Water valve replacement for toilet

luvmytab

Anyone know where to order a water valve? The toilet is a Thetford (2015 T@B).  model number of toilet is 31646. On-line seems to have other model numbers. any input appreciated. Manufacturer is also having difficulty finding this part. photos might help

Verna

Call nüCamp, they will have the parts or can get them quickly. Some parts have a two year parts warranty on them.  Search for a thread by me about a part that needed to be replaced last fall 2016. 

luvmytab

thanks Verna, I did call nucamp and spoke to Elsie and she and a fellow worker did not have a clue even though I had the model number and name. I sent her the photos and hopefully tomorrow morn we will get the part ordered. I will check the warranty as you suggest. 

Verna

Marvin was the one who knew what was wrong and he knew which part was needed. He now works in Warranty, but maybe Elsie can talk to him. 

ChanW

I bought one for ours on Amazon. Ours is a 2014 (late 2013)

Cheap, $20. Easy replacement. (Honest, Verna!   )

Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Thetford-31705-Aqua-Magic-Toilet-Assembly/dp/B002UC1AYQ

luvmytab

thank you, chanw! got it ordered and arriving Friday. BTW, i love your little tabl do ya.

luvmytab

and thank you for your info, verna!

luvmytab

ok, part is in. the mobile RV repairman charged me $150 to pull the toilet and identify the problem as the water valve.(he also helped up a bit(10-15 min) with the winterizing  Anyone install this themselves? My son has installed toilets in my home and his. Would love any input, before i call back the mobile guy.

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@luvmytab, where did you find the model number? I just got my 2017 Outback out of storage and the black fitting popped off when I turned on the pump.

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@ChanW, did you pull the toilet to replace or have it done?

ChanW

Thanks Barbara! 

@luvmytab, yes I installed it. It was a breeze. The (rubber) seal for the toilet to the black tank was included in the 'kit', so no worries about cleaning up wax.

@Mr_Mrs_Gnome, isn't the above link to the Amazon part correct anymore? here:
https://www.amazon.com/Thetford-31705-Aqua-Magic-Toilet-Assembly/dp/B002UC1AYQ

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@ChanW, the link is fine. I was just wondering how to pull/reinstall the commode and identify if I have the same model as Barbara.

dragonsdofly

@Mr_Mrs_Gnome, DH pulled our toilet and replaced our valve last year, June,  2017. He says very good directions are included with the valve. The toilet reinstall is only  2 bolts. The commode is seated on a foam gasket, not wax like in the home. Said foam gasket comes with the valve replacement so you will be good to go. Tip: someone with long arms makes it easier!

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

Thanks @dragonsdofly! Sadly I’m 5’3”. Gnomies don’t have very long arms. I might be able to borrow an elf, though!

dragonsdofly

@Mr_Mrs_Gnome, then you probably have the manueverability advantage in the lieu my DH at 6', 220 lbs didn't. But all in all, sounds like you have a plan!

jkjenn

What both @Mr_Mrs_Gnome lack in height they more than compensate for in charm. 

Fergie

Well I guess after three years and putting over 11,000 miles on the T@B with no significant problems, one can begin to expect a little wear and tear on the outfit and the resulting maintenance. First it was the frame cracks as has been heavily noted by quite a few on the forum here. Now it is the plumbing! 

I take some responsibility for this problem that I see has been a common one with many users of the Thetford Aqua-Magic V toilet that is installed in our T@B's.  For the first two seasons I dutifully winterized the whole system with antifreeze and then went through the tedious and irritating process of flushing it all out in the spring.  

Last fall, after having moved to Alaska from Minnesota and having all the "settling chores" such a move entails, I opted for the "easy" method of just blowing out the lines and putting antifreeze only in the traps and grey/black water tanks. So when I first hooked up the water to the city water I was met with gushing water out the back of the toilet! Fortunately for we T@B'ers our toilet is mounted in a shower basin and the water just ran down into the grey water tank until I could rush outside and turn the city water off.  As you will see from one of the YouTube videos I posted below, many RV's don't mount their Aqua-Magic toilets in a watertight shower booth!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrB2-WBWi88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbWkCzIoOKc

The problem was and is a common one with the Thetford.  If you don't blow out the whole system with high-pressure air thoroughly, especially through the valve assembly on the back of the toilet, water remains in the bottom of the valve where, when frozen, cracks a weak spot on the valve connector to the hose. The following pictures of the valve assembly and the close up of the cracked hose connector show the fracture of my bad unit. (The jagged white  area) This is where virtually all the bad valves fail according to the RV guy where I bought the replacement valve.  Most good RV parts shops carry these Thetford parts.

Replacing the valve required taking out the toilet. The two YouTube videos show how this is done. The first one shows the best detail of the process, but was one installed in an RV with more working room (but not water sealed as mentioned before).  The second was in a cramped shower toilet similar to the T@B. I had no problem taking the toilet out and putting it back, but I found some difficulty getting the new valve in the slot provided in the toilet. All in all it is not to bad a job compared to pulling and repairing a house toilet, which I have done many times. 

I really don't like the idea of not having a shut-off valve on water lines directly in the area where they service. Having to shut the whole RV (or house for that matter) water supply in case something breaks is always a problem. So the one modification I made while the toilet was out was to install a standard toilet water supply shut-off valve on the 1/2 inch plastic fitting coming out of the wall as shown below.

 

I then used a hose with a 1/2 inch connection at the toilet end (that I installed while the toilet was out) and a 3/8 inch connection to the shut-off valve. It was very hard to tighten the connection to the valve due to lack of room for a wrench after re-installing the toilet, but using some small, stubby angled pliers I was able to get it tight. I always use Teflon tape on these type of joints even though not required. It assures a watertight connection and makes it easier to take off later for service if needed.  

The toilet is now back in service and I feel better having a shut-off valve right next to the unit! 

Fergie 

jkjenn

Great write-up, Fergie.

Fergie

Thanks, jkjenn!