Do I have a Black Tank issue?

[hlh1]

I removed and dissembled my 300 today and found it like the video I posted above with a couple of areas that had pooled sewage. The 300 smelled much worse than my open black tank that I recently flushed and treated. I cleaned it and used clear silicone as the video shows and now I have no more smells. Relatively easy fix.

[sourdough]

Glad you found it and got it fixed. It's what I figured it was. If you used all that silicone like the video the next time it starts smelling I would just buy a new toilet....it will be heck to tear that apart next go round.

[wegone]

Just one other note to "toilets"

When you seal the base perimeter, to the floor, it's NOT to keep out smell, or water from running out from under the toilet, NO.
It's to keep "drunk pee" from getting UNDER the toilet and causing such smell.

Folks don't, but should, on hardwood floors, second story bathrooms, etc, pull and replace the wax every couple of years, if not every year.
Because that seal, will not allow a "leak" to show up by running out if your original seal at the base was good to begin with....
So the leak goes undetected until it has cause structural damage to the floor, or ceiling below.

Its easy and cheap, a few bucks, and at most, a hour....
Or 400 bucks if you call me

[hlh1]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Glad you found it and got it fixed. It's what I figured it was. If you used all that silicone like the video the next time it starts smelling I would just buy a new toilet....it will be heck to tear that apart next go round.

I think if this happens again I'll just go with the 310, if it will fit.

[hlh1]

I should probably ask: What is a good replacement toilet for the 300?

[sourdough]

While you are messing with it measure the distance from your walls to the toilet. I don't know your floorplan but I believe the distance from the back wall to the center of the drain on a 310 is 10". I don't remember the side measurements if it is angled but they are in the instructions for it.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Island Eddie

Just one other note to "toilets"

When you seal the base perimeter, to the floor, it's NOT to keep out smell, or water from running out from under the toilet, NO.
It's to keep "drunk pee" from getting UNDER the toilet and causing such smell.

Folks don't, but should, on hardwood floors, second story bathrooms, etc, pull and replace the wax every couple of years, if not every year.
Because that seal, will not allow a "leak" to show up by running out if your original seal at the base was good to begin with....
So the leak goes undetected until it has cause structural damage to the floor, or ceiling below.

Its easy and cheap, a few bucks, and at most, a hour....
Or 400 bucks if you call me

I'm no expert nor a professional, but have had several rvs & have removed the toilets in several of them for one reason or another, none had a wax ring under the toilet, all had the spongy rubber donut.

[hlh1]

That's what I saw, just the foam rubber donut.

[sourdough]

The foam rubber donut has been on all of them I have replaced. If you pull the toilet it should be replaced; don't use the old one similar to the wax rings.

[wegone]

Gee, how many trailers are two story?

It was in reference to toilets in the home....

Better?

[skids]

I’m sure he was making the analogy that the seals don’t last forever. At least that is what I got out of it.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Island Eddie

Gee, how many trailers are two story?

It was in reference to toilets in the home....

Better?

Most people who have been around RV's for any length of time know that a wax seal won't work (reliably) on an RV toilet, but for the benefit of those who are changing out their first toilet, it never hurts to insure they know the difference and only use the "nitril foam gasket" so they don't have to do the work twice.....

As a "point of trivial interest", when it comes to "two story trailers", they've been around since "before indoor plumbing".. And are still on thr roads being towed today.

[wegone]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Most people who have been around RV's for any length of time know that a wax seal won't work (reliably) on an RV toilet, but for the benefit of those who are changing out their first toilet, it never hurts to insure they know the difference and only use the "nitril foam gasket" so they don't have to do the work twice.....

As a "point of trivial interest", when it comes to "two story trailers", they've been around since "before indoor plumbing".. And are still on thr roads being towed today.

Well I guess the mother of invention is the mother of idiots too.....

God save the Queen, society is doomed

[hlh1]

I'm thrilled that my TT is now odor free! For now...

[Camp CA]

Do not think you have an issue. Suggest installing a low-cost, in-line turbine meter (like a $17 P3 P0550 Water Meter) on the black tank flush line to meter in flush water. That way you take the guess work out of adding too much or just the right amount of flush water.

That is what I use to pre-charge the black tank prior to use and during the flush, fill and dump procedure.

[WDPatterson]

Originally Posted by hlh1

Today was my first time to dump the black tank and all seemed to go well, but now I seem to have a lot of "urine" like smell around the toilet area.

I dumped the Black tank and used a "Valtera" (I think it is) to back fill the black tank and released the water 3 times until all was clear. I let the hose run about 2 minutes and then let it release to clean things out. The black tank is 37 gallons and wonder if I may have over filled it with the Valtera? I've looked under the TT and have no water dripping. I opened up the panel under the shower next to the toilet and see nothing wet in the area below. There was no water around the toilet anywhere. I used a bucket to dump about 10 gallons of water back into the black tank after dumping it and added some septic enzyme. I'm leaving about an inch of water over the toilet valve.

Maybe this is just normal? But I didn't have this smell before. Am I missing something? If I did "back flood" the black tank where should I look to find any issues?

thanks!!

Does your shower/bath also drain into the black tank??

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Camp CA

Consider installing a low-cost, in-line turbine meter (like a $17 P3 P0550 Water Meter) on the black tank flush line to meter in flush water. That way you will never overflow the black tank and takes the guess work out of adding water.

That is what I use to pre-charge the black tank prior to use and during fill and dump procedure.

Just as a clarification, unless that "in-line turbine meter" has an automatic shutoff (that's working) you'll still overflow your black tank if you walk away and forget what you're doing.... All a meter will do for you in that situation is tell you how many buckets of water are in the belly of your trailer and dripping from the belly...

[Camp CA]

Just to add.........never turn on flush water to a black tank and walk away, even if you have a a meter.

[hlh1]

Let me answer/comment in order:

You and I were thinking similarly on the water meter and I just received one yesterday just so I could track the water amount and not accidentally flood it.

The Shower/bath drains into it's own gray tank and there is a second gray tank for the kitchen sink.

Yes, I hear ya, never walk away from a back washing black tank. Over filling could be disastrous.

[LCrabtree]

We had the Dometic 300. It is a POS. If yours is plastic it is the 300 model. Replace it with the 310 model. It bolts right on so long as the wall clearances are typical.


The 300 has a serious design flaw (a square cut ‘O’ ring that has to seal both vertically and laterally. It WILL leak, and when it does urine and water collect between the inner and outer bowl and stinks noxiously. I repaired ours 3 times without satisfaction, and yes, Dometic does not supply drawings or parts.


We have had NO PROBLEMS at all with the 310 (porcelain) model!

Originally Posted by JRTJH

There are two "toilet seals" on the Dometic toilets. One is the seal that fits on the base/floor adapter and seals the water/waste going down the toilet and prevents black tank gasses from "seeping up into the bathroom" around the base/floor adapter...

The other seal, the one that Dometic had issues with, is between the base and the toilet bowl. IT IS NOT REPLACEABLE, although there are a few "stubborn owners" who have pulled the toilet apart, cleaned up the space, resealed with a "homemade gasket and lots of gobbed silicone" and achieved success... I don't have any reliable statistics, but I'd guess for every "successful owner" there are likely 10 that get frustrated and give up, can't get the gasket to work, break the plastic base or strip out the threads trying to get the bowl tight enough so it won't leak.... So, proceed at your own peril....

Dometic did have a program to send owners with the bowl/base leak issue a replacement toilet. I don't remember the dates they approve or disapprove, but if the base/floor gasket doesn't fix the problem, before you go spending $200 for a new toilet, give Dometic a call and see if your toilet is included in their replacement program.

Oh yes, and the base/floor seal is not a wax seal, it's a specialized foam seal, so don't attempt an "aftermarket make-do from the plumbing department at the local hardware store"....