I winterized my used but newly purchased Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS about two weeks ago. Today, I went to the storage facility to perform a minor repair. I looked into the commode bowl and discovered that all of the anti-freeze (about a quart) I poured in during winterization was gone. It was bone dry! I realize that the seal is leaking. This never happened in my prior Coachmen TT. Is there a DIY fix for this? Am I looking at a trip to the RV repair shop? Thanks

Sometimes it's as simple as it getting out of alignment around the inner ring. Put on gloves and feel for it to be seated/sealed evenly. Sometimes too, the ring rubber can dry out. We've put plumbers putty on ours and it works.

You can order the seal and install yourself but may have to do some fancy camera work behind the toilet to get serial #, what I had to do.Once a seal goes dry, they expire.

Put on plastic gloves and wipe Vasoline all over the seal. This is approved and recommended by Dometic. Dometic is also an easy seal change.

Thetford makes a RV Toilet Seal and Lubricant for about $8. Not sure if it can revive an older seal or not. Not to be funny, but another option might be some high mileage oil. It has an additive that slightly swells rubber seals. I'd research that before trying it though.My old camper had that problem, but it wasn't worth fixing for me. We camped year round and I would simply add a bunch of water (or antifreeze) to the bowl that it wouldn't complete leak out before the next trip.

I Winterized ............. but then this happened.

CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Jan 02, 2022
shum02 wrote:
Have had this happen.

Use the "slam" technique. Pull the handle and just "let it go" several times. Can reseat itself, doesn't hurt and costs nothing.

Boy,,, on my old 1993 TT the spring on the handle is awful strong. I don't think I would want it to slam back from the full open position. It would break something. Maybe from the partly open position would be OK.
shum02
Explorer
Dec 31, 2021
Have had this happen.

Use the "slam" technique. Pull the handle and just "let it go" several times. Can reseat itself, doesn't hurt and costs nothing.
BarneyS
Explorer III
Dec 30, 2021
It is an easy fix. I have done it several times.
Barney
Texas_Nomad
Explorer
Dec 30, 2021
Thanks for all the suggestions. The toilet is a Thetford Aqua Magic II. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and ordered the replacement seal. Looks like it will be an easy fix.
opnspaces
Navigator II
Dec 30, 2021
I've had to put on a glove and rub around the seal in my toilet. I never felt any debris, but the seal held after. If you have a really slow leak like it holds water until the next flush you can also just ignore it as when in storage there really is no need for water in the bowl. But before working on the valve I would put a tiny bit of water in the bowl and let it sit for a while to seep down and wet the dry seal before you open the valve.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Dec 30, 2021
Mustn’t be too concerned since you haven’t responded back, but what exactly are you worried about OP? This does not affect the winterization. You do understand that?
StirCrazy
Moderator
Dec 30, 2021
Texas Nomad wrote:
I winterized my used but newly purchased Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS about two weeks ago. Today, I went to the storage facility to perform a minor repair. I looked into the commode bowl and discovered that all of the anti-freeze (about a quart) I poured in during winterization was gone. It was bone dry! I realize that the seal is leaking. This never happened in my prior Coachmen TT. Is there a DIY fix for this? Am I looking at a trip to the RV repair shop? Thanks

antifreeze evaporates, have had this hsppeneing for 30 years and never had to replace a seal. it may have a slow weep from a pice of tioilet paper , you can upen it up and clean out the grove, but this happens to me every winter and every spring the toilet works fine.

Steve
lenr
Explorer III
Dec 30, 2021
I don't recall where I read that Vasoline was suggested by Dometic--it was on a prior trailer. It could have been in the installation instructions for the replacement seal. It's just an easy thing to try, and readily available.
4x4van
Explorer III
Dec 29, 2021
JRscooby wrote:

In a toilet, the water in the bowl works just like the water in a trap under the sink; prevents gasses from entering the living area. If the seal will not hold water up, how does it hold stink down?

While the toilet in my current RV holds water, my last 2 (both class C, bought used), didn't hold water in the bowl for more than 5 minutes, max. But we never had an issue with stink in the 22 years (combined) that we used them. Maybe because the black tank vent was much larger than the tiny leak through the toilet blade?
ReneeG
Explorer
Dec 29, 2021
bob213 wrote:
lenr wrote:
Put on plastic gloves and wipe Vasoline all over the seal. This is approved and recommended by Dometic. Dometic is also an easy seal change.

If that is an approved solution by Dometic it must be new. I have always been told to not use any petroleum product on the seal. Plumbers silicone was the correct answer from everything I've ever been told. Please post where Dometic states this as I can't find it.

Plumber's Silicone is what we've used, not Plumber's Putty and it revived it. Works great. Antifreeze is still sitting in the bowl and we winterized early October.