How to Replace a Rocking RV Toilet
RV toilets are not attached to the floor. They are attached to a flange -- a heavy resin ring -- which is in turn attached to the floor. If a toilet is rocking, this may be caused either by the toilet becoming detached from the flange, or by the flange becoming detached from the floor. Replacing a rocking toilet may not be necessary; simply retightening the loosened fasteners will usually do the job. Both retightening and replacing follow the same procedure.
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Things You'll Need
- Crescent wrench
- Knife
- Watch-maker's screwdriver (optional)
- Flashlight
- Socket set with extension bar
- Replacement fasteners (optional)
Instructions
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1
Turn off the supply of water to the toilet's flush mechanism. If there is any doubt as to the location of the isolation tap, simply remove the RV from the city water hookup and turn off the 12-volt water pump. Flush the toilet to relieve any water pressure in the pipes. Use a crescent wrench to loosen and remove the nut at the rear of the toilet, toward its base, that holds the water supply pipe in place. Make sure any water in the bowl is allowed to drop into the holding tank.
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Consult the toilet owner's manual supplied with all the documents delivered with your RV. Different manufacturers use slightly varying attachment systems, but all are basically alike. Typically the toilet is attached to the flange using two upside-down bolts fed through the flange from underneath before it is attached to the floor; to free a toilet from this system remove the nuts from the upside-down bolts.
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3
Look down at the top of the toilet and imagine a clock face; the bolts are usually located at the two-o-clock and eight-o-clock positions. Gain access to the upside-down nut/bolt assemblies by removing two plugs in the top of the toilet bowl rim. These plugs are flush, smooth and sometimes difficult to find. They can look like one-inch wide round casting seams. Pry the plugs out of the access ports with a knife blade or watch-maker's screwdriver, taking care not to damage the plugs or the surrounding material. Some manufacturers only have one access port with a plug; the other upside-down nut/bolt assembly is under the foot pedal at the front of the toilet.
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4
Use a flashlight to look down into the toilet through the access ports and locate the upside-down nut/bolt assemblies; they should be immediately below the ports. Gauge the size of the nuts, and use an extension bar on a socket driver to offer up a socket to the nuts. It may be necessary to try a few sockets before one fits over the nut; a half-inch socket is a good starting point.
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Attempt to turn the nuts clockwise. This will tighten them if they are loose; if the toilet is rocking because the upside-down nut/bolt assemblies have come loose, tightening them will resolve the problem. If they cannot be tightened, then the problem is that the flange has come loose from the floor. In that case, turn the nuts counterclockwise until they come away from the threaded bolts, then lift the toilet straight upward off the floor and the flange, and remove it from the work area.
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Determine whether the flange is loose because the fasteners holding it to the floor have become loose, or because the floor beneath it has rotted. If the fasteners are loose, try retightening them by turning them clockwise. If they spin in their holes rather than tightening, replace them with new fasteners that are the same length but of a much heavier gauge. For instance, replace size 12 screws with size 8 lag bolts. If the floor is too soft to take even beefed-up fasteners, replace at least that section around the pipe down into the black water tank.
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7
Replace the toilet on the re-secured flange in an exact reversal of the removal method. Once all the bolts are tight, sit on the toilet to compress the connections, then recheck the assemblies for tightness. Reconnect the water supply.
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Tips & Warnings
If time and location permit, dump the contents of the black water tank and thoroughly flush it out before beginning this project.
It is often good preventative maintenance to replace the sealing ring between the base of the toilet and the flange when the toilet is removed, even if it is not leaking.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
