Goldie Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 We have a 2012 Autocruise Alto and, after the first weekend away and empting the cassette on site, then further rinsing at home, I notice that the red 'full' light is on. I have never noticed it having been on previously, as the cassette is little used. Could it be that I have over-filled it on the last rinse and activated the red light, and is it possible that the light will go out? Any advice would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Did you by any chance shake it rigorously when rinsing it? If so you will have dislodged the level sensor inside the cassette. It can ce refitted but requires working through the opening. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Keithl - 2016-07-18 8:17 PM Did you by any chance shake it rigorously when rinsing it? If so you will have dislodged the level sensor inside the cassette. It can ce refitted but requires working through the opening. Keith. Yep it can be done but very awkward, you may need to practice first by redecorating your hallway through the letterbox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andytw Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Looks fiddly but this shows you what to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 It’s probable that the cause of the problem is as has already been advised - that the float-arm inside the cassette has become dislodged and is jammed in the ‘cassette-full’ position (or is perhaps stuck in the cassette-full position by a piece of toilet paper). Might be worth trying half- filling the cassette with water and giving it a good swoosh around as this might free up the float-arm if it’s just stuck. Can’t do any harm and might do some good... (It could also be worth checking whether the red light stays on after the cassette has been removed from the locker as, if that’s the case, the problem lies with the reed-switch within the cassette locker.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Thanks for that suggestion Keith, but I didn't shake the cassette vigorously. I've just read the other suggestions, for which I am grateful, but having said that the light has gone out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Thanks for those suggestions Derek, though the light has gone out. However, I'll do as you say and part-fill the cassette with water, though there doesn't appear to be anything loose inside. If that fails, I'll see what I can do with the reed switch, which fills me with horror, but this girl is becoming increasingly technical and willing to have a go at anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Derek, I left the cassette out overnight, hence no red light. I've given it another rinse but not a good swoosh, as you say, and returned the cassette, and lo and behold the light is back on. Before I look into the reed switch issue, I'll half fill the cassette again and see if there is paper lodged. Fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel64 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Check reed-switch within the cassette locker a light rub over this is a common fault but cost nothing to fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Goldie This link is to a version of the Thetford repair guide that includes advice on C200 toilets https://caravansplus.com.au/pdf/thetford/thetford-repair.pdf It includes guidance on replacement of the float arm (Page 32) though the YouTube video-clip provided earlier by andytw may be more helpful. There seems to be nothing in the guide about a C200’s reed-switch, but an example is shown here http://www.thethetfordcentre.co.uk/reed-switch-for-c200-thetford-spare-parts.html and you should be able to spot it screwed to the left wall of the cassettte-locker. If the reed-switch were at fault you’d probably have to cut the cables connected to the old switch and remake the connections when fitting the new switch. It OUGHT to be straightforward to test the reed-switch’s operation using a magnet, though this 2014 thread suggests maybe not. http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/cassette-full-warning-light-isn-t-/35079/ The usual complaint is that the red ‘full’ light does not illuminate and (as has been advised above) this is normally due to the float-arm within the cassette becoming dislodged. In your case the light is illuminating, so there’s evidently nothing wrong with the light itself. I doubt that there’s anything wrong with the reed-switch itself: they are simple and pretty rugged, and as the light does illuminate it’s reasonable to assume that the reed-switch is causing this to happen. I’m not aware (as mel64 suggests) that reed-switch problems are common and I don’t see how just rubbing one could have curative powers, though rubbing one with a magnet possibly might. Everything points to the float-arm being the culprit. If it is sticking in its highest (‘full’) position - maybe there’s some paper round it or it’s not properly on its mountings - and then dropping down, that would explain why the light stays on for a while and then goes out. I thought that, by putting some water in the cassette and ‘swooshing’ it round well (try turning the cassette upside-down and then swooshing) if there were some muck causing the float-arm to stick, that procedure might dislodge it. If the swooshing had cured the problem, it would have saved you having to shove your hand inside the cassette to check the float-arm’s operation, but it now looks like that’s unavoidable if you want the light to work reliably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgnbuk Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 The light comes on occasionally after emptying the cassette on my C250 toilet. Opening & closing the shutter when this occurs after replacing the tank has (so far) turned off the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 At the risk of being ever so old fashioned, long long before we had lights and all they modern complications, we used to just look down the the big round 'ole to see when the cassette was full enough not to risk another go - and it didn't take long to become quite good at it - and I still use that method because the light comes on way way before the cassette is full! Progress eh - doncha just love it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Dave Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Tracker - 2016-07-20 8:03 AM At the risk of being ever so old fashioned, long long before we had lights and all they modern complications, we used to just look down the the big round 'ole to see when the cassette was full enough not to risk another go - and it didn't take long to become quite good at it - and I still use that method because the light comes on way way before the cassette is full! Progress eh - doncha just love it? Or of course if your dipstick is long enough ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Dr Dave - 2016-07-20 9:02 AM Or of course if your dipstick is long enough ! Nah - overly complicated - besides which - where do you store a dirty old dipstick? Good old fashioned Mark1 eyeball works well enough and is devoid of any complication or potential for going wrong! - unless I drop my specs somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReesP Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 We have had the same problem with the red light remaining on after we have emptied the Thetford Cassette. We have an Autocruise Accent and by chance we were passing the dealer Moran Motorhomes in Ludlow who had supplied the van to the first buyer. (we are the second owner). I met the son of the owner. He told me that the red light remaining on after emptying the cassette was frequently reported for Thetford Cassettes. He told me that the cause was that the internal float in the cassette had become stuck in the full position. He advised me to clean out the cassette with brick cleaner solution. I did not do that as I thought this would damage the cassette and but I carefully flushed the cassette again with clean water and then and checked through the access hole that the float had descended and was not stuck in the upright position due to toilet paper etc. I did this and I always check the float to see if it has descended. There has been no red light problem since. This is our third motorhome and we have never had this problem before. On a previous occasion I had made an appointment with the Lee and Turner, Autocruise agents in Bridgend. They fitted a new read switch on two occasions (at great expense). This solved the problem temporarily but the red light problem returned and it was only by following the advice of Morn Motorhomes in Ludlow that we solved the red light problem in the toilet. Lee and Turner and also Thetford refused to make a refund for the fitting of replacement reed switches!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 ReesP - 2016-07-20 1:09 PM ...I met the son of the owner. He told me that the red light remaining on after emptying the cassette was frequently reported for Thetford Cassettes. He told me that the cause was that the internal float in the cassette had become stuck in the full position. He advised me to clean out the cassette with brick cleaner solution. I did not do that as I thought this would damage the cassette... When I next see him I must ask Scott Moran about using ‘brick cleaner’ in toilet cassettes. Brick cleaner is strongly acidic and its effect is very evident when employed for its intended purpose. (I’ve used brick cleaner on bricks and stone, but I’ve stuck to using a dilute solution of citric acid to regularly clean and descale my toilet cassettes, a procedure Thetford has approved in the past.) Like you, I’d be wary of putting brick cleaner in a toilet cassette, but I notice that its use was suggested in this 2010 MHFacts discussion. http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/23-top-tips/75447-formil-descaler.html Not sure about the validity of the argument in that thread that, because brick cleaner is marketed in plastic bottles, it will automatically be OK in a plastic toilet cassette. It probably will be OK, but I still wouldn’t use it in my own cassette. It’s stating the obvious, but if there is a genuine fault with the float-arm in Goldie’s cassette, no cleaning product (mild or agressive) is going to cure it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Afternoon folks, The acid in the brick cleaner will dissolve any limescale build up. vinegar left overnight in the cassete I use for routine maintenance. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 goldi - 2016-07-20 3:40 PM Afternoon folks, The acid in the brick cleaner will dissolve any limescale build up. vinegar left overnight in the cassete I use for routine maintenance. norm Exactly right, we always use vinegar to descale our plastic kettle. Does a brill job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 What a brilliant response to my query - greatly appreciated. After the last rinse and swoosh around, I left the cassette out overnight as I had a major electrical fault in the house, and the Alto was the least of my problems. Now that is sorted, the cassette is back in place without the illuminated red light! Hopefully that's the end of that saga, but I'll keep all the links for future reference, as I still can't find articles on such matters which appeared in MMM several years ago, and which I filed. Thanks again to everyone who responded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Goldie, A question, not too personal I hope, what kind of loo roll do use in your MH? If the same as at home then this may be your problem! If it has a high 'wet' strength then it will tend to clog your cassette. If you use the rolls designed for a cassette loo then they break down and do not clog the same. If the problem returns then consider changing your paper! HTH, Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 The Camping and Caravanning Club’s guidance on toilets (including advice on toilet-roll usage) can be found here: http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/gettingstarted/campingequipment/toilets/ There is a lot of on-line discussion about the merits (or otherwise) of using ‘camping’ or ‘septic tank safe’ toilet paper and it’s also been said that products made from recycled paper are to be preferred as this breaks down quicker. I’ve always used non-specialised toilet paper and never had any problems with a cassette’s float-arm jamming, but that doesn’t mean that the special stuff would not reduce the potential risk. My previous and current motorhomes both have SOG cassette-ventilation systems and, consequently, for 10 years I have not used toilet chemicals to assist with waste and paper disintegration. But I do empty the cassette well before it becomes full (usually daily) and I don’t shake the cassette violently when emptying as this invites dislodging the float-arm. When a cassette level-indicator is provided I don’t feel any need to goggle down the toilet bowl. (But if you have coprophilic inclinations, who am I to criticise!) And if the indicator is not working properly and the problem is easy to cure, why not cure it? On-line comments suggest that the reed-switch used with Thetford C250 toilets can be problematical. The switch is at the rear of the toilet compartment and, being exposed, may be liable to corrode. This video-clip refers: I think an Autocruise Accent has a C250 toilet (ReesP’s posting above). But the switch costs under a tenner and looks simple to replace, so it’s hard to know why replacement should be expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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