This has been some trip! Tonight we're in Gallup and during dinner we hear a "thump" that sounds like it has come from outside. A visual check reveals nothing and I come back inside to my fork.About this point, my wife who is sitting across from me, facing the bedroom, says "My God!" and races up the stairs to the toilet. Water is flowing down the stairs out of the bathroom. When I look, the toilet is full of water (clean) but pressing the foot pedal doesn't flush it away - it appears that the holding tank is full!I race outside, turn off the water, and then use a pot to empty the water in the toilet down one of the sinks.We've now tidied up but as we don''t have a waste connection here I'll have to wait until tomorrow to dump it.(Fortunately we dumped yesterday and the waste tank got a good hosing out. There was nothing in it when we unhitched.)So.. somehow water has got into the waste tank. No I did not connect the hose to the waste cleanout connection.I have no idea how this could have happened and all suggestions are appreciated!Many thanks!Ian

First determine where the water was coming from. Either the pressure side or the holding tank. The holding tank can't fill by itself.

Black waste tank..........Water goes into it via:ToiletFlush connectionSometimes bathroom sink or shower are plumbed to black tankYou verified that nothing was connected to 'flush connection'So that leaves toilet or bathroom sink/shower if plumbed to tankFaucet left dripping or Toilet flush ball not fully closing allowing water valve to run TO me.....sounds like toilet flush ball stuck partially open and water valve running

(If you have normal RV plumbing, not the fancy "water bay" or a lever like a submarine handle pointing to different plumbing)I had one toilet that if you didn't release the flush valve (water supply) smartly, the water valve didn't seat right and water leaked slowly into toilet. Once toilet bowl becomes full, it overflows into waste tank, then when waste tank gets filled up you overflow. No where else for water to go, so you overflow.Hope I explained it right. The water valve didn't shut off the water supply IMO. In ours we thought the toilet water supply valve was bad. Got a new one. In process of changing the water valve, noticed some plastic parts also worn. Changed the valve and couple plastic parts that slide against each other and had become worn. Then no more problems. That's one reason we don't use the city water connection anymore. If you were in the self contained mode, your water pump would of been making a burping noise and you might of been able to hear it pushing water, before it overflowed. With city water, I can't here water running when using city water supply and a lot more water available than my fresh water tank.

If water was running down the stairs something was open full stream into the toilet or black tank. It stopped when the city water was turned off. You'll have to drain the black tank some, they turn the city water and listen to hear where it is coming from.

Overflowing Toilet | Good Sam Community

imgoin4it
Explorer
Oct 17, 2015
Same thing happened to us when the water valve to the commode leaked and flooded our bath room area while we were in the coach watching TV. We now have a battery powered water dog water alarm in bath area. Available at most ACE hardware stores for about $15.00.
TenOC
Nomad
Oct 17, 2015
imgoin4it wrote:
Same thing happened to us when the water valve to the commode leaked and flooded our bath room area

I had the valve stick open. I was in luck that at the time I was not on city water but was using the holding tank. Heard the pump continue to run as I was leaving the bathroom. Disassembled the valve -- added some grease. All has worked OK for 2 years. . . :). I added a shut off valve to the toilet line in case it should happen while on city water.
WILDEBILL308
Explorer II
Oct 18, 2015
ian.c wrote:
This has been some trip! Tonight we're in Gallup and during dinner we hear a "thump" that sounds like it has come from outside. A visual check reveals nothing and I come back inside to my fork.
About this point, my wife who is sitting across from me, facing the bedroom, says "My God!" and races up the stairs to the toilet. Water is flowing down the stairs out of the bathroom. When I look, the toilet is full of water (clean) but pressing the foot pedal doesn't flush it away - it appears that the holding tank is full!
I race outside, turn off the water, and then use a pot to empty the water in the toilet down one of the sinks.
We've now tidied up but as we don''t have a waste connection here I'll have to wait until tomorrow to dump it.
(Fortunately we dumped yesterday and the waste tank got a good hosing out. There was nothing in it when we unhitched.)
So.. somehow water has got into the waste tank. No I did not connect the hose to the waste cleanout connection.
I have no idea how this could have happened and all suggestions are appreciated!
Many thanks!
Ian

Well I can sympathize with you I had the same thing happen to me last summer. My problem was the fill valve on the side of the toilet had started leaking(bad internal seal) Mine is on the peddle side and has a small plastic shroud/cover over it. It is a simple job as there are only two screws holding it on and two hose clamps. One of the few times the seal in the bottom of the toilet actually worked as it didn't fill up the holding tank just ran all over the floor.
This is what my valve looked like.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/sealand-toilet-water-valve-kit/16453
Bill
ian_c
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
Thanks to all of you who contributed you ideas! Such a simple thing but it hasn't happened before.
Yes, the toilet didn't close fully. It left a tiny slit open, the water continued to trickle in and you know the rest.
Many thanks!
Ian
ian_c
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
Thanks to all of you who contributed you ideas! Such a simple thing but it hasn't happened before.
Yes, the toilet didn't close fully. It left a tiny slit open, the water continued to trickle in and you know the rest.
Many thanks!
Ian
RJsfishin
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
Using the FWT and pump isn't fool proof either if you don't turn the pump off when leaving the RV.True story,.......
I recall a couple years ago, a TT right next to me had water running out of it, and I could hear the water pump running. I went to the neighbor on the other side, asked if they knew these people,....answer was no, so then I tried the door, and to my surprise the door was not locked. Thinking someone mite be inside,... that something had happened to them,....left water overflowing somehow, I asked the neighbor if he would go in w/ me to check,.....to turn off the WP switch if nothing else, which we did. No one inside,.....very strange !
Later I found the owner, by himself, said he had done some plumming couple days before, wasn't very concerned about water damage,.....and never even say thanks for turning the switch off.
At least he didn't threaten to sue me for entering his RV w/o permission !:)
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 18, 2015
RJsfishin wrote:
Using the FWT and pump isn't fool proof either if you don't turn the pump off when leaving the RV.True story,.......
I recall a couple years ago, a TT right next to me had water running out of it, and I could hear the water pump running. I went to the neighbor on the other side, asked if they knew these people,....answer was no, so then I tried the door, and to my surprise the door was not locked. Thinking someone mite be inside,... that something had happened to them,....left water overflowing somehow, I asked the neighbor if he would go in w/ me to check,.....to turn off the WP switch if nothing else, which we did. No one inside,.....very strange !
Later I found the owner, by himself, said he had done some plumming couple days before, wasn't very concerned about water damage,.....and never even say thanks for turning the switch off.
At least he didn't threaten to sue me for entering his RV w/o permission !:)

we make it a habit to turn off the water pump when we aren't around the trailer for any length of time. I've known to many fellow travelers that have had leaks in trailers. In the majority of the cases, they had small, but noticeable leaks, mostly when hooked to city water. (without a pressure regulator as well).

Expect TT plumbing to not be anywhere near as robust as stick house plumbing and a bit of caution can prevent a bad camping experience.
RJsfishin
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
I think most all RVs are plumbed same as houses anymore w/ pex and ABS.
But different situations for sure. Like the very common problem of a turlet valve leaking in a house doesn't fill and overflow into the house :)

Having said that, don't it seem like the RV turlet would have an overflow near the top to the outside ?? Of course not, the feds would never allow any chance for black to hit the ground,......grey either for that matter.
itguy08
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
RJsfishin wrote:
I think most all RVs are plumbed same as houses anymore w/ pex and ABS.
But different situations for sure. Like the very common problem of a turlet valve leaking in a house doesn't fill and overflow into the house :).

Oh yes it does happen in the house too. Friends went out in the AM to work and came home to the hose flooded because the toilet valve was leaking and overflowed it all day. IIRC the damage was over $100k as it took out their kitchen, family room, and basement
John_Wayne
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2015
Last time I heard a thump the water line blow off the heater and wife came back from a walk to tell me water was running out the bay doors.