:06 pm

Unfortunately, we would have no way of knowing what would have caused this to happen.

"WE" is plural, indicating more than one, but it may not encompass those who might be familiar with the issue.
Nobody in the front office has any way of knowing ......

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