Odor - Thedford Aria Deluxe

[tkcas01]

The flush valve on my Thedford Aria Deluxe failed a couple of years ago and I replaced it myself. Lately I have been getting odor in the bath, especially when a ceiling vent in ANOTHER PART of the RV is on. I emailed the company and explained how I had re-installed the toilet with new seal.

They said that if the toilet is holding water then the odor was likely coming from the roof vent. Well, that does not make sense because I get the odor even when the ceiling vent in the bath is CLOSED. The odor HAS to be coming from the toilet, and no it is not the autovent on the grey tank - checked that.

Just curious if anyone else has worked on their similar toilet and had any such problems and how you solved it.

[Rheinlan]

IT has been awhile since I did the water fill bit on my toilet. Just recalled that I did not fill the toilet to the brim from inside the vehicle but poured water down the vent stack to fill the cavity between the toilet inner and outer wall. With the slide gate closed, was actually able to fill above the rim (internally to the toilet) as I was also suspicious of some fitting joints in the vent stack. Turned out it was the rotating shaft seal.

[Wishbone51]

j-d wrote:
Some Thetford toilets had a "vent." Just why I don't know, but it bypassed the blade seal and opens to the tank. At first I didn't think ours (that cheap AquaMagic IV) had one, but it did, and I sealed it up with caulk when I had it off.

Exactly the model I have. Where is this vent? Not that I have any odor issues. My trailer bathroom smells better than our home bathrooms. 🙂

[j-d]

Some Thetford toilets had a "vent." Just why I don't know, but it bypassed the blade seal and opens to the tank. At first I didn't think ours (that cheap AquaMagic IV) had one, but it did, and I sealed it up with caulk when I had it off. Thetford will make that suggestion. Oddly, cheesy as that AM-IV is, it holds water in the bowl a LONG time.
I think others are referring to a venting device on the vanity sink plumbing. If yours has one, there'll be a vertical stub of pipe with a gizmo threaded onto the top. The rubber flapper in it could have rotted out. Also, be sure your Dump Valves are closed if you're connected to a sewer line. I forgot to close Gray after dumping and before long the whole coach stank!

[tkcas01]

Rheinlan wrote:
Actually filled tank and toilet with water above the offending seal and water leaked out. Water tends to need a larger opening then air to leak. I did the fill carefully and just short of the toilet bowl rim. There was no leakage at the floor seal, only when I got to the top. rotating shaft seal. Toilet was under warranty and was replaced by manufacturer after explaining test procedure above.

Mine was a different model toilet and the shaft seal was not a replaceable component per manufacturer.

Thanks for responding back. Ah, now wasn't that ingenious! I assumed it was a "sniff test" and I had no idea how that would work!

[Rheinlan]

Actually filled tank and toilet with water above the offending seal and water leaked out. Water tends to need a larger opening then air to leak. I did the fill carefully and just short of the toilet bowl rim. There was no leakage at the floor seal, only when I got to the top. rotating shaft seal. Toilet was under warranty and was replaced by manufacturer after explaining test procedure above.

Mine was a different model toilet and the shaft seal was not a replaceable component per manufacturer.

[tkcas01]

Rheinlan wrote:
Had a similar problem and it was the rotating shaft on the slide valve that had a bad seal that permitted tank gasses to escape into the motor home. Ruining exhaust fan made problem noticeable and with all air inlet openings closed pinpointed the problem and made it evident. It is a non-replaceable part and I had to replace the entire toilet. Problem solved and running exhaust fan no longer sucked fumes down the stack and out the leaking seal.

Thanks. How could you tell the odor was coming from the shaft seal and not just the seal at the floor? Mine it backed up into a corner and you can't really get behind it to "sniff" around.

Also, it is the slide assembly that I replaced a couple of hears ago, so not understanding why you had to replace the entire toilet. I wonder if I got a defective one perhaps? I'll have to investigate further.

[Rheinlan]

Had a similar problem and it was the rotating shaft on the slide valve that had a bad seal that permitted tank gasses to escape into the motor home. Ruining exhaust fan made problem noticeable and with all air inlet openings closed pinpointed the problem and made it evident. It is a non-replaceable part and I had to replace the entire toilet. Problem solved and running exhaust fan no longer sucked fumes down the stack and out the leaking seal.

[Harvard]

Some RVs have the bath vanity plumbed into the black tank so keep that in mind when you try pressure testing as described by Salvo.

[Salvo]

You can find the location of the leak, but it requires some work. Connect an air compressor hose to the roof black vent. Set compressor regulator to 2 - 5 psi. If you have a sealed system, the black tank will start expanding. You will hear it. Don't worry, it's no where near busting. If the tank does not start expanding, you have an air leak. Start smelling around the toilet. The location will be easy to detect. I had a leak from the cable that activates the water valve. I also had to insert a screw type expansion plug in the bathroom sink.

Sal

[powderman426]

If you have verified that the autovents aren't the problem and the toilet holds water, that doesn't leave much but the seal between the toilet and holding tank. JMO

[tkcas01]

doxiemom11 wrote:
There are vent things under the sinks. If they get old they may fail to keep odors out. We have had to replace ours as they were letting odor into the rv when any water was put down the sinks or shower. Replacements were cheap and they just screw in/out. There is some kind of baffle inside that opens and closes and if it fails to close you have odor. (Sorry, don't know technical name for it.) And the smell was as bad as a black tank or worse. It smelled like black was wasn't.

Right - those are the autovents to which I have referred as not being the current problem.

[doxiemom11]

There are vent things under the sinks. If they get old they may fail to keep odors out. We have had to replace ours as they were letting odor into the rv when any water was put down the sinks or shower. Replacements were cheap and they just screw in/out. There is some kind of baffle inside that opens and closes and if it fails to close you have odor. (Sorry, don't know technical name for it.) And the smell was as bad as a black tank or worse. It smelled like black was wasn't.

[tkcas01]

This rig is a 1.5 bath unit and this toilet is in he half bath. The odor is originating there and yes the lav there gets used quite a bit so always water in the trap, and as I said I have checked the autovent on that lav as well. The odor is not coming from the kitchen or the rear bath. I am confident it is this toilet.

[HiTech]

All the drain traps in the camper have water in them, like the sinks and shower?

Jim