Forum Discussion

chilibean's avatar
chilibean
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014

New Thetford Bravura toilet wobbling

Hi,

We installed a new Thetford Bravura and it rocks side to side. DH messed with it a while but gave up. I will not. A toilet should not be wobbly as far as I am concerned. I took it off and inspected the flange and flooring. All looks good, and the flange is very solid on the floor. The bolts seemed really wiggly, so I put foam spacers under them and re-tightened the toilet. Nope, still wobbly. I loosened the bolts so as not to cause undo stress on the flange. Now I am thinking maybe a waxless ring would work, but the SaniSeal ring seems way to thick for the rv flange. I have also been toying with making some kind of shim for the toilet. It looks like this toilet does not sit flush on the floor like the Aqua Magic V did. I really like this toilet and want it to work. Has anyone had this issue before, and if so, how did you fix it?
Thanks in advance.
  • garry1p's avatar
    garry1p
    Explorer
    Apr 30, 2014
    Had the same problem and I also used a homemade 1/4 inch plywood "shim" for an exact fit.
  • Super_Guy_78's avatar
    Super_Guy_78
    Explorer
    Apr 29, 2014
    Replace mine with the Bravura and found out that you have to put down a 1/4 inch plywood on the floor to make it from stop wobbling. the bravura fit the flange is about 1/4 higher. I did used a wax ring. Had to change the bolts out too. work just fine now.
  • chilibean's avatar
    chilibean
    Explorer
    Apr 26, 2014
    It WAS the floor. There was a slight difference where the toilet sat near the back. We had some thin plexi laying around and cut an exact match to the rear 1/4 of the toilet, and that did the trick. It is now perfect. What a PITA though. So much for "Hey, let's get a new toilet. How hard can it be?"

    Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and ideas.
  • Clay_L's avatar
    Clay_L
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    I have a Bravura I installed in our motor home and it does not wobble. Maybe the floor around the flange is not flat. If so they make fiberglass shims that are scored so they can be broken when in place. Caulk can then cover the edge showing and the gap under the commode.
  • Chris_Bryant's avatar
    Chris_Bryant
    Explorer II
    Apr 25, 2014
    Do not use a wax ring- use the Thetford seal.An RV moves, the Thetford (or every other RV toilet maker that has ever existed, almost) seal is foam, to seal while the joint moves. A wax ring will not, plus the wax is a major pain to deal with when servicing.
  • chilibean's avatar
    chilibean
    Explorer
    Apr 24, 2014
    OK, thanks. I am going to check the flange/toilet circumference tomorrow.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Apr 24, 2014
    I don't know of a valid reason wax rigs aren't used.

    If toilet sits on floor and properly attached......vibration won't affect wax ring
    Hot/cold temps shouldn't affect wax ring..they are used in many different applications in buildings that are NOT heated/cooled

    Foam seal is less messy.
  • chilibean's avatar
    chilibean
    Explorer
    Apr 24, 2014
    Ah-ha! Something I did not think about. Thanks Old-Biscuit.

    I thought I read somewhere that wax rings should not be used in rv's, hence why I was looking at waxless. Did I read that wrong?
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Apr 24, 2014
    Measure the circumference of floor flange.
    Measure the inside area of Bravura that needs to fit over floor flange.

    Trim floor flange outside ring so Bravura fits down onto floor.


    Wax rings come in different thicknesses with/without plastic cone
    Plain wax ring....$1.50

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