johnfromnorfolk Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 My Thetford toilet flush has suddenly become weak. It has not completely stopped but the pump sounds very sluggish. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Just the toilet or taps as well - I think ours both share the same pump, activated when either is turned on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpstart Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 IS it a flush that you put the Pink flush fluid in? If so it’s probably black mould accumulation . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfromnorfolk Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 Thanks for your reply's. Its a Thetford c260 type and the pump is internal. There is a film on utube showing how to dismantle and replace the pump which I don't hope to do. I am using pink so that maybe the problem. If there is a way of flushing the system that would be preferable to taking it apart. But I may have to bite the bullet, get my Stanley knife and screwdriver and hope I don't wreck it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 You could try poking something up the water outlet where it exits into the toilet bowl (eg. a length of plastic garden-strimmer line) to see if that dislodges any muck. Or you could drain the toilet's water tank, part refill it with a strongish citric acid solution, pump the solution through the pipework so some of it comes out of the bowl's water outlet, let the solution remain in the pipework for a few hours, and then flush the toilet repeatedly. Might do some good and shouldn't do any harm... But if the pump itself has become badly clogged or faulty, you will need to access it to clean or replace it. The task looks fairly easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayc Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 johnfromnorfolk - 2020-07-21 4:51 PM Thanks for your reply's. Its a Thetford c260 type and the pump is internal. There is a film on utube showing how to dismantle and replace the pump which I don't hope to do. I am using pink so that maybe the problem. If there is a way of flushing the system that would be preferable to taking it apart. But I may have to bite the bullet, get my Stanley knife and screwdriver and hope I don't wreck it. We freed a seized pump on my Daughters caravan on site last weekend. It is very easy to do and with a little care there should be no damage. As per the video prise the push button cap cover off, undo 4 screws holding the plastic plate and lift the pump assembly out. The hose is push fit onto the flusher pipe nozzle and easy to fix back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfromnorfolk Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 Looked at the video and it is unlike mine. As luck would have it, a copy of the latest mmm mag was delivered today and guess what. An article about maintaining a Thetford toilet with instructions on how to access the electrics. So removing the blade arm and lifting the small control panel and the housing gives access to the pump cable. Unfortunately the pump sits inside the tank and the way the tank is molded makes it difficult to retrieve the pump. However, I did manage by lifting the pump cable thereby moving the pump which appears to have solved my problem. I did notice that the bits of tank I could access felt a bit slimy which may indicate the bottom of the tank could be thick with slime. The mmm bloke recommends a diluted solution of household bleach to clean the tank which I will try. So problem solved for the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 All the relevant photos in the MMM article you refer to clearly relate to a Thetford C400 bench-style toilet, whereas - in your 2nd posting above - you said that your motorhome (whatever make, model and age it is!) had a Thetford C260 toilet (that is a swivel-bowl design). As I (and rayc) assumed you knew what your toilet’s Thetford model was, advice was provided on how to remove a C260’s pump. If you want detailed infomation on how to remove a Thetford C402’s water-pump, plus useful general advice, you’ll find it here. https://freedomtwinsport.wordpress.com/toilet-pump-removal/ The document on the link suggests using Milton sterilising fluid to clean the toilet’s water tank, but ‘neat’ Milton can corrode metal (including stainless steel) so is best avoided. Thetford has a webpage with FAQs and tips https://www.thetford-europe.com/gb/products/toilet-care-products/toilet-bowl-products/toilet-bowl-cleaner Advice on cleaning the toilet’s flush-water tank is as follows: I get black bits in my flush water, what can I do? WHY: For a fresh and clean start and optimal performance of Aqua Rinse Plus, clean your flush-water tank before the first use by following these instructions. WHAT NEEDED: Household bleach + bucket/watering can HOW: 1. Prepare a solution using 100ml household bleach per 10L of flush-water tank capacity. Prepare as much solution as needed to completely fill your flush-water tank. 2. Fill the flush-water tank completely with the prepared solution. 3. Leave it in for 24 hours. 4. Drain the flush-water tank by using the drain tube or flushing system. 5. Then fill the flush-water tank completely with fresh water and leave it in for 5 minutes. 6. Drain the flush-water tank again. 7. Repeat step 5+6 to make sure no bleach is left behind. Note: Do not use together with other products. Exceeding the stated dose or recommended duration could damage your Thetford toilet. A citric acid solution should also be effective (and possibly safer for the cack-handed) but household bleach will be more readily available and cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfromnorfolk Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 Many thanks for your reply. Although my Swift Sundance 584PR handbook says I have a c260 toilet it obvious that is not what has been fitted. I think the instructions you have provided will enable me to access the pump. I will clean the tank with diluted bleach. Thanks again for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 For toilet model identification and advice purposes, there’s a useful Thetford webpage here https://www.thetford-europe.com/gb/products/toilets/cassette-toilets (C260 toilets are ‘facelifts' of the earlier C250 range that the webpage does not sem to mention.) Thetford’s own (pictorial) instructions for installing a new water-pump kit on a C402 toilet can be found here https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/32933347/view-c400-pump-repair-instructions140k-caravans-plus The Thetford Part Number for the kit is 16374 and the pump is apparently suitable for certain other Thetford toilet models (example advert here) https://magnummotorhomes.co.uk/shop/spare-parts/thetford-spares/thetford-toilet-pump-16374/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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