Toilet Won"t Hold Water

[jeffo]

I have a 2013 thetford aqua-magic style II that was in our motor home when we bought it new. It has never held water in the bowl. I had the RV back to CW for some other warranty work and I mentioned this to them and when I picked it up they told me it just needed cleaned (It had never been used yet) but it did have water in when I picked it up. however the next time I flushed it was back to leaking down. I just recently bought a new seal and installed it and it still leaks. I can snap the pedal a couple of times and let it snap back it will hold. Is there a spring on the ball valve that might be weak?

[stevenal]

A little silicone grease on a cotton swab works well for flush valves as well as drain valves.

[2oldman]

ljhl wrote:
When my toilet doesn’t hold water in the bowl I pour a cup or two of white vinegar into the bowl..

Thanks! That did the trick, for now. I'll try using vinegar as maintenance too.

With a gloved hand I reached underneath the rubber gasket and it felt rough. Not sure it's supposed to be that way.

[fischer]

Mine was doing the same . I read somewhere that the rubber was catching. The fix was to apply Vaseline. On the rubber. Worked fine now.

[ljhl]

When my toilet doesn’t hold water in the bowl I pour a cup or two of white vinegar into the bowl. The vinegar will seep past the rubber seal at the same place the water seeps out. The vinegar may melt away the hard water deposits that are causing the leak. I’ve had great luck with vinegar in my Sealand toilet. I keep a gallon jug of vinegar on the floor behind my toilet and put some vinegar in the bowl from time to time as preventative maintenance.

[Dutch_12078]

2oldman wrote:
Leaking toilets almost always need replacing to stop leaking. Other remedies are temporary at best.

Is it "temporary" when cleaning mineral and other deposits off the seal stops the leak down issue for 2-3 years? Or do you suggest replacing the entire toilet with a new one that may also start leaking down in 2-3 years in hard water conditions? Do you own stock in Thetford/Norcold? 😉

[BobsYourUncle]

Mine does the same thing.

I have to side step the pedal to let it snap shut in order for it to hold water. One day I'll try fixing it....

[doxiemom11]

Yes - there is a spring in the foot pedal for the toilet. It if gets weak, the pedal will not raise back up enough to get a good seal. Yes - replace that spring.

[accsys]

There is a spring on the back side of the toilet that could be weak as you said or there could be other binding of the mechanism.. The only way to replace it is to take the toilet off the floor, replace the spring and flange seal, then bolt it back down. Ours is doing the same thing but I can lift the pedal with the top of my foot after flushing and the seal holds water. When we get back home from our current trip, I will replace the spring and flange seal, less than a half-hour job. The spring and flange seal are available from Amazon as a kit.

[2oldman]

Leaking toilets almost always need replacing to stop leaking. Other remedies are temporary at best.

[enblethen]

Brand new!
Take it back there is something wrong with the unit!

[shastagary]

I sprayed a liberal dose of silicone spray on all moving parts and pivot points and it cured mine snaps back nice now and holds water.

[jeffo]

there is nothing to scape or brush out,it is brand new

[downtheroad]

All good advice and ideas from the above posters. I use a bush like this from Walmart (less than $2.00). It's soft enough that it won't harm the seal.

I put a bigger string on it and loop that around my wrist so that I don't drop it down into the tank..Works great.

[wolfe10]

Actually, I prefer a Popsicle stick to a coat hanger to clean the seal.

Less likely to tear the seal.