Thetford cassette toilet problem

[AZsix]

I have a slight problem with my Thedford cassette toilet. It has a round knob that opens the bottom of the bowl allowing drainage into the cassette. When you push down on the handle the chemicals come out to flush it. Last month it stopped working for about three hours and then started again without me doing anything do it. It worked fine this past weekend until Saturday night and quit again. All the wires are attached (at least that I can see) and it is wired into a circuit breaker which was not tripped. I did try resetting it a few times and that didn't help. My electrical control panel is near the floor under the dinette (poor placement as someone usually hits the ac/off/battery switch while sitting at the table) and I plan on taking that off thinking that maybe a wire came lose back there. Has anyone else had this problem? Any help would be appreciated. I have a month to get it working before the next planned trip.

[ForestCreature]

Ours stopped "flushing" too last year. There is a flasher fuse that controls the flush. I removed it and put it back and it started working again.

Here's the link to Thetfords repair info.
http://www.thetford-europe.com/web/show/id=51498/langid=42

[AZsix]

Ours stopped "flushing" too last year. There is a flasher fuse that controls the flush. I removed it and put it back and it started working again.

Here's the link to Thetfords repair info.
http://www.thetford-europe.com/web/show/id=51498/langid=42

My manual shows a fuse but the diagram doesn't match the actual product. There are nothing but wires were the diagram says the fuse should be. It seems as though it is wired directly to the circuit breaker. I'll check the link to see if it looks any different from my manual. Thanks.

[AZsix]

I went to the link, found my toilet, pulled up the photos and it shows a fuse. I looked under mine and reached around everywhere and nowhere can I find the black fuse holder that I am supposed to unscrew.

[ForestCreature]

That damned little black fuse holdeer is hiding to make all of us cassette owners nuts. I did have to replace ours come to think of it. They are really hiding. It was under a little black cap, almost knob looking. If you can wiggle your head in to look,(use a flashlight) you'll see where it is, then back out and start fishing with your hands...it was early last year and I'm thinking it was before the flasher fuse twords the rear side of the seat..but not 100% sure.

Also we dismantled the flush knob and gave that a good cleaning.it really wasnt that dirty..who knows what made it all start working again for sure , but it works. We don't get the pulse flush but it flushes, actually a little better.

We found that 3 amp fuse at a small local hardware, the big box stores did not have it. when you find it buy 2.

[He Ruide]

Gary,  Good luck on solving your flushing problem.  

Now I noted that you said "When you push down on the handle the chemicals come out to flush it." I not sure if you meant to say "water" instead of "chemicals", but if not I would like to mention that you should not be flushing with anything other than water.  Thetford mentions a chemical that you can add to the flush water, however, that chemical is not available in the US.  Using any other chemical runs the risk of your damaging the seals.

Hope this helps.

Ruide

[AZsix]

Gary,  Good luck on solving your flushing problem.  

Now I noted that you said "When you push down on the handle the chemicals come out to flush it." I not sure if you meant to say "water" instead of "chemicals", but if not I would like to mention that you should not be flushing with anything other than water.  Thetford mentions a chemical that you can add to the flush water, however, that chemical is not available in the US.  Using any other chemical runs the risk of your damaging the seals.

Hope this helps.

Ruide

I was talking the water but we have been using a blue additive. (forget the manufacturer) Have I been wrong in using that? The manual mentions using it and I'm sure that they (like all manufacturers of anything) say to use only "their" product. Am I the only one adding anything to the flush water?

[AZsix]

That damned little black fuse holdeer is hiding to make all of us cassette owners nuts. I did have to replace ours come to think of it. They are really hiding. It was under a little black cap, almost knob looking. If you can wiggle your head in to look,(use a flashlight) you'll see where it is, then back out and start fishing with your hands...it was early last year and I'm thinking it was before the flasher fuse twords the rear side of the seat..but not 100% sure.

Also we dismantled the flush knob and gave that a good cleaning.it really wasnt that dirty..who knows what made it all start working again for sure , but it works. We don't get the pulse flush but it flushes, actually a little better.

We found that 3 amp fuse at a small local hardware, the big box stores did not have it. when you find it buy 2.

I can't fit my head in there but I reached back as far as I could and couldn't feel any knob. In the diagram it shows the cassette sliding out from the left side (as you look at it) and mine slides out from the right side. It seems as though the fuse is on the left side. I'm hoping that's all it is. I'll have to use an extendable mirror and take a look back there.

Thanks for the help.

[mike4947]

I was talking the water but we have been using a blue additive. (forget the manufacturer) Have I been wrong in using that? The manual mentions using it and I'm sure that they (like all manufacturers of anything) say to use only "their" product. Am I the only one adding anything to the flush water?

The manual was written for European usage. The chemical they recommend for use in the fresh water take is not available/legal for use in the US.
Thedford recommends NOT using any other chemicals in the fresh water tank to prevent any damage to the unit.
 
As a side note the biggest problem we've found with any small toilets is folks using way to much chemical. They half read the label and use the amount recommended, but don't read that it's for a 40 gallon black tank.

[He Ruide]

Gary, I would encourage you to drain and flush out the water tank and refill with just water.

Ruide

[tlhdoc]

Use the chemicals, but but it in the waste tank.

[coleman413c]

I own a '97 Starcraft Starmaster pop-up with that very same cassette toilet. Mine started acting up two years ago. I found that fuse holder immediately but it has to be unscrewed and screwed back in by feel only. I could see it looking up at an angle with a flashlight but the space was so tight, my hand barely fit in there. Those fuses I found at Radio Shack being as they were a special size. It was blown. I also thought it was the flasher unit but it wasn't. After I replaced that fuse, it worked until the 2nd to last day of camping.

When I got home, I proceeded to remove the whole assembly and see if there were any bare or loose wires. Nothing. Played with it some more, used a 12V tester and finally got current and it worked. I re-installed it back into the trailer. Last year, toilet took a "dump", so to speak. Just quit working. Took out the fuse holder, it was fine. After playing with it some more, just decided to remove the toilet assembly from the trailer, while camping, and tested the pump. Nothing. Okay. Waited until I got home. Learned the hard way, that model was discontinued a few years ago. I asked my dealer if it can be rebuilt. They said yes and I took it in. It was the pump that failed. They replaced it and I requested that they bypass that screw-in fuse holder and splice in an in-line fuse holder that utilizes the blade type fuse and route it towards the access door. Much easier to check and replace if needed. Toilet works great now.

[AZsix]

OK, I still can't find the fuse. The only thing I can find is something that seems like a diaphragm of some sort. It is soft and it's held on with a blue plastic clip. It's possible the fuse is under that but I seem to doubt it. I have attached a link to pictures of the unit. The pictures of the yellow piece I am talking about aren't the greatest but you can see it ok. There are a bunch of wires that are pictured and I was wondering if the fuse was in there somewhere. Is it also possible that there is not fuse and it's direct wired? I may have to take it to a professional if I can't get it working. Thanks to all of those who have offered advice so far.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sixinaz/Thetford

[coleman413c]

Looking at the last picture of the toilet in your trailer compartment, my fuse holder was on the right side, at the top between the toilet and the compartment wall, screwed in from underneath. It is a black round cap that screws in or is a bayonet-type twist lock. The same type of fuse holder found on many electrical apparatus such as an amplifier, older stereo components, etc. But as someone posted earlier, you have to go by feel to remove it. That is the easy part. Putting it back in is much worse. You can't look at it and remove it at the same time unless the whole toilet assembly is removed from its trailer location. It looks like my cassette toilet is a slightly later model but not by much.

[AZsix]

Looking at the last picture of the toilet in your trailer compartment, my fuse holder was on the right side, at the top between the toilet and the compartment wall, screwed in from underneath. It is a black round cap that screws in or is a bayonet-type twist lock. The same type of fuse holder found on many electrical apparatus such as an amplifier, older stereo components, etc. But as someone posted earlier, you have to go by feel to remove it. That is the easy part. Putting it back in is much worse. You can't look at it and remove it at the same time unless the whole toilet assembly is removed from its trailer location. It looks like my cassette toilet is a slightly later model but not by much.

I have looked with the mirror and have seen nothing and put my hands everywhere that they will fit to no avail. I'll try again but my fear is that I am knocking myself out looking for something that isn't there. My pup is an 88 and maybe they didn't have fuses back then and just wired directly into the circuit breaker. I'll try some more.