A few years ago I had a leak at the fresh water fitting of the toilet in the Roadtrek. That was primarily a nuisance because it is a wet bath and any water is contained within (unless it overwhelms the volume of the bath area and gray tank).
I solved that problem with a little TFE paste which is suitable for use on nylon fittings. I posted a video at the time about this.
Recently we had a slightly different and much more serious problem with a Thetford toilet. The fresh water valve failed to close. As is often true with "Murphy's Law" the problem occured at night, at the "most inopportune time". Gradually the toilet bowl filled and overflowed. We didn't hear it. In the middle of the night we discovered water was flowing out of the bathroom.
[Note: this post is not about the pluses or minuses of a Thetford. We like our "made in USA" Thetfords and wouldn't change them for anything. We have three rigs (two are Lily Pads and in all there are four Thetford toilets). In fact when we decided to change a toilet recently we went with a Thetford Aqua-Magic II. A contractor recommended another brand and we said "No". So I purchased and installed the toilet myself. $153.12, delivered price. ]
Now, unlike the toilet in a sticks n' bricks abode, RVs generally don't have a shutoff for the fresh water inlet to the toilet. So when we discovered we had a toilet fresh water issue I had to run outside and turn off all water to the rig. The water had to stay off until I could resolve the issue with the toilet. Of course, we could have turned on the fresh water pump when water was necessary but that too is risky. (Note: We did turn off the hot water heater "better safe than sorry" if the level in the heater fell.).
I decided that we needed a shutoff valve for the toilet. But that's easier said than done with such tight quarters. Not only is there limited space for a valve, there is also limited space to operate it.
I wanted something that would not require modification of the PEX piping.
I did find a very small valve with an easy slide "off-on" feature and decided to try it. I decided it would be easy to operate in the blind, by touch and without the ability to observe the valve, and it is! Cost? $8.60. It is a "KES Shower Head Shut-Off Valve Ball Valve 1/2-Inch NPT BRASS Polished Chrome, KUS1140B"
Here are a few photos:
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| Toilet fresh water inlet - no valve. |
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| Photo of the valve, to give an idea of the size |
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| Suppliers photo of the valve. |
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| Photo with valve installed. Fits well and works "wonderfully" and I don't have to see it to operate it. |
Original material: https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/
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