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RV Doctor ColumnRV Doctor #333 Dear RV Doctor, I have a question about RV toilets. The one in our older motorhome seems to work fine but I'm wondering if the valve is closing properly. My neighbor says that the toilet should hold water in the bottom bowl to make a seal to prevent odors. All the water leaks out of mine and into the holding tank. I cannot find anything that may be preventing it from closing completely. Is this a do-it-yourself repair or do I need a professional? Harv Shaw, (La Crosse, WI)
Harv, indeed, there should be some water left in the bowl after every flush. Without the water seal, odors from the holding tank can and will enter the coach. There are a few possible reasons for the water to leak out; first, check to be sure that the bolts which secure the toilet to the flange are not too tight, thereby distorting the base of the toilet. If the toilet is mounted on top of carpeting, trimming the carpet so the base rests solidly on the floor is best. If the base is too tight, the flushing mechanism will become warped or wracked and not close fully. But the most common cause is simply that paper and waste have accumulated inside the slide valve mechanism on Thetford's Aqua Magic units. On an older SeaLand toilet, the typical cause is a worn seal or a clamp ring that is too loose. Yours is likely to be one of these two brands. If you have an Aqua Magic, fashion an L-shaped hook out of a coat hanger or a bent screwdriver that will reach into the groove to scrape out the residue. Turn off the water supply, depress the flushing pedal and carefully remove any paper jammed into the groove just below the rubber seal. There is a tool you can purchase from Thetford just for this task if you wish. Take special care not to damage that seal. In severe cases, the toilet will have to be disassembled and the flushing mechanism taken completely apart, then cleaned, lubed and reassembled. To rectify the situation on the SeaLand toilet, simply tighten the clamp ring. In some cases, a complete seal kit may have to be installed if water still continues to seep past the seal and into the holding tank.
Dear RV Doctor, why does my slideout room keep moving even when I release the switch? Last year they worked fine, now when I release the switch I hear a motor spinning and the room keeps moving. Is there trouble with the solenoid switch on the motor? John McDonald, (Stoughton, MA)
John, with such a plethora of slideout mechanisms found today, it depends solely on the actual design of the slide mechanism. But if the problem is not evident with every slideout on the motorhome, chances are it's an individual stop mechanism out of adjustment. I doubt it would be the activating solenoid since the rooms do indeed slide in and out. Rather, it sound more like a micro switch is out of position for that particular room. Keep in mind; this is just an educated guess made without knowing the actual make and model of the slide assembly. There are some adjustments that can be performed by the RVer as long as the manufacturer provided the troubleshooting literature. If you have doubts about tackling this yourself, or if you do not have thorough troubleshooting documentation, contact the manufacturer of the slide mechanism, (not the coach maker), and ask for a referral. They all will have a list of dealers and service facilities familiar with their products. Once you find a service facility in your geographical area, I would call ahead to be sure that shop employs technicians experienced with that make of slideout.
Dear Gary, we have had this problem with two different motorhomes. We have been in a strong side wind and it has knocked our patio awning latch ineffective and the awning unwinds and flips while we are driving! It actually broke our vent cover on top of the motorhome. We need a way to anchor the awning and secure it instead of using duct tape. Recently while in a very strong side wind, our awning came loose and when we pulled over to secure it, there were two other motorhomes pulled over fixing their awnings too. Any suggestions? Shirley Thomas, (Eugene, OR)
Shirley, so sorry to hear of your awning loss. It can indeed be quite disconcerting to have any awning unroll as you are driving down the road. In addition to properly securing the awning lock mechanism, standard on many brands, I also recommend a product called Awning Cinch Straps. Here's the link, take a look; http://www.coilnwrap.com/awning/awningcinch.htm. One of these little straps on each awning arm should prevent this from happening a third time! At that price, you might even want to order an extra set to hand out to that next unfortunate RVer you chat with alongside the roadway!
Dear RV Doc, I have a Class A motorhome and I often find it challenging to level my rig in some campsites. Is it really that important that the unit is level? I know it was important for the older refrigerators, but with the new ones is it still critical? Also, if it does cause damage running off-level, is it less critical if I am running the refrigerator on electric as opposed to gas? James Brown, (Watsonville, CA)
James, from the point where liquid is first produced in the condenser section of the cooling unit until the liquid reaches the boiler section, gravity is employed. Since liquids cannot flow uphill, the importance of running the refrigerator only while level is fully appreciated. The crucial section is the low temperature evaporator located within the freezer compartment. To the refrigerator, it matters not how level the galley countertop is, or the dinette table, or the outside corners of the RV. If it does not correspond with the low temperature evaporator coils located in the freezer compartment, all leveling efforts will be for naught. With repeated operation out of level, damage to the cooling unit is inevitable. Leveling is important during any operational mode (12-volts DC, 120-volts AC, or LP) while the RV is stationary. While driving or physically moving down the road, there is enough jostling and movement to keep the liquids safely flowing through the system. It is only crucial when the vehicle is not in motion. True, today's absorption refrigerators are more forgiving than earlier predecessors; still all RVers should make every effort to completely level the refrigerator. To risk any operation out of level could be an expensive wager indeed.
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