Thetford Bowl

Finhawk · 11-10-2011, 05:01 PM

The bowl on my Thetford Aqua Magic style II has started to loosen. Not bad yet but needs to be fixed. Has anyone had this problem and what is the procedure to take care of it?

wa8yxm · 11-10-2011, 06:33 PM

Do not have that model, however on the ones I do have there are two possible solutions.

ONE is in the fine manual (IF the bowl and not the base is loose)

The other requires you remove the toiled, and replace the floor under it. (It is not a problem with the toilet, it's a problem with the floor)

Finhawk · 11-10-2011, 09:44 PM

I guess that I should elaborate on my post.
The bowl is loose on the base---the owner's manual is no help. The base is firmly attached to the floor---the floor is solid.

ottffss · 11-10-2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finhawk

...The base is firmly attached to the floor---the floor is solid.

So what exactly is loose?

I'll take a guess it is starting to wobble slightly at the floor-commode joint. You said the screws are tight (but not so tight as to crack the china). So.... The base is seldom completely square/flat on china toilets. Using a very thin paper clip or similar very thin tool probe the base-floor area around the toilet looking for gaps (rock the commode while probing). You may need to shim up any gap areas you find to remove the wobble/looseness. You can use thin strips of heavy plastic place mats, nylon quick ties of various thickness, even try injecting hot-glue into these gap areas. Eventually you should be able to eliminate the wobble.

Same would apply to the base-bowl joint in your model...

Finhawk · 11-10-2011, 11:39 PM

1 more time. The base is NOT loose. The bowl is loose on the top of the base. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding

hamguy · 11-11-2011, 09:36 AM

Is this the one that Penn State is vying for?

Finhawk · 11-11-2011, 09:47 AM

Not after it's been flushed!!!!

ottffss · 11-11-2011, 10:55 AM

As previously suggested, and when all else fails, the manual is a good place to start. Exploded parts diagrams are your best friend. I see you have a two piece toilet. The exploded view in the manual on page 5 shows 4 bolts that connect the bowl to the base. Looks like you'll need to remove the decorative shroud cover (part #17) covering the base to gain access to the 4 bolts. The shroud looks like it is attached in the back by two cross bolts or similar and clam-shells off. You might give these four bolts a tighten. Wiggle the bowl as you tighten to take up all the slack during tightening. Hopefully the bolt hole flanges in the base are not cracked. The base appears to be non-replaceable as it has no part number. There may be rubber grommets on the bolt into the bowl too that might be getting bad.

Style II PDF

Finhawk · 11-11-2011, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottffss

As previously suggested, and when all else fails, the manual is a good place to start. Exploded parts diagrams are your best friend. I see you have a two piece toilet. The exploded view in the manual on page 5 shows 4 bolts that connect the bowl to the base. Looks like you'll need to remove the decorative shroud cover (part #17) covering the base to gain access to the 4 bolts. The shroud looks like it is attached in the back by two cross bolts or similar and clam-shells off. You might give these four bolts a tighten. Wiggle the bowl as you tighten to take up all the slack during tightening. Hopefully the bolt hole flanges in the base are not cracked. The base appears to be non-replaceable as it has no part number. There may be rubber grommets on the bolt into the bowl too that might be getting bad.

Style II PDF

Thanks for your input. The owner's manual is absoutley no help. The base on mine is one peice and does not come off----in other words, no cover that can be removed!
I called Thetford tech support this morning. The entire assembly has to come off the floor, be turned upside down, and the 4 bolts that hold the bowl to the base have to be tightened.
I was hoping that there was an easier way that someone had found but that's not the case. So now all I need is a case of ambition and I'll be good to go!

ernieh · 11-11-2011, 03:18 PM

Finhawk,

Actually R&R the toilet is a pretty simple job. Just make sure that you have a new gasket available. You may not need a new one, but it's best to be prepared.

Should take less than 30 minutes to do the job, so it doesn't require a lot of ambition either.

Always-RVing · 11-11-2011, 03:44 PM

I installed a replacement bowl (gravity type) on the motorhome floor. It installed just like a residential toilet except there is no wax ring. There is a rubber seal with hold down screws just like you'd see in a residential toilet.

Be careful, the black tank flange is only hard plastic and the toilet bowl base is porcelain glass (Very breakable). If you crack the black tank toilet mount flange, BIG problems. I worked the toilet down slowly, and tightened slowly.. Not too tight.. The rubber seal may compress over time, but I have not touched it since the install. The new toilet came with a new rubber seal.
Total tiime: 30-60 minutes like mentioned above.

Some toilets have a porcelain bowl that is mounted on a plastic floor base. I think the bowl is held together to the base with a giant hose clamp.