Toilet replacement

[paul nevitt]

So we went camping this weekend. Not our first trip this year but our first trip to this park. It is a very nice state camp ground very clean and wooded. The whole camp ground is a dry camp or boondock sites. After a few hours at camp we had come back from swimming and were sitting around a nice fire when my daughter had to use the toilet. This wasn't the first time the toilet had been used that day. I am very lucky my 6 year knows to tell mom and dad when something isn't right. She yells from the RV saying the toilet wont stop filling and it is going to over flow. So i run in and luckily I shut the water pump off before the toilet overflows. So now I am left with a choice repair the old toilet (30 years old) or replace it with a new one. I am leaning towards a new for the fact that I can get a much bigger bowl and make camping that much more enjoyable. I have a raised platform that my toilet sits on. Has anyone here replaced one of the old toilets with one of the new ones? And has anyone had any problems with a raised platform. I am looking at the Dometic 310 low profile.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

  Since they cost little more then a plastic, I went with a replacement Dometic CHINA TOILET and am very pleased with is as is the wife since it cleans so much easier and better then plastic. No problems with a raised or non raised platform, just two vertical Johnny hold down bolts, a new soft rubber seal, re connect the water line READY FOR USE,,,,,,,,,,ONLY WAY TO GO IN MY OPINION. If I recall mines a 310 series??

 John T

 

[Jim Stoltz]

I took my first trip this weekend and the toilet isn't holding water (or other fluids, if you know what I mean). I was looking at the 310 china toilets. $150 shipped on eBay so I snagged one. Residential sized seat, solid feel of china and easy to clean. I'm not looking forward to the installation but it will be nice when it's done. I had wanted to ditch the carpet in the bathroom so I'll be doing that when I install the new toilet.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

  Jim, as the good Wolf Man and I discussed in a similar post a while back, replacement (NOT withstanding Murphy's Law) is actually quite easy. Once the water line is removed and the 1/2" hex nuts off the 2 vertical johnny hold down bolts (hope not all rusted and heads turn in the plastic floor flange!!!!) are removed she lifts right out of there. A couple new johnny hold down bolts (Brass preferred) and a new soft rubber gasket seal, reconnect water line and you're good to go. Before changing mine I gave the tank a good flush and cleaning and topped off with clean water and bleach then a final drain and flush and used Pine Sol etc. It may or may not require water line adapters but that's all easy and standard at RV dealers or Lowes etc. Piece of cake, unless I just jinxed it lol

 John T 

[Jim Stoltz]

Hopefully you knocked on wood for me! I figured it was a good time to do it because I just cleaned and flushed the tank when I left Hershey. The 30-year-old toilet has seen better days. It's grossing out my kids and girlfriend. Plus, like I said, it's leaking.

[paul nevitt]

I already removed the old toilet from the coach. Not scared of the work involved as I have done a number of toilets in houses over the years and figure it couldn't be much different. My biggest concern was if the 30 year old flange on my coach was going to work with the new toilet. It looks like I will need to unscrew it from the floor and turn it a little so the bolt holes line up with the new toilet. I would love to order one online because they are much cheaper BUT we are leaving Friday for another boondocking trip. So I need to have this thing fixed and ready for the trip by Thursday plus working full time all week. Tonight I will be heading to the closest Camping World ( about an hour away ) and hoping they have the toilet I want.

[Lakota Wolf]

That was a very common problem I came across on replacing toilets,, The OLD Flange gasket was out of keester to line up,, so I had to remove the old and replaced with a NEW one.

(Always best to put in a new one,, will save you a headache later one with using the old one).

Camping World ,RV World etc. have a nice universal 6 hole flange gasket,, Gives you more mounting holes to work with.

[paul nevitt]

You are saying to replace my flange also to make my life easier? I am not against doing so. The gasket is going to be replaced but you are saying the flange also?

[Lakota Wolf]

The flange and gasket come in a package,,,, If the Flange is still usuable ,you can still use it, but if it has age, (i.e. 30 yrs) I would replace it,, they become brittle. and its best to have a new flange and gasket for a tight seal.  Look your older flange over real good to make sure no cracks or warpage is present first.. Just trying to save you a headache down the road.

[paul nevitt]

Well do thank you. When I am at camping world tonight I will pick up a new setup and be done with it. When I do a job I like doing it once. Thank you

[Lakota Wolf]

Exactly,,, No fun doing a job TWICE..  Been there done that, and sinse ya have it apart, might as well replace what we all know is going to fail later on down the road.  Good luck and happy trails,, L.W.

[Jim Stoltz]

Okay - I got the old toilet out. It was easy. I'm replacing the carpet with tile so I guess I have to remove the old flange? Does the Dometic 310 take the same flange? Might as well get a new one.

[paul nevitt]

The flange is the same and will work with the 310. I had a hell of a time finding a new flange. The local camping world was no help at all . I had to go to a rv repair shop (dirty little place) and get it from him. He looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for it and told me there was no way I was going to get the old one out. If it wasn't for the fact mine was screwed right to my tank with no bends in the drain it wouldn't have come out. If it was me I would unscrew it from the floor and see how hard it will be to work with first. The other thing is it looks like you had the same toilet I did so you will need to rotate the flange so the bolts line up with the new 310.