Thetford?

[SummitPond]

In this post JRTJH gave us some advice that was later seconded by travelin texans: "If it's a Thetford toilet, many people recommending "cutting your losses" and just replacing it with a Dometic model."

Question: In general, what is wrong with a Thetford? I do have a Dometic 310, so it's not an issue for me - I just want to be informed.

Thanks.

[JRTJH]

There is nothing "wrong" with a Thetford toilet. It's more "personal like/dislike" than "wrong"....

That said, for the most part, Thetford toilets are difficult to work on, parts are expensive, water valves are located in such a place that you have to completely remove the toilet to change it out, that valve is more prone to damage and leaking (several years ago, Thetford retrofitted the water valve to include a steel overlay to reinforce the threaded end of the valve that used to split if tightened slightly more than required to prevent leaks). Many Thetford toilets used in Keystone products have a "hand actuated flush mechanism" which means you need to "handle any splashed water" to flush the toilet. Not (IMHO) a good, sanitary way for kids (or adults) to use the toilet if they forget to wash their hands.

I could go on and on, but, for me, it's a bigger issue than the proverbial, "Ford, GM or RAM" debate. I see one Dometic toilet problem every 3 or 4 years, I see 10 Thetford toilet problems every season. And, no, there aren't more Thetford toilets in use, in fact, almost all the current models are installing Dometic toilets. So it's not a "number in use" issue.

[chuckster57]

I have to agree, see very few failures or issues with the Dometic. There is a reason you see a Dometic toilet in a $400,00.00 motorhome and not a Thetford.

[Hblick48]

I had to repair the foot peddle cables on our Thetford twice. Once using expensive OEM parts, and another using bicycle brake cable. Both started rusting within months of install.

Just replaced with Dometic. We both use it many times every day. Each time we remark...best upgrade yet!

[sourdough]

A couple of other things about a Thetford;

The "flush" comes from under the top rim and goes down. There are areas that the flushing water does not hit for a clean flush. The Dometic "swirls" the water from under the rim and does a better job of cleaning the interior of the toilet.

A Thetford has cavities built inside the pedestal that hold any dirty water leaked from the inner seal. This adds up, evaporates, adds up again and pretty soon becomes a very nasty, stinky deal. I did not see that design when installing a Dometic.

[bobbecky]

When the flush pedal flew off our Thetford about six years ago, late one night when it was flushed, and water was flowing with the ball valve closed, it was a mad dash to get the water valve on the toilet turned off. Turned out the spring of the flush pedal connected to a flimsy plastic tab on the toilet housing and the tab had partially broken. I did finally get a new pedal, but it only lasted a few months. I did attempt a better repair later on, but once I got into the repair, decided to cut my losses and purchased a Dometic 310. Haven't had any issues with the 310 since installing it, and we full time. The Thetford may be OK for occasional use, but once they start to have issues, I found it's better to just junk it and go with a better product. Friends of ours had a spring problem with their toilet several years ago, and ended up with a flooded motorhome that cost thousands of dollars to repair. They now have a Dometic.