At last weekend's Eribafolk jollification, Frantone lowered the tone of the conversation somewhat by relating advice given to him by someone at the recent EOC rally at La Rochelle. It's a somewhat distasteful but nevertheless serious topic, so please bear with me.

Apparently, someone at the rally had commented that when he went to remove his toilet cassette, he invariably got a wet hand and had to dry off the cassette, the externally-accessed toilet compartment and his hand too I suppose, due to seepage of contents. Said person had replaced his toilet cassette at considerable expense but without success. The noxious moisture persisted.

Expert (?) advice given was along the lines that when using the toilet, the sliding seal should first be opened allowing natural discharges to be made directly into the holding tank and not onto the surface of the seal. Then, when relief has been gained, the user should squirt in some flushing water, close the flap pretty sharpish and finally squirt a couple more flushes into the pan to seal and deodorise the unit. Tony then added further detailed information that I will spare you as it made me feel ill.

This was a revelation to me as I (and I suspect many others) leave the flap closed in use, opening it only after relief has been gained.

But (and here's the rub) this morning when I went to remove our Thetford cassette, its top was awash and I received a decidedly saturated hand. At this point a number of people with whom I shook hands this morning before departure are feeling somewhat queasy but please be reassured that the hand-washing liquid provided in the ablution block had previously been most vigorously employed.

So who was right? Should you open the seal a) before or b) after using your caravan toilet?

Logical reasoning would be appreciated as this debate could influence the nocturnal behaviour of many of our members.

Quote: Frantone wrote in post #5

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If absolutely necessary for #2s.....line bowl first with toilet tissue.
This will neatly package the Thoras and preserve a clean bowl.

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I've just had a look at the C4 manual and it states that the toilet can be used with the seal open or closed but it goes on to say that the seal is the part that wears and will in time need replacing so possibly the problem is due to a worn seal?

They also say that the seal should be cleaned regularly to remove limescale and be lubricated with olive oil. How many of us do that, I wonder?

I also found the following advice on an independent website:

1. Run water into the bowl by pressing the flush knob briefly or open the valve blade by turning the handle anti-clockwise. Your Thetford toilet is now ready for use.
2. After use, open the valve blade (if still closed) by turning the handle anti-clockwise. Flush the toilet by pressing the flush knob for several seconds. Close the valve blade after use. Do not leave water in the bowl if the toilet is not being used. This does not help to reduce unpleasant smells and only leads to flooding.

The bit about leaving water in the bowl leading to flooding is interesting as that's what we have always done.

Quote: hob wrote in post #14

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When I had to buy a new blade for mine I also bought a special can of Thetford seal lubricant.

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