Leaking Toilet

[bigracenut]

My 2013 Sprinter 331RLS has the Dometic 310 series toilet. We noticed last fall that on the outside, halfway down the sides, where the ceramic meets plastic, on one flush we saw water coming down the sides in front and the side........... I have never heard of a toilet leaking there, and a tech at CW also said he had never seen a Dometic toilet leak there either. We wrapped a towel around the base, and for the remaining 2 days we watched it, and it never leaked again, but now leary of the next leak. I may also add, that the water that leaked was not "clean water", if you know what I mean..... any suggections before I call Dometic? I haven't dewinterized it yet, so I am not pushed for time........... yet!

Thanks for your advice and ideas!

[bigracenut]

Just after I posted this thread, I saw my answer to the same problem in the other repairs section........... sounds like a toilet replacement ahead.......

thanks for reading!
Pat

[jsmith948]

On our 2012, the 310 toilet started to do the same thingafter about 3 1/2 years.
BTW, after I replaced the toilet, I disassembled the old one. There is a foam gasket between the halves. The screws holding the halves together were tight and it appeared that the gasket was compressed to where it no longer sealed.
I was unable to find a supplier for the gasket.
If I had it to do again (and I may well have to in another 3 or 4 yrs) I would try some RTV sealant. Nothing to lose but some time. Although, at the time, I didn't want to suffer through another nasty mess the leak caused. $179 at CW.

Added on edit: Giving this some additional thought, I wonder - if the toilet seal was leaking from the very beginning but only leaks a few drops (maybe a tsp?) on each flush, how many flushes (read how much time) will it take to fill the hollow cavity in the plastic base to the point that it begins to overflow? Not a pleasant thought that we might have an undumpable extra mini holding tank in our trailer that is mascaradeing as a toilet pedastal.

[bigracenut]

I am going to replace my 310 series toilet for sure, but not sure which one to replace it with. I am looking into the Dometic 320 series toilet. Has anyone heard any good or bad about it? Issues?

Thanks!
Pat

[JRTJH]

I am going to replace my 310 series toilet for sure, but not sure which one to replace it with. I am looking into the Dometic 320 series toilet. Has anyone heard any good or bad about it? Issues?

Thanks!
Pat

The Dometic 310 and 320 toilets are "essentially the same" with the significant difference being the 310 has a plastic seat while the 320 has a wooden seat and a rinse spray nozzle. Otherwise, they are constructed of the same bowl, same base, same gasket and same flush valve/foot assembly.

Dometic has a 2 year warranty, apparently you're past that point, so you might want to consider removing your toilet, taking it apart and scraping the old gasket from the base/bowl union. You could use some "form-a-gasket" to create a new gasket, reassemble the toilet and reinstall it. Others have done that and had complete success.

There are two major manufacturers of RV toilets, Dometic and Thetford. The majority of RV manufacturers use Dometic because of the ceramic bowl. If you've ever had an RV with a plastic bowl, you know the difficulty keeping it clean and free of stains. Thetford does offer ceramic bowls, but only in their more expensive models. Whatever you choose to do, I'd recommend against installing any toilet with a plastic bowl. Ceramic only, if you want a "pleasing bathroom".....

Good Luck

ADDED: I just thought about it, but if you've got limited space behind your current 310 toilet, you may not have enough space to install the 320 model. It is about 2" longer, meaning it sits closer to the wall (over the current black tank floor flange) than the 310 toilet. Measure carefully, in some RV's it's already a tight fit and trying to install a 320 may be all but impossible.

[scott24]

Our 320 we just bought has a ceramic bowl.

[JRTJH]

Our 320 we just bought has a ceramic bowl.

ALL 310 and 320 Dometic toilets have a ceramic bowl. That's why the RV manufacturers "favor" them over Thetford's, of which "most" have plastic bowls. You can't buy a 310 or 320 with a plastic bowl

[slow]

Per Q&A at Camping World:
"The difference between a 310 and 320 model is that the 320 is designed closer to a residential style toilet with an elongated bowl and seat. The 320 also has a rim around the bowl like a residential unit, whereas the 310 has a 'straight' bowl with no rim with exposed water ports for flushing. The 320 is dimensionally a bit larger all around with a seat height of 18-1/4" on the standard model. The 310 has a seat height of 18" on the standard model."

Manual: http://www.dometic.com/QBankFiles3/EPiServer/Dometic/US/Manuals/RV-manuals/Sanitation-Systems/310-320-Series-Installation-Manual_22889.pdf

I went with the 320 and have no regrets.

[bigracenut]

I like the larger seat size of the 320 Series and of course I prefer the ceramic bowl........... when I purchase the 320, I will make sure the connector bolts from top half to bottom half are secure before bolting down........

I guess I am surprised that with seeing all of the problems with the 310 series across several different mfg's forums, that something hasn't been done to cure a nagging problem that reflects onto each rv mfg'er.

Thanks again!

[scott24]

ALL 310 and 320 Dometic toilets have a ceramic bowl. That's why the RV manufacturers "favor" them over Thetford's, of which "most" have plastic bowls. You can't buy a 310 or 320 with a plastic bowl
Sorry got that mixed up with the 300 that came in ours.

[socalhd]

Well I have just joined this Club. The first time this happened we were dry camping and I thought we had sill over. hadn't used the trailer for awhile this weekend. We were in an RV park and always keep the dump valve closed until preparing to leave. We had zero problems until this morning. Man that liquid stinks. I thought maybe I had a leak in the water in put source that squirts water into the bowl. After researching I find this is contaminated and stagnant water building up in the base.
All we can do is get a replacement toilet that will likely do the same thing? How about a cure? Has anyone tried drilling weep holes from the inside into the chamber? Seems to me Dometic should recall these as a public health concern