Thetford electrics failure

[Guest Bill H]

Can the Thetford electric flusher be replaced or is it a jug of water job from then on? I had a portable one that failed but the unit was sealed so the next one was a hand pump job. Perhaps they are designed to fail after a set period to the benefit of the manufacturers?

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Replacement is certainly possible - if DIY, how difficult the task will be will depend on the model of toilet, your aptitude and the size of your mitts. Are you sure it's broke, not just the pump-impeller stuck or even a simple fuse failure? (What is it with motorcaravanners and conspiracy theories?)

[Guest Bill Ord]

Hi, I have a Rapido similar to yours and the toilet flush is pressured from the water pump. as are most of the Thetford electric flushes. When you flush the toilet you should hear the pump run. Check that you don't have a blockage by disconecting the pipe in the toilet compartment. I'm not sure exactly how the system works but it seems that when you press the flush button you are opening an electric operated valve which then operates the main water pump as the water pressure drops. We went away for a few days recently during a big freeze and though I'd drained the water system prior to filling up for the trip I'd forgot to press the toilet flush to empty the pipe to the flush, result partially frozen flush outlet, soon thawed while travelling. If you disconect the pipe to the flush and you don't get water flow you must have a block or a leak, if you have a leak I would have thought you would hear the pump running. bill Ord

[Guest Clive]

Ours bench type is over 8 years old and all I have ever replaced is the top seal. (plus my own experimintation with Pongo!) Our fuse is a blade type visible from outside after taking out the casette. Its hangs from the roof of the enclosure. Look for the pink bit! The pump I understand is accessed by first emptying the flushing water tank, remove the toilet roll holder, expand your hands insude the well that the holder dropped into to lift this out. Now all should be revealed. BUT I have never needed to attack the pump myself. But I have taken off the "well" as detailed above. Also, no one who drives around with a small house on wheels should be without some basic DIY skills. Its part of the requirement of being a Motorcaravanner! Good luck

[Guest Brian Ramsden]

I renewed the flush pump on my bench type cassette earler this year, and it is a very simple job. Get a replacement pump from Thetford - their website www.thetford.nl/the/thome.nsf/thewebpages/ will help in identifying the problem. As Clive says, access to the pump is via the toilet roll holder - give it a good upwards pull. there is actually no need to empty the flush tank first. The pump is held in by one screw at about 9-0-clock when viewed from above. undo this and the pump lifts out. Try the flush and the pump may work if you tap it. Alternatively, at the bottom end you will see the little vanes of the pump. Try just rotating these when the flush is pressed - this will free a jammed pump and it might then last for another year or so. If this doesn't work it is best to check that electricity is actually reaching the pump. If you download the exploded diagram from the Thetford website this will show you where this can be checked. It could be just the fuse. If it is a new pump, full fitting instructons come with the part. Hope the above helps. Brian.

[Guest Bill H]

Semms like I mis-wrote the Thetford details. -1- A new M/H is on order, ready January. I asked the seller what if the electric pump fails? (press button type) He said use a bucket. -2- I do have a portable Thetford in my smaller van. (stopped working and could find no way of repairing it) so bought a manual pump one. -3- Am I a DIY person? I was a trouble shooter in the Manufacturing Motor Trade visiting Fords at Halewood, Toyota etc. Been in engineering for 62 years, still do some and love it to bits. (Started at Gatwick during the war working on Wellingtons and Hurricans). (known as 'Bill the welder') also (That bloke who rides old bikes) Bill H

[Guest Bill H]

Derek U suggests I'm knocking the Thetford manufacturers ref my MOBILE LOO that's disfunctional due to electrics failure. I'm certain its all a sealed unit but I'll check again tomorrow, if it is and I cannot fix it without hacksawing an opening to get at it, then I reckon I'm justified in my comments. I've checked the battery pack that powers it also, but I could be wrong. That was the reason for my querying the M/H loo.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Bill H: I had a lot of trouble deciphering your posting. I knew you had just ordered a Rapido (so didn't yet own it) and that you currently had a VW-based 'van that you intended to keep. I actually looked back through all your earlier postings to try to detect whether you had another vehicle (that perhaps you would be trading in for the Rapido) but could find no evidence of this. This exercise left me uncertain whether the question in your first sentence was hypothetical or whether you genuinely had a problem. Analysis of the remainder of your posting led me to believe your second sentence was a throw-away comment and your third sentence somehow related to you anticipating a negative answer to your first sentence. (As my secretary used to be fond of telling me "I'm not b***** psychic, Derek!") Eventually I decided you might have another motorhome you'd never mentioned but, without knowing which model of Thetford toilet was fitted to it, there seemed little point going into fine detail about repair methods. Clearly I made some wrong assumptions, so let's start again... I've no practical experience of portable electrical Thetford toilets, so I've no idea whether a failed flushing mechanism can be repaired. If you say your broken one is sealed and unfixable I can't argue, but contacting Thetford would confirm whether this is indeed the case. Regarding 'fixed' Thetford electric toilets, what I said stands. Flushing arrangements vary according to model of toilet as do repair methods and the difficulty of carrying out repairs - but they are all designed to be potentially repairable. You've mentioned in the past your bike-building interests, but such skills don't necessarily transfer to toilet fixing anymore than my toilet-fixing abilities would make me a competent bike builder. When a manufactured product fails earlier than expected it's easy to trot out the planned-obsolescence theory, but I'm unconvinced this is valid. If the failed electrics on your Porta-Potti are sealed and can't be fixed, in my view all that means is you've had bad luck with your particular toilet. Even if a high percentage of electric Porta-Pottis were failing similarly wouldn't cause me to think this was deliberate. Bad design/bad manufacturing - yes, deliberately designed to fail prematurely and be unfixable, I don't think so.

[Guest Bill H]

Derek U There is no doubt that having posted a statement, then re-read later only to realise it doesn't follow a logical pattern..... I've had a good dozen VW's. (taking a portable Thetford). Never owned a M/H but used them in the US several times so have a fair smattering of what to cope with. I had assumed the M/H Thetford worked on the same principal as the portable one, ie sealed electrics. Seems not according to info received. Ps I also do all my own house plumping, electrics, carpentry, building etc. Worked for years in a garage repairing and modifying crash vehicles back to new. And that's only half of my life. What don't I do. Fly aircraft. My queries have mostly been M/H related to gain that little extra knowledge before driving it away. I prefer to be one step ahead of any problem. Bill H

[Guest ron b]

the same thing happened to me i removed the toilet roll holder and removed the pump cleaned it replaced it still no joy follow the pink wire to the base of the unit and found the was broken re solderd the cables now workes fine