nuevoboy Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Mmm, thought that might have grabbed your attention ;-) I'm looking to lubricate the cassette seal and as I don't want to spend £4.50p postage for a £3.50p can of Thetford Seal Spray, the handbook says to use Olive Oil. Hence the question; extra-virgin or what? If anyone knows of any other products, I'd be grateful of any suggestions (behave yourselves, please). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Extra virgin if you intend to eat it ordinary if you just want to lube it , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffers Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 rapeseed oil is supposed to be better for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 ..Ooh..now I get it!..I always wondered why in all the MH brochures,there always seemed to be a strategically placed olive oil bottle... :-S (..unlike the unravelling kitchen roll and multibag of crisps,we tend to have in ours'... :$ ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Cassette-seal lubrication was much more important for old-style Thetford bench-toilet models where the 'vane' at the base of the toilet-bowl rubbed sideways across the seal as the vane opened and closed. Swivel-bowl toilets and later bench models have a vane that closes by first being moved sideways below (but not touching) the seal and then finally being moved vertically upwards to contact the seal and complete the sealing process (and vice versa when the vane opens - first downwards and then sideways). As the vane doesn't rub the seal, the only real benefit in lubricating the vane is that this will minimise the chance of the vane sticking to the seal, which is a possibility if the toilet is unused for an extended period with its vane fully shut. I have an Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care spray that I treat the vane with once in a blue moon, but I doubt that this is actually necessary. If you GOOGLE on "Thetford seal spray", you'll get more stuff on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Never done anything to mine in the past 18 years :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Hi So what do you put in the engine then? Chip fat? A can of Thetford lubricant will last you for years and is designed for the job, but if you must penny pinch, use the lightest vegetable oil you can find - the Thetford lubricant is very thin - and under no circumstances use a petroleum based product, it would destroy the seal. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philman Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I have always used silicone oil spray and had no problem with the seal or with the blade sticking. I generally give the blade and seal a good squirt before and after each holiday, three a year for the past 10 years and I am still using the original spray can. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 peterandlinda - 2010-11-23 10:09 AM Hi So what do you put in the engine then? Chip fat? A can of Thetford lubricant will last you for years and is designed for the job, but if you must penny pinch, use the lightest vegetable oil you can find - the Thetford lubricant is very thin - and under no circumstances use a petroleum based product, it would destroy the seal. P&L nuevogirl doesn't allow me to have chips! :'( Regarding t'penny pinching (pound pinching more like) I do try and keep local businesses in business, (especially in rural locations such as mine) and have tried various places for the Thetford or a similar product. It just seems like madness ordering a can of stuff off t'internet. I did look at fulfilling a decent order online, but can't see owt else I fancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 peterandlinda - 2010-11-23 10:09 AM A can of Thetford lubricant will last you for years and is designed for the job, but if you must penny pinch, P&L It's not just money, it's space too for those of us with smaller vans. The olive oil is already in the cupboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 I came across something on the Internet claiming that Thetford no longer recommends olive oil for seal lubrication. Apparently, this is not because it's bad practice to use olive oil, but because people might read the word "oil", ignore the word "olive", and use an inappropriate, oily but damaging, alternative on the seals. Any silicone-based lubricating product that is advertised as being harmless to rubber should be fine for Thetford seals. For example - Everbuild P19, Halfords Silicone Lubricant or Holts Rubber & Nylon Lubricant. (GOOGLE on "rubber lubricant" for others.) While olive oil will be OK for lubricating a Thetford toilet seal, it won't be suitable for keeping rubber door-seals in good nick, nor for lubricating locks or hinges. That's where multi-purpose lubricating products like the Thetford spray may justify their initial cost (though probably not if you choose to pay £5 postage on a £5 spray-can!) If you only want to lubricate the toilet seal and haven't already got a lubricant harmless to rubber, then use olive oil. If you want a lubricant suitable for multiple purposes including Thetford toilet seals, then buy an aerosol (or trigger-operated) spray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Derek, thanks for that. I was hoping someone would recommend some alternative products to the Thetford, as I can't buy it locally. I hadn't realised that the door seals and locks(?) could be similarly protected. As we do have a Halfords in this far flung area, I can now try them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 nuevogirl asked me to fetch one of the storage tubs from in the'van this afternoon. When I opened the tub in the kitchen I noticed that there was a bottle of extra-virgin oil in it. It had solidified and looked like a bottle of lard. Gawd help us when it starts to get cold! Don't think I'll be smearing that over the cassette or door seals. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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