Cassette toilet slide has jammed

Andrew Davidson
Andrew Davidson Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited June 2019 in Caravans #1

The slide on the toilet has jammed so that the blade only opens a very small amount. Have tried to see what the problem is but cannot find any clear reason why. Can anyone help?

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Comments

  • Wellys and Mac
    Wellys and Mac Forum Participant Posts: 447
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    edited June 2019 #2

    Yes.

    Buy a new one.

    No way would I fiddle about with that.

    £100 well spent, thank you very much.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited June 2019 #3

    I came across it once, I bought a £2 can of release fluid, it worked👍🏻. Then I did what W&M suggested-replaced it.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited June 2019 #4

    Getting my hands a bit 5hity vs £100 the 5hit will win every time. I've mucked out many a shipon and changed many a nappy so not averse to a bit of poo.😉

  • Amesford
    Amesford Club Member Posts: 685 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #5

    If its a Thetford C250/C260 the mechanism can be bought for around for around £40, and if your not sure how to remove the old one as my son keeps telling me "look on the internet"! 

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited June 2019 #6

    When we first bought our Coachman, despite the handle in the bathroom being fully to the open position, to blade only opened about 2/3rds. The fault wasn't in the cassette but a geared quadrant in the toilet itself was misaligned. It took me about 5mins to remove the quadrant & reposition it. A new cassette would've been a wasted £100 🙄

  • Wellys and Mac
    Wellys and Mac Forum Participant Posts: 447
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    edited June 2019 #7

    🚽💩 = 🤮

     

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited June 2019 #8
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • Wellys and Mac
    Wellys and Mac Forum Participant Posts: 447
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    edited June 2019 #9

    No.

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited June 2019 #10

    That's the modern day society, if some one cannot repair it for you just get a new whatever  ,even if it is a simple repair but may have to get your hands a bit mucky doing itsurprised

  • Wellys and Mac
    Wellys and Mac Forum Participant Posts: 447
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    edited June 2019 #11

    🚽= 🤢🤮

    Whereas 

    £ 📦 = 😀

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited June 2019 #12
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited June 2019 #13
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited June 2019 #14

    Where there's muck there's brass.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited June 2019 #15

    I’m with you-1) remote spraying, if it don’t work then trash it. I don’t have no truck with faecal matter in any way shape or form. I am however willing to help the economy with purchases👍🏻. Don’t thank me, spending?, it’s my job😊

  • johndailey
    johndailey Forum Participant Posts: 520
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    edited June 2019 #16

    Throwaway plastic gloves don't  cost a fortune. Alternately, you could ask around the site if anybody has knowledge of the problem, ask them to show you how to solve it. Be generous and let them wear a pair of the gloves. Not difficult is it? Probably never happen again but you will have learnt lots.

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #17

    Don't even think of a repair.  Buy a new caravan. That is the modern way.

  • commeyras
    commeyras Club Member Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #18

    Interesting comments!  To try to help the OP.  I assume you can remove the cassette from the caravan and that you can operate the slide on it.  Handle inside still not moving properly?  Then the problem is on the 'seat' side.  Handle moving ok then try the following.

    Remove the cassette.  Using a small mirror,  on the top side of the fitting you will be able to see a white plastic ratchet connecting to a notched spindle that connects to the internal lever, there will be one screw holing this together. It is possible that the ratchet part has slipped out of alignment.  If so, remove  the little screw in the centre of the ratchet and refit so that the spindle is about centre on the ratchet.  If that does not do the trick can't help further.  It worked for me when the bits got out of alignment when in Germany a few years ago - not nice getting your bits out of alignmentsurprised.  BTW no need to wear gloves for this repair!

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited June 2019 #19

    This sounds like the fault with mine. 

  • commeyras
    commeyras Club Member Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #20

    MM. Hope you can sort it out!  If I can do it with my limited DIY skills sure you can.  The hardest part was persuading OH to lend me her make up mirrorwink

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #21

    We had a slide/sealing mechanism come apart, so purchased a replacement. To remove the old one what you do is reverse the slide and use it to turn the mechanism. There are marks on the cassette and slide mechanism when aligned up show when it can be extracted. Ditched the old and reversed the procedure to insert the new one, successfully. There were clear instruction too with the replacement part as how to go about the procedure. The specific cassette type number should be in your caravan handbook.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited June 2019 #22

    I sorted mine the other year ..... using a CL with out toilet encouraged me to fix it when we got home.

    I have a cast off   make up mirror in my tool box for such eventualities laughing 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited June 2019 #23

    agreed, remove cassette and check sliding flap operation....

    on our cassetre, the inside lever only operates a turning spindle....(which should still operate ok) and it's the spindle that engages with the cassette orange 'knob' and causes the circular flap to retract...you can test this by hand easily.

    if not working correctly, almost certainly the toothed quadrant inside the cassette that's mis alighned....

    however, if it works, it may be that the cassette 'sliding flap' has been put back on the cassette backwards, this can cause all sorts of jamming problems....

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,864 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #24

    We had a problem with our cassette last year when the slide mechanism broke. I could have purchased a new one but I wasn't sure I could get into the cassette as the larger hatch can be difficult to get off. In the end I bit the bullet and ordered a Fresh Up kit which was delivered to site. I did keep the old cassette until we got home, where I had what I needed to open the hatch but in the end decided against it. 

    David

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #25

    Assuming that your toilet is a Thetford, we had the same problem in our last van. Above the slider is a thin plastic cover which, over time had worn and split. This jammed the slider and prevented it moving fully across. I couldn’t see the point of this cover so I simply cut it off - with no detrimental affect and it worked perfectly thereafter.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited June 2019 #26

    We have a dometic in our new Coachman and although we can use the loo the slide is a devils job to get back! A child couldn’t manage it. I will try Silico spray and after that it’ll be a warranty job if they can’t make it usable.

  • Waffler
    Waffler Forum Participant Posts: 149
    edited June 2019 #27

    Hi Merve. We have the same and the boss complained about that slider. I bought silicon grease, opened the flap and greased all round the seal. Also used Thetford silicone spray under the flap where there are two rods. I use this spray in the cassette hole as well. Solved the problem. She still doesn’t like the loo, why didn’t they fit a Thetford?

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,684 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2019 #28

    I had exactly the same problem with the so-called ‘top of the range’ Dometic fitted to our new Knaus Starclass. Plus, it leaked, the telescopic handle jammed in the open position, the wheels are too small to be of any use whatsoever and then the flush mechanism packed up altogether. In a nutshell, it was rubbish! Lasted all of 5 months.

    Spoke to the dealer who was sympathetic since they had swapped a lot of Dometic toilets for Thetford across a number of makes of caravan for those reasons. However, they couldn’t do it as a warranty claim since it wasn’t a like-for-like replacement. It cost me £600 to have a Thetford fitted - but at least I now have a loo I can rely on. Plus it went in very easily without any evidence that it’s been changed.

    I know I could have gone down the ‘not fit for purpose ‘ route but the chances of winning that argument against a company like Dometic was going to be time consuming if nothing else - and life’s too short! At least it’s now sorted.

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited June 2019 #29

    Thanks waffler- I’ll get the silicone spray and give it a go. Yes, I think I prefer the thetford! 

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited June 2019 #30

    £600? Wow! I never now pull my cassette on it’s wheels whether it was a Thetford or a Dometic. I went into a charity shop and bought one of those shopping trolleys you see ‘older people’ using- took the bag off it and the cassette fits perfectly. Dual purpose- when the loo business is done it easily reverts to a shopping cart again. 

  • derekcyril
    derekcyril Forum Participant Posts: 408
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    edited June 2019 #31

    Silicon spray after repair ,took mine apart ,if you rinse it properly after use ,therbshouldnt be any of last nights tea there ??