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Help please .....toilet
Greetings all....

     With low internet connection and two young kids running around, I searched for an answer but didn't find one.  And I need an answer now 😳

The white  'ball' like feature in my toilet that lets waste down and keeps smells out is stuck.   When I press on the pedal, water goes into the toilet, but the toilet stays sealed.    I can open it manually, but it does not move when the pedal is pressed.   I tried finding an answer from past posts, but either it isn't there, or I'm not using accurate search words.   I did take out the black ring and clean it.....after reading the LD manual.  That did not seem to help, and the white valve was still stuck with the black ring out. 

I would appreciate any help you might give.   I am planning on calling Vince in the AM if I can not fix this evening..... because for now, I need to move that vavlve by hand, and let's just say, that is less than ideal. 

Thanks in advance.
Rebecca in WA
2016 mid-bath
"Ramirez"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #1
Rebecca,

I wonder if the opening mechanism has come detached from the pedal some how. I make certain that I depress the pedal gently without letting the pedal "snap" back upward. I do this mostly because so many RV items are made of plastic.

From your brief description of the problem it doesn't appear that the valve itself is sticking since you can manually open it. So with that "pledging" the seal will unlikely ease your situation.

Not having experienced this problem, I have no easy fix, but I will take a look on YouTube to see if there is one.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #2
Rebecca,

As I mentioned above, spraying some Pledge may help. Certainly can't hurt.

I am reading a thread on another forum now researching your situation.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #3
Thanks Kent......   

I figured that there was a possibility that it somehow came detached.  I can't figure out exactly how it attaches.   Maybe something broke?   No idea.   I'm hoping it's an easy fix.    Thankfully we are all heading to bed soon.... and if no one has an answer I'll call Vince in AM.   I'll post an answer once I figure it out.   No You Tube right now, my internet signal isn't strong enough for streaming.  
Rebecca in WA
2016 mid-bath
"Ramirez"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #4
Rebecca, I doubt it's actually stuck.  I bet some part of the linkage from the pedal to the dome has come loose or broken.  Have you found any kind of pin or screw laying around the base of the toilet?  There is a spring cartridge that provides tension on the pedal and a shaft that connects to the dome.  My first long-distance guess is the shaft has come loose from the dome or the spring cartridge is not functioning.  The only way I would know how to attack this problem is to remove the bowel so I had working room to look at the spring cartridge and shaft to the dome.

In the meantime, you have a way to flush and still keep the smells in place.  I've sent a text to someone on the LDO who knows a good deal about toilets and asked him to take a look at your post if he is still awake.  Wish I could be of more help.

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #5
Thank you!  

My first guess is that it became 'disconnected' or broken.   I'm hoping for disconnected, and that it's an easy fix.    Tomorrow is a driving day, so if I need to buy something, I'll be out and about anyway.   Thanks again

Oh and there is nothing lying around outside of the toilet...   if something fell of inside, it's gone.  😉
Rebecca in WA
2016 mid-bath
"Ramirez"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #6
Rebecca,

After searching the web and the Dometic 310 manual that came with our '15 RB, I have yet to find anyone talk about the ball valve mechanism failing with one acception.

What I did read was that if the ball valve is opened and closed rapidly then paper may get trapped underneath the ball valve itself preventing the smooth operation of the mechanism.

To check on this...make sure the water pump is off,  put on your rubber gloves and gently open the ball valve and reach underneath it to see if something is preventing its operation.

Hopefully someone will chime in tomorrow for more help. Vince is, of course, always there to provide assistance.

The 310 itself is still under warranty not that this helps in a crisis situation.

Best of luck,

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #7
The flush dome is opened by the shaft of the flush valve pedal.  The shaft is a friction connection.  If the flush valve works and brings water into the bowl, but the flush dome does not rotate open, that friction connection is not working, almost certainly because there is a problem with the mechanism.  You need an RV service person who can repair or replace the two flush mechanisms, because the problem could be with either.

Ken F in NM
'08 MB

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #8
(I posted this about a half hour ago, but it didn't go through.)

Is it this toilet? (If not, there are other toilets on the previous page of the Dometic Sealand site)

310S CERAMIC TOILET W/SPRAYER - WHITE | Dometic - Mobile living made easy.

There's a "support" link on the page; you might call them before you talk with Vince, but I think it's possible that the spring is broken in the ball/shaft connection.

Please post when you resolve the issue; thanks.
2003 TK has a new home

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #9
A few years ago I disassembled our toilet to replace the (top) seals. (Water would not stay in the bowl no matter what I did, so I finally decided to replace the seals themselves. Problem solved.) Marine toilets are quite simple in function and the mechanics are easy to understand.

Yours is newer, but I assume the basics are similar. For one, the base cover that makes the toilet appear to be one piece should have some screws in the back. If you can unscrew those, the entire cover should come right off. Once it's off, the entire mechanical assembly is revealed. You should easily be able to see why the foot pedal is not operating the ball valve.

Secondly, if there is something wrong with the ball valve/foot pedal, it's also very easy to take the bowl off if need be. It too merely has a large hose clamp type of tension screw holding it on. Like I said, the entire toilet unit is incredibly simple in both concept, design and assembly.

(That being said, I'm only referring to the upper unit. The hard parts are the torque requirements, sealing, etc of the base unit attached to the black tank below which I didn't touch.)

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #10
Very good information SNERF!  Thanks for adding this to the conversation.
Bill
2003 -- 23' FL

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #11
Thank you everyone for your information, suggestions etc....

My LD is just under a year old, so the toilet is still under warranty.  I spent a bit of time this morning on the phone, trying to find a place that would look at it today.  I found a place in Medford, OR (All RV Needs), that agreed to see us today (after they found out we were 'on the road').  They took us right away when we showed up.  They took out our toilet, figured that yes it was broken, and no they did not have the parts (or comparable toilet) to replace it.  :o  The issue is that because we have a MB we use the Dometic 311 toilet, as opposed to the 310 or 320.  There were three guys working on our situation.... including one guy calling all around to find the parts that they need, they even checked their stock of new RVs to see if any used the 311.  They finally found a place up north near Portland that had a 311, and they are having it overnighted. 
They reinstalled our broken toilet so that we have a toilet for the evening, and will call us tomorrow when the new one arrives.  Overall, even though we don't have a fixed toilet I have been impressed with All RV Needs.  They agreed to see us today, when others said it would be days, they took us right away when we showed up, and they kept me up to date each step of the way.....
We shall see if in fact the toilet comes in tomorrow, and what kind of work they do, but for tonight I still have a toilet that is operational so I'm good. 

Bonus: their propane was just over $2/gal. 
Rebecca in WA
2016 mid-bath
"Ramirez"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #12
What was "broken"? Which parts did they order? Inquiring minds and all that!  ;)
2003 TK has a new home

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #13
What was "broken"? Which parts did they order? Inquiring minds and all that!  ;)
Well they didn't say specifically what the "part" was that was broken..... or maybe they did and I just missed it due to kids being loud.  :D  Basically it is a part inside where the pedal connects to the toilet (the pedal itself still works, as the water still runs when pedal is depressed).  They ordered a new toilet, and said they would have to attach my sprayer, as the toilet they ordered doesn't have a sprayer (but has a place for one to attach). 
Rebecca in WA
2016 mid-bath
"Ramirez"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #14

For what it's worth, I ran into a similar problem a few years ago with my 2003-vintage Sealand 510 toilet: the shaft connecting the pedal to the waste valve's ball broke. (It's the part singled out in red in the attached diagram, although in real life it was white plastic.) The attached photo shows the broken end of the shaft where it emerges from the spring/water valve assembly, which is right next to the pedal.

The result was that stepping on the pedal caused water to flow, since the water valve is on the side of the shaft nearest the pedal... but the waste valve never opened, since it was on the other side of the break. These appear to be the same symptoms Rebecca described.

The cure was a <$50 replacement ball and shaft kit. When I received the replacement, I found that the new shaft was of brass rather than plastic. It's a good guess that the manufacturer had learned the plastic shaft was prone to breakage.

Now, I don't know whether this was the problem with Rebecca's much newer toilet, but the symptoms certainly fit. Installing the replacement parts is not fun, as it requires disassembling the toilet, but it's not rocket science, and it's not an expensive fix.

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #15
Well, fudge--somehow I must have screwed up, because the pictures didn't attach to my last post. Let's try again...
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #16
I wonder if this is another "Must Have" part to add to the traveling on-board parts box we all have or should have?

    Karen ~ Liam
        98~MB
1998 ~ MB  WanderDaze
previously a 1984 Winnebago itaska- The Road Warrior, before that several VW Buses and before that a 1965 Chrysler Convertible Newport or our 1969 Chrysler La Barron with an ice box and a couple sleeping bags

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #17
I'm camping now (San Elijo State Beach!) And had this exact situation happen to me in our 2017 MB with a Dometic 311 toilet -- the ball valve shears off of its crank.  I spoke to Tood at LD this morning and he suggested a new toilet but the broken piece literally is about .10 cents worth of plastic (which I'm guessing is why it was replaced with a brass fitting.)  Luckily, we're at a campground with plenty of clean potties or it would be a trip ender. 

I can't for the life of me find the part # and I'm loathe to get on with Dometic in the middle of holiday...

If anybody knows the Part or even better, the replacement part number, please let me know!!
2017 Mid Bath
-- Tireman valve extenders;
-- Progressive Industries 30a EMS protector;
-- Hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars;
-- Dual canister water filter.


Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #19

Hi Table 58;  I found this generic flush ball. Looks like a ball from the toilet side, but not much there.  The 311 Sealand (mine is a 'Traveler', might have a different part than the one Andy referenced for the 510  Sealand 385310681 .88 Dometic Ball/Cartridge/Shaft Kit For , Traveler,...  
     Andy's 510 part  Amazon.com: Dometic 385318162 911-Series Ball and Shaft Kit with Spring... at least is available thru Amazon, and seems to cover all Sealand and Dometic.  I'd go for the brass shaft one.      RonB

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #20
Thank you for the replies!  I took a flyer on the Amazon ball valve, figuring I can return it if it's not the correct size. (I'll leave it in the package as I compare the two!)

On a side note, I was inside my LD, going through YouTube videos for this "challenge" (thanks for the link, Jon!) And, of course, the sound wasn't working!  As I cursed the RV gods, my wife came running in from outside:

"You're playing a guy talking about rv toilets on the Bluetooth speakers out here!"

Gotta love camping!
2017 Mid Bath
-- Tireman valve extenders;
-- Progressive Industries 30a EMS protector;
-- Hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars;
-- Dual canister water filter.

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #21
UPDATE on 311 Low-Profile Gravity Flush Toilet.

So after 80 minutes of painful Dometic Inc hold music, I was connected with an unhelpful service rep who said I was out-of-warranty and that was that.  I argued that the broken part in question was a design flaw as evidenced by a considerable upgrade in materials (brass shaft vs plastic) and also that, suddenly, the part in question is no longer offered as being serviceable (anybody who owns an RV or a brain for that matter has come up against harder replacements.  A light bulb, for instance.)

I appealed to a supervisor, was shunted off into 10 more minutes of painful hold music (seriously, there's a song in there that fades in and out of audio snow.  But it's on a recorded loop...)  The came back on, said the supervisor had no time for me, took my info and that was that.

For the first time owning a Lazy Daze I felt less than excited by the customer service.  So be it.

I'll start a new thread for toilet rec's!
2017 Mid Bath
-- Tireman valve extenders;
-- Progressive Industries 30a EMS protector;
-- Hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars;
-- Dual canister water filter.

Re: Help please .....toilet
Reply #22
I used these folks for parts for my 18 yo sealand toilet.  Very helpful and talked me out of replacing the toilet, said I only needed parts.  And so far they have been right.
Ardemco,  949-722-7672