Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

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chin_k
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by chin_k »

$25 for dumping, they better do that for me without me touching anything. At least come with free gloves, lotion for your hands, and a glass of champagne. Maybe that is not the right place to enjoy champagne....

Seriously, I just want to add that one thing to remember is never leave the black tank completely dry before you use it for #2. I always keep some water in there even when my sewage hose is attached to the septic at camp site (I leave the black tank valve closed after draining, then flush some water down). This is because the solid will dry out they do not "reconstitute" properly if you add water later. You seem to have a plumbing problem, not a TP problem. Does water stays on top of the seal after you flush?
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Bett
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Bett »

chin_k wrote: May 15th, 2019, 11:59 am $25 for dumping, they better do that for me without me touching anything. At least come with free gloves, lotion for your hands, and a glass of champagne. Maybe that is not the right place to enjoy champagne....
:D :geek:
Seriously, I just want to add that one thing to remember is never leave the black tank completely dry before you use it for #2. I always keep some water in there even when my sewage hose is attached to the septic at camp site (I leave the black tank valve closed after draining, then flush some water down). This is because the solid will dry out they do not "reconstitute" properly if you add water later. You seem to have a plumbing problem, not a TP problem. Does water stays on top of the seal after you flush?
my water pump was broken when I picked it up. I knew that. So it was manual flushing with water from jugs.

And no, the water will not stay in the bowl, it leaks down into the tank. When I realized this while on my trip home, I bought a tiny silicone collapsible food bowl and put that upside down over the flap trying to keep it ‘sealed’ (smell wise) as best I could. Plus Lysol sprays. :mrgreen: Didn’t work too well.

Now it’s completely empty again. Smells like the boys bathroom. 😢
Last edited by Bett on May 15th, 2019, 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Blue~Go
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Blue~Go »

Here is an easy quick fix I have used when seal doesn't keep water in the bowl (until you replace the seal). Take a small trash bag and line the bowl (no need to "unfurl" bag; you can just place it flat in the bowl). Now pour a bit of fresh water in on top of the bag. Water stays in bowl and you can see how the trapped water eliminates odor (will be same effect with new seal). I use the small Purring trash bags in the Chinook as they are a great size and I had too many leaky bags with used grocery store bags (now I bring my own bags to grocery store).

The new seals are improved materials, as a bonus.

Oh, and important! Pre 2000 RV toilets had to have vent holes. They apparently also had tiny little traps, but I can't imagine water staying in those long. When my seals were fine I would still smell black tank with some direction of wind (downdraft). Learned about those holes, which my toilet has (up under the rim either side of center, toward the back of the bowl). I later found out they make plugs for them (nowadays), but what I did was clean the bowl well and then cut circles of the aluminum tape (actual metal) that you would use for Reflectix or etc. I placed them over the holes. Four years later, still no issues. You can't normally see them as they up are under the rim. So that may also be an issue (but water does need to stay in the bowl too).
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Scott
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Scott »

So I installed a new toilet for four reasons: 1) The original was turning yellower by the day. 2) The stock Aquamagic IV had a silly (stinky) overflow/trap (I can elaborate if anyone cares, but it wasn't very magical). 3) It was a tad too high for my girlfriend as mounted on the elevated section of the Chinook shower. 4) The flapper seal had a slow leak (fixable but no thanks).

Any one of those things alone wouldn't have been enough motivation to replace it, but all four together made it an easy decision. The $112 replacement is an Aquamagic V, low version. It came with hardware and a new gasket. The "parchment" tone is a fine match for the shower's gelcoat.
Turned off the water, removed the 1/2" FIP water connection at the back (it's a swivel and was removable by hand), removed the two nuts that hold the toilet down, then lifted it out of the shower. Five minute job. The gasket was nitrile rubber (not wax like a residential toilet) and was in surprisingly good condition for its age.

Since the new throne is a few inches lower, and the profile at the rear is a bit different, the stock plumbing wasn't going to work. I cut everything off a few inches from the shower wall, converted from PB to PEX, installed a shiny new 1/4-turn stop valve, and a stainless braided hose (3/8 compression x 1/2 FIP, 12 inches). Cleaned up the flange, popped on a new gasket, tightened down the toilet, and we were back in business.

A little more info if you're bored. My 1994 Premier is plumbed with PB piping (polybutylene). I think Chinooks after 1997 or so have PEX (polyethylene). PB fittings are no longer available, and the piping isn't compatible with current PEX fittings, so an adapter is required to fit PEX parts. It's pretty easy to do.

PEX replaced PB mostly because of faulty (brittle) polymer fittings used in its first generation released in the late seventies, which resulted in leaks and a class action suit (uht oh). After these failures were discovered, PB systems switched to brass fittings which are quite robust in contrast and had relatively few failures; installation techniques were mostly to blame for the later failures. All of the fittings I've seen in my Chinook are brass and look properly installed/crimped. Also, water quality was to blame for some piping failures (pH and chlorine levels). PEX systems have had their issues too, mostly involving broken fittings made of yellow brass, which is susceptible to certain water chemistries that can cause the leaching of zinc from the parent metal. In some cases, poor installation has resulted in PEX failures as well. FYI, crimping of plumbing (and electrical) connections is actually a fairly precise procedure so get a good crimper if you're going to work with the stuff. To sum up, PEX is probably overall better than PB but has its issues if yellow brass fittings are used or if it's sloppily assembled. PB is fine too as long as the fittings are brass and chlorine levels are low.

This focuses more on PEX, but interesting reading: https://www.pexuniverse.com/problems-pe ... d-fix-them
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Bett »

Thank you, Blue. Your reply is very thoughtful and educational. Thank you for your time and energy. You should write a book for those of us on the rookie crew...I mean that with all seriousness.
Blue~Go wrote: May 15th, 2019, 11:18 am I'm trying to imagine where there is only one $25 dump station. Not saying it's not true, but that's unusual. You said near Redwood City, right? Quick look on Sani Dump shows more possibilities. If this link doesn't work, just google sani dump redwood city, then click on the google map icon once you get to the link.

https://www.sanidumps.com/maps/index.php?id=18

https://www.sanidumps.com/rvdumpscity.p ... tyradius=2

In general some municipal sewer places have free or reasonable dumps. Also some gas stations (may be cheaper or free if you buy gas at same time). RV parks often let you dump for a fee if not camping there. State parks etc. also and they can be cheaper or free depending on state. Rest areas may have a dump station. Granted I don't hang out in the Bay Area too often, but I probably haven't paid $100 per year in the last four years. I don't go out of my way to be cheap either.
That link is terrific - there are places there that I had not seen on any of the lists I was given. I’ll check with a few and see what’s up. The manager at the RV Park where I dumped told me Half Moon Bay is closed to the public now and so are several other nearby dump stations have taken the same route recently.

With the exorbitant cost of housing here in the Bay Area, we have had an explosion of RV dwellers forced into mobile living because the traditional rental market is nuts. $3,000 and up for studio apartments and that is when they are available. I grew up here and the changes are heartbreaking. I’ll have no choice but to relocate in the next few years. 😞

Anyway, there is an entire set of new challenges that this RV boom brings with it. Real problems and perceived problems; real trouble or sometimes just prejudice by the NIMBY crowd. There is no parking available and towns are passing ordinances left and right to make overnight parking illegal.

I was told by an RV park manager that the private parks have police coming in and looking at the logs of which people have been dumping, because apparently some of these campers dump illegally under the cover of the night, and it’s causing huge complaints from nearby residents (of course!) .

So now LE is involved and in trying to make cases, the private parks want no part of this and are scared of litigation. So they just shut the stations down to the public and only park guests can use the dump stations.

Next week I’ll go through the nearby sites on that list and see what I can find out.

Thanks again for the help, I do appreciate it!
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Bett
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Bett »

Scott wrote: May 15th, 2019, 4:56 pm So I installed a new toilet for four reasons: 1) The original was turning yellower by the day. 2) The stock Aquamagic IV had a silly (stinky) overflow/trap (I can elaborate if anyone cares, but it wasn't very magical). 3) It was a tad too high for my girlfriend as mounted on the elevated section of the Chinook shower. 4) The flapper seal had a slow leak (fixable but no thanks).

Any one of those things alone wouldn't have been enough motivation to replace it, but all four together made it an easy decision. The $112 replacement is an Aquamagic V, low version. It came with hardware and a new gasket. The "parchment" tone is a fine match for the shower's gelcoat
Thank you Scott. I appreciate the recommendation.

As I haven’t had a chance to use my Chinook at all after driving her home, I don’t know how she would be smell-wise once everything is connected. But this toilet is also very yellowed and scratched up and just, well, yucky. I went home today on my lunch and took a good look inside the Chinook. Although I am cool with accepting many of her imperfections I truly hate this toilet :lol:

I admit I am bringing to this Chinook RV toilet a household toilet mentality. I actually know nothing about maintaining either of them, except that as a life-long renter I always change out the toilet seat immediately. So I guess I am also cosmetically focused on this stinker beyond the smell.

Any work done on her now and for the immediate future will be by professional techs. I would like to learn to do some things myself but now isn’t the time. I want to rip off the bandaid, pay the $$$ to the repair shop to get her to a well sealed, everything-is-working place and enjoy her before Fall comes.

There are lots of problems with this rig I didn’t see in my excitement. The realization that this is going to be a money pit is sinking in. I also want to have the fiberglass restored (made pretty again) and repaint all the stripes. I can live with the ugly teal upholstery for now with a good detailing.

But the more I think about this 25 year old crapper, I realize this toilet is going to be my first replacement item instead of having it repaired. I’ll just feel better.

Thanks for the input and wonderful detailed answers. I appreciate it!
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Bett »

Blue~Go wrote: May 15th, 2019, 1:05 pm Here is an easy quick fix I have used when seal doesn't keep water in the bowl (until you replace the seal). Take a small trash bag and line the bowl (no need to "unfurl" bag; you can just place it flat in the bowl). Now pour a bit of fresh water in on top of the bag. Water stays in bowl and you can see how the trapped water eliminates odor (will be same effect with new seal)......

Oh, and important! Pre 2000 RV toilets had to have vent holes
That is a great tip! I tried to use a little silicone collapsing dog food bowl I bought at a Love’s truck stop make a ‘seal’. 🤣 It definitely helped but didn’t solve the issue.

Now if I would have done that on my trip, I wonder what I would have felt about the smell in the rig? I’m concerned that the toilet seal isn’t the only issue but no use borrowing trouble. I’ll soon find out what’s going on.
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Blue~Go
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Blue~Go »

If the toilet is yellowed and scratched it's probably plastic (vs. porcelain) and nothing too special. In that case I'd likely replace it too. In later years (at least by my year) the Concourse was given a porcelain toilet vs. the plastic one in the Premier but maybe that had not kicked in yet by your year.

Two things you might want to look for:

1) A low base model, because our toilets sit up on a platform (unless you are super tall). The platform plus a low base essentially equal a typical height toilet.

2) Not the oh-so-currently-popular elongated bowl, because the shower is cramped enough already with the regular "round" bowl.
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Re: Buying a new toilet for 1995 Concourse

Post by Bett »

Blue~Go wrote: May 16th, 2019, 8:39 pm Two things you might want to look for:

1) A low base model, because our toilets sit up on a platform (unless you are super tall). The platform plus a low base essentially equal a typical height toilet.

2) Not the oh-so-currently-popular elongated bowl, because the shower is cramped enough already with the regular "round" bowl.
Thanks! I did scroll through this thread again and another, and noted a few people ordered replacement toilets that required changing the plumbing around a bit.

Is there a particular toilet that anyone can recommend that matches the current plumbing set up in a 1995 Concourse? I don’t want to pay $600 to replace the seals on this one to the place that has it right now (ugh) but I can’t get into the other local RV place for a few weeks.

I have a neighbor who is a plumber and does side work. I thought if he can do it, I’d rather go with your recommendations than have him choose one (he’s not an RV guy).

Thanks!
“Don’t believe everything you think.”
1995 Chinook Concourse club dinette
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