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Toilet Mystery

Fossil_Hunter
Explorer
Explorer
Yesterday I took my travel trailer out of storage and moved it just a few yards to a different location. When I went into the bathroom, there was water all over the floor. When I opened the toilet, water was all the way to the top, thankfully I clean my tanks well and the water was clear. I flushed the toilet and the water went back to the tank. There can't be more than a couple of gallons in the tank as I usually add a couple of gallons with chemicals after emptying the tank.
I have never had this happen before, what could have happened?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Fossil Hunter
2021 Forest River Salem Hemisphere 25RBHL
2017 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4x4
29 REPLIES 29

JBarca
Nomad II
Nomad II
Lynnmor wrote:
I didn't see where he ever drained the fresh water tank. Just because he "never" uses it doesn't mean that it is empty. A faulty check valve or other faults can fill it when connected to city water.


Your point about water leak back into the fresh tank is spot on. I have seen it happen. The owner saw water dripping down the side of the camper from the fresh tank vent line. He was on full hook ups. I asked, does your water pump burp off every now and then when when you are using the on board fresh tank and no one is using water? He said yes it does. I explained the issue and the leaking check and to see if his fresh tank was full. Yup, to the tippy top and beyond... he was shocked as he himself never filled it.

But, there is always one of those, Hunters water pump would have to have been left on when in storage for the filled fresh tank water to get to the toilet. Most have a red light on the switch to let you know the pump is activated. Maybe he missed the light. But, the battery would need to be connected too while in storage, most unhook the battery, but maybe he has shore power and was on the power converter or a battery minder.

But there is this, he stated his routine after dumping was to pour chemical in the toilet.

Fossil Hunter wrote:

Go into trailer, open toilet and pour in bottle of blue chemical.
Close empty toilet lid. It bugs me that the water was clear, and not blue tinted from the chemical...... The black tank is not full, when I flushed the toilet, the clear water fell into tank as normal.
To me, the water could not have come from the black tank. No water pump either, lid closed, no leaks from above. Sounds crazy but these are the facts.


If he did that chemical add the time before this overflow event, then he had to push the pedal to open the ball and let the chemical in. If the pump was on, or pressure in the lines of a filled fresh water system, water would of come in the bowl when he was adding the chemical and not let up. That is hard to miss. We are looking for a 2 gallon or more condition to overflow the bowl. This one is mind boggling.

I've seen strange things happen before, like a filled gray tank backing up in the kitchen sink rather then the shower that is 2ft lower, but that odd ball thing had a real reason due to the unique grey tank vent plumbing. It took a while to sort that out.

I hope Hunter reports back. I believe him at this point, it may have happened, but we need more dialog to figure this out. He may have missed one of his normal steps, we do not know enough about the whole situation to rule out the fresh water system yet. That to me seems to be the logical place if the roof did not leak it in.

I also know, I have had senior moments too and forgot some bone head things, but I have come to grips with the fact the memory is not as great as it use to be.

Hunter, where are you? We need your help to figure this out.
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10 RA, 21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR, upgraded 2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver. Hitched with a 1,700# Reese HP WD, HP Dual Cam to a 2004 Sunline Solaris T310R travel trailer.

Lynnmor
Explorer
Explorer
I didn't see where he ever drained the fresh water tank. Just because he "never" uses it doesn't mean that it is empty. A faulty check valve or other faults can fill it when connected to city water.

CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Explorer III
Fossil Hunter wrote:
Thanks for the replies so far.
Toilet lid was closed. Black tank only has a couple of gallons in it.
Water pump and fresh tank are never used, I only camp with hook ups.
Vent has no leaks. Pipe cap is intact on roof with no leeks.
My cleaning procedure is as follows:
Dump black completely, let run for a few minutes via black flush sprayer, when finished I close the black valve and do a 60 second count with black flush running to put a couple of gallon back in black tank. Turn off black tank sprayer.
Go into trailer, open toilet and pour in bottle of blue chemical.
Close empty toilet lid. It bugs me that the water was clear, and not blue tinted from the chemical...... The black tank is not full, when I flushed the toilet, the clear water fell into tank as normal.
To me, the water could not have come from the black tank. No water pump either, lid closed, no leaks from above. Sounds crazy but these are the facts.


Well, the only thing left is Gremlins or maybe the Space Aliens that put that monolith thing in the desert.

BurbMan
Explorer II
Explorer II
GrandpaKip wrote:
You shouldn’t have flushed it. May be holy water.


JBarca
Nomad II
Nomad II
Fossil Hunter wrote:
Thanks for the replies so far.
Toilet lid was closed. Black tank only has a couple of gallons in it.
Water pump and fresh tank are never used, I only camp with hook ups.
Vent has no leaks. Pipe cap is intact on roof with no leeks.
My cleaning procedure is as follows:
Dump black completely, let run for a few minutes via black flush sprayer, when finished I close the black valve and do a 60 second count with black flush running to put a couple of gallon back in black tank. Turn off black tank sprayer.
Go into trailer, open toilet and pour in bottle of blue chemical.
Close empty toilet lid. It bugs me that the water was clear, and not blue tinted from the chemical...... The black tank is not full, when I flushed the toilet, the clear water fell into tank as normal.
To me, the water could not have come from the black tank. No water pump either, lid closed, no leaks from above. Sounds crazy but these are the facts.



This one is for sure interesting. A few questions.

1. You stated you always camp with full hookup's. Do you drain the water heater or the camper fresh water piping through the low point drains before you put the camper in storage?

2. If you leave the water in the system, (water heater and piping full of water) when you put it in storage, was the LP gas left on? and possibly the water heater on gas?

3. How much time (days etc) passed from the time you stored the camper until you found the issue?

4. Is your water heater a 6 gallon or 10 gallon heater?

5. What brand, year and model is your camper?


I will pass this along to help the cause. We have the china bowl Sealand toilet. Traveler lite model. We camp most all the time with onboard tanks. At the start of camp I need to put 3 gallons of water into my black tank (it is a big flat tank) to get some starter water in the bottom so stuff floats and does not stick when you flush.

It takes 1.5 gallons of water to fill the bowl up to the bottom of the cast rim. This is still about 1.5" down from overflow. Then I flush it and add a second fill to the bottom of the rim and flush it to get all 3 gallons in.

Point: In order to overflow your toilet bowl, it will take approx. 1.5 to 2 gallons of water most likely regardless of brand. If the the bowl was dry or drained when you flushed it after you put the chemical in when you last put it in storage, then where did 2 plus gallons of clear water come from to get into the bowl? This is more to point out, this is not a little amount of leaking in water, this is a lot of leaking in water.

With a vented black tank, I'm not sure water could even back up the flush valve into the bowl if it wanted too. The bowl seal is normally water tight, since the tank is vented, where is the pressure coming from to back blast water up from the black tank? if the tank even had water in it.

For sure, post what ever this come out to be.

John
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10 RA, 21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR, upgraded 2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver. Hitched with a 1,700# Reese HP WD, HP Dual Cam to a 2004 Sunline Solaris T310R travel trailer.

GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Explorer II
Lots and lots of condensation. Only in the toilet.
It’s a murkle. You shouldn’t have flushed it. May be holy water.
Kip
2015 Skyline Dart 214RB
2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch

kellem
Explorer
Explorer
Ok, somebody was quarantining in trailer? Unbeknownst to owners?

schlep1967
Nomad
Nomad
So it is not coming from the plumbing.
It did not come from the black tank.
It did not come from the sky.

I'd consider it a biblical event as in, "only the Lord knows how that could happen" and check the toilet daily to see if it starts to fill again.
2021 Chevy Silverado LTZ 3500 Diesel
2022 Montana Legacy 3931FB
Pull-Rite Super Glide 4500

am1958
Explorer
Explorer
A storm in a "teacup" perchance?

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
Fossil Hunter wrote:
Yesterday I took my travel trailer out of storage and moved it just a few yards to a different location. When I went into the bathroom, there was water all over the floor. When I opened the toilet, water was all the way to the top, thankfully I clean my tanks well and the water was clear. I flushed the toilet and the water went back to the tank. There can't be more than a couple of gallons in the tank as I usually add a couple of gallons with chemicals after emptying the tank.
I have never had this happen before, what could have happened?
Thank you in advance for your help.


The way I read this, when he flushed the toilet, it emptied into the black tank. So it is not full.
It pretty much has to be a leaking toilet valve.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

kellem
Explorer
Explorer
Oboy, you guys are entertaining.
I just want to know the culprit.

Fossil_Hunter
Explorer
Explorer
TenOC wrote:
One more option. "Yesterday I took my travel trailer out of storage" -- vandalism -- while in storage. Exwife/girlfriend?????


No, I store at my friends house. Only I have the key.
No foul play suspected.
Fossil Hunter
2021 Forest River Salem Hemisphere 25RBHL
2017 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4x4

TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
One more option. "Yesterday I took my travel trailer out of storage" -- vandalism -- while in storage. Exwife/girlfriend?????
Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

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TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
BurbMan wrote:


If the cap was missing, rainwater and/or melting snow will run down the vent and fill up the tank.


No way is a 1-1/2 inch vent pipe is going to collect 30+ gallons of rain water.
Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

Travel Photos