Some of you may remember my trip to the steam rally, ..........no hookup and no on board battery.
Flushing the loo involved some of the pink liquid in a washing up liquid bottle.

So the next trip I was looking forward to some creature comforts like lights water pumps TV and that sort of thing ...........and a loo that flushed when I pushed the button.

No chance First attempt at a flush I heard a feint buzz from the pump then nothing, after some research in my saved pdf files I found a 3 amp fuse located inside the cassette bay on the left hand side .......see image
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Replacing the fuse resulted in the muffled sound of the pump trying to work ...........I suspected a seized impeller and refilled the washing up liquid bottle

The model number of my particular loo is conveniently on a plate just inside the cassette door
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More consultation of pre downloaded pdf files gave me the part number for a new pump. (files are available from the thetford website)

Ok so now I need to locate and remove the old pump......

NOTE just read this back and need to add a safety note here............NEVER work on live equipment specially when it involves water. Disconnect any hookups and the battery before starting to dismantle.

My loo is the Thetford C402C which looks like this
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and the area marked in red is where you get access to the pump.

The handle that opens the flap is on a splined shaft and just lifts off, next comes the control cover
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This needs careful prizing off at the front and back as you will see when I turn it over
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As you can see parts 1 and 2 in red are the pins that hold it in place.

1 and 2 in blue are where I unplugged the electrics.


Under that is a large plastic cup which needs removing too (I had to gently lift it with pliers as its a tight fit)
see image
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In the image above No 1 arrowed is the flush pipe after removal from the pump (tucked in there so I don't lose the end)
No 2 arrowed is a rubber ring that seals the cup when fitted in the tank (it goes where the pink dashes are) Try not to damage it or lose it in the tank or you will need new one.

No 3 arrowed is a rubber grommet that seals the cable in the base of the cup.

Getting the pump out of the tank was something of a struggle as the gap it fits in is quite tight and the flush pipe attached is a sturdy bit of kit that doesn't bend easily pulling on the electric cable though not recommended was the only way to raise it from the lower reaches of the tank (and it had to come out or the flush would never work again)

A short pause here to ponder on the production of black stuff in flush water ...........I have no idea why this happens and can only speculate that it is
1 some sort of bacteria that grow in the water or.....
2 the pink stuff somehow coagulates in the tank or
3 something else is happening that I am not aware of?

Anyway I read of others having this problem and the inside of my tank on opening was coated with black crap of some sort.

Sharp eyed members will have seen it on the pump pipe in the image above (which is a cream colour)

Also on the pump (I cleaned it a bit before I shot this)

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No prizes fo guessing what is jamming the impeller

Once out I did manage to get the impeller to turn a bit but it was very tight ............so a new pump is needed.

After finding the part number I tracked down a supplier leisureshopdirect.com sell genuine parts and that will do for me (there are lots out there for sale some 1\2 that price but not necessary made by Thetford) its your choice

http://www.leisureshopdirect.com

So about to order a new pump ..............then I have to cut and join the new wires to the control panel and refit the pump

After trying hard to flush all the crap out of the tank (that opening and the sight glass seem to be the only ways in and out of the tank apart from the filler cap.)

Been writing this in the style of a "how to" and when the job is completed I will add one to the "how to" section

Nearly forgot, found this on youtube and although it didn't work for me might help someone else



hob

[nice job] yes the wonderful black stuff or yucky do da
i used a paint brush to agitate if that helps.
often wonder if we should leave the filler cap off when flush tank drained to allow air to circulate, minimising the damp condition during winter drain down.
nice article Hob

I have been wondering why we use the pink thetford liquid? reading the label it should help lubricate? water does that too, it inhibits limescale? which mainly happens when you boil water.............. it smells nice ...........so does an air freshener and the tank seal should restrict smells to the holding cassette anyway.

We don't feel the need to put additives into our home flush units so why use it in the van?

After the pump is fixed I'm going to stop using it .............if that causes the black stuff it should stop the problem (I have seen water stored for a long while without black stuff forming)

The guy in the youtube vid wondered how the full switch works? my guess would be a magnet on the cassette float activates a switch in the cassette compartment next to the fuse?

i suppose in home life we apply a cleaner whether it be chlorine? based or bicarb, vinegar, to remove limescale and supposedly a percentage of germ bugs

perhaps the pink stuff or similar brands does have an ingredient to do something the same.

(could give an example of another black invader but that would take the thread in the wrong direction, grows in water and something else though...)

water normally grows green stuff if left,

wonder if adding a liquid dishwasher tablet to the plain water flush would keep everything right, shiny and lubricated, without damaging internal components,
(dishwashers have plastic bits pumps and some metal with the food remains on the plates)

Well the postie rang my bell (no not like that) and delivered my new pump.

So what's in the bag?
pump 10.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
A new pump
a plastic bit to secure it (not needed on my model)
instructions (not for my model)
and some shrink wrap


the first step is to cut the old pump off the cable
pump 11.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
and throw it in the bin.
Next strip the remaining wire ready for the new join
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Before you crimp the new wire to the old Do not forget to put the srink wrap on the cable
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Join blue wire to blue wire and brown wire to brown wire

Next you need a heat source .........I used one of these, DIY stores sell them for stripping paint
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And something to protect the loo from the heat, I used some hardboard and a piece of alloy to shield the plastic toilet from the heat
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You need to apply enough heat to shrink the sleeve enough to provide a watertight seal

The next image shows
1 the cup seal in place
2 the grommet over the cable in place (you may need a screw driver to fit it correctly)
3 the flush pipe reconnected
pump 16.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Re connect the cables to the switch circuit board

Next comes the hard part......you now need to wrestle the pump with flush pipe attached into the small aperture in front of the switch housing
..................not easy but it can be done.

Once the pump is in position replace the cup and connect some power...............either battery or mains
(in my case mains.............no battery)

Add water to the flush tank and press the flush button...............if it works you have done a good job refit the control panel and the flap handle ............open the flap to allow the test water into the cassette.

Well that's how its done

One last tip ...............it's a little known fact but if you lift the covers in the cassette compartment there is room to store 4 bottles of chemicals inside them.
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Quote: hob wrote in post #3

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it's a little known fact but if you lift the covers in the cassette compartment there is room to store 4 bottles of chemicals inside them.

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When new your van should come with 2 bottles under the cover, 1 of each concentrate, I carry 2 of each under the covers and that lasts me for 3 weeks at least, but as I've said previously we only do night time wee wee's and I also empty the cassette daily or at the very least every other day, I also don't use the official chemicals.

have you heard about elsan blue 5 litre fluid bought from shows its fake
elsan blue only supply in 2litre and 4 litre
the cc club have mentioned in magazine

Talking about the loo.... Does anyone know how difficult (or easy) it is to completely replace a loo in an Eriba or any van for that matter. As we are casually looking for a van to leave in Wales for when we take the grandkids the first thing I look at is the loo and of course they have all been used, some more than others. Both Mark and I hate loos and all that they entail but feel the need for one when the kids are with us for night time number 1's. So, I am wondering if a new loo could be fitted to any future purchase? Thanks everyone. Ellen.

Doo -Dah just loves Wales Roger but he will eventually come back nearer to us for touring, he likes different places to visit. So, our search is on for a reasonably priced van to leave at Llanrwst for us all. We have watched in amazement as the owner of Bron Derw tows vans down out of storage, winds down the legs and levels the van then put the locks back on. A short time after, owners of these vans turn up, carry in a couple of bags, connect the leccy and water and then have a cuppa. Well, we could do with some of that rather than going 100mph to get set up just for a weekend. For extra space we are thinking of a nova but we would also like an older troll 540 if one became available at the right price (cheap). Sadly, there does not seem to be any bargains in either so the search continues. It can be very stressful if we have either the kids or dogs with us and the weather is really bad as we know that come what may we have to get that awning up. Talking of the weather, I am a bit worried about any big caravans blowing over onto Doo-Dah in these winds, hope he is ok :-(.