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Thetford toilet sewer smell

nextlevel
Explorer
Explorer
I have a 2011 Puma trailer. I am dealing with sewer smell coming from behind the toilet. Does this mean I have a bad toilet to floor seal? I have done everything I know to do for the black water tank but even after I clean the tank, one week later I start getting this smell.
21 REPLIES 21

nextlevel
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks, Pauldub, that sounds like the thing to do. I was leaning that way. Started smelling bad again last night.

mobilefleet
Explorer
Explorer
nextlevel wrote:
I don't have a backflush option on this trailer. I bought a flexible wand to go into the toilet. Seems to work well.
I also do not put the paper into the tank. I keep a small trash can by the toilet with a spring loaded lid. I put a plastic bag inside the can and put all of the paper into the trash can. It never smells and I can use whatever paper I want to. I got the idea from another RV owner.



you don't need the option. Flush king isn't a permanently installed tank flusher. It's used on your tank valve just like you'd put your sewer hose on. It's got its own valve that you keep closed, you simply put it on and then open your trailer's black valve,and then backflush using a garden hose. NONE of the other tank gizmos I've tried, including factory installed tank flushers, have come even close to cleaning as good as one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-F02-4350-Reverse-Flush-Valve/dp/B008O9DV78/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506482798&sr=8-3&keywords=flush+king

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
pauldub wrote:
If the toilet is working correctly, it doesn't matter how dirty or stinky your tank may be so don't get distracted by everyone wanting you to clean your tank. I have zero odor leakage after discarding my Aqua Magic and replacing it with a Thetford Style II. Replacing the flange gasket didn't help. Somewhere in the housing of the Aqua Magic is a leak and the whole housing is open to the tank. The leak may be around the flush pedal linkage. You'll see how lousy of a design the toilet is when you pull it out. There's no sealed connection between the bowl and waste chute. If you look online for pricing (hint PPL), you'll see that there's no reason to buy the Aqua Magic over the higher end Style II.


Finally; someone bringing some sanity back into the conversation.

Like what was said above; it's really, really simple; you have a leak somewhere. What is not going to be so simple is finding that leak.

Good luck in finding it. They can be difficult in tracking down.
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

pauldub
Explorer
Explorer
If the toilet is working correctly, it doesn't matter how dirty or stinky your tank may be so don't get distracted by everyone wanting you to clean your tank. I have zero odor leakage after discarding my Aqua Magic and replacing it with a Thetford Style II. Replacing the flange gasket didn't help. Somewhere in the housing of the Aqua Magic is a leak and the whole housing is open to the tank. The leak may be around the flush pedal linkage. You'll see how lousy of a design the toilet is when you pull it out. There's no sealed connection between the bowl and waste chute. If you look online for pricing (hint PPL), you'll see that there's no reason to buy the Aqua Magic over the higher end Style II.

nextlevel
Explorer
Explorer
I don't have a backflush option on this trailer. I bought a flexible wand to go into the toilet. Seems to work well.
I also do not put the paper into the tank. I keep a small trash can by the toilet with a spring loaded lid. I put a plastic bag inside the can and put all of the paper into the trash can. It never smells and I can use whatever paper I want to. I got the idea from another RV owner.

mobilefleet
Explorer
Explorer
I have the same toilet model. I suggest if you have never tried one, buy a flush king and backflush the tank several times. It's the best thing I've found for black tanks. Gets all the gunk, paper etc out of there which causes smell. Toilet tank treatments are a waste of money. Always keep water in the black tank and make sure there's water in the toilet bowl. The tank vent on the roof as suggested previously is a good thing to check also.

nextlevel
Explorer
Explorer
I do have the Aqua Magic V. The flush valve to bowl gasket seems good. It holds water fine. I don't know of any other gasket that can smell on this toilet except the flange seal. Chrisntims indicated that there is another one somewhere near the top on the backside. Where?

nextlevel
Explorer
Explorer
I cannot see the vent pipe coming out of the tank. It must be on top. Anyway, I drained the tank again and now for about a week 5 days everything seems fine. I did check the roof vents again. There are 3 vents and I cleaned all of them again.
I did call Thetford toilets and the tech told me that a deteriorated flange seal might not leak water but could certainly leak fumes. I ordered one and will change it out this weekend. It is 7 years old after all.
After the last episode I stuck a rag behind the toilet and packed it in real good. Maybe that is why I haven't had a smell recently.

danimal53
Explorer
Explorer
i have a thetford toilet as well, and I occasionally get a smell. the gasket between the flush valve and bowl doesn't seem to seal right, the bowl doesn't even hold water (you can hear water dribble right through and of course, watch the water just drain away). I tried cleaning the seal, and even used a little silicon grease to get a better seal, but it was definitely a temporary solution. it helped for a bit, but now right back to what it was. I'm likely going to replace the gasket or the whole toilet next season.
2010 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
2016 Coachman Clipper 17BH

bartlettj
Explorer
Explorer
There are two gaskets that can cause a gas leakage in a toilet- one is the floor flange to base gasket, and the other is the flush valve to bowl gasket. Some toilets have an additional gasket between the riser and the bowl, but not all. Replace all the gaskets, I've only had mine last 4-5 years before they stop being gas tight.

The tank is always going to stink, it's designed to do that- it's a big tank full of poop. The trick is to keep the stink confined to the tank and/or vent, out of the bathroom.


I like to wait until the winter to maintain my toilet, then the smell isn't so bad when I have to remove it.

chrisntims
Explorer
Explorer
I had same problem with Aqua magic V toilet. I did the flushing of tank two years ago, did not help. Changed floor seal last year, thought that fixed it. Then got the smell again this year. I read about that there is a seal on the back of the toilet near top that tends to leak after a few years. It can not be replaced. I went to Amazon bought a new Aqua Magi V for around $120 dollars and a Cyclone vent cover for around $20. Less than two hours to install both. That was in the spring of this year and no smells... fingers crossed.
2018 Chevy Colorado
2008 Jayco Jay Feather G2 20BH

pauldub
Explorer
Explorer
What model toilet do you have? My Thetford AquaMagic IV leaked sewer odor. It's a crummy toilet design that is prone to leaking stinky odor.

carringb
Explorer
Explorer
Where does you vent run? Is it possible the vent pipe isn't properly sealed to the tank?

Behind the toilet is a strange source.
2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST

campigloo
Explorer
Explorer
Check the vent going through the roof