TECHNICAL

Caravan & motorhome technical questions

Question

Hi, I have a Thetford C2 cassette toilet in my '96 Rockwood Premier pupup camper. The toilet hasn't flushed since before I bought it, and the previous guy used the shower water to put fluid in the bowl in order to flush. Today I folded the drain and fill spout out, disconnected the sight glass and drained almost a whole mop bucket worth of the foulest smelling blue liquid from the camper. I removed the toilet paper holder and pulled out the pump. Is the pump and electrical wiring supposed to be submerged in the blue liquid under the paper towel holder? Also, looking for the 3 amp fuse, I looked at the diagram online as well as the one in the manual (same diagram), and the fuse isn't there, but on the side of the switching mechanism i can see two little slots that look like a blade fuse would go there. When I try to put a 3 amp blade fuse in those two little slots, it just won't go in. Now, what I have is the bigger blade fuses that are used in the circuit panel in the camper, is that the correct fuse for the C2, or is it the smaller micro fuse that goes there? Thanks in advance.

Answer

The previous owner appears to have put waste tank fluid in the flush tank. The rinse fluid should be used in the flush tank which is normally pink in colour. The pump and wiring is designed to be submerged. The 3 amp blade fuse is the standard size as used elsewhere in the caravan. It may be best to remove the mechanism assembly to inspect more closely. To take out the mechanism you remove the cap from the centre of the flush knob and with a long crosshead screwdriver undo the screw at the bottom of the cavity. The mechanism is also held by four screws in the roof of the cassette compartment and a small mirror is useful in locating these. The mechanism will drop down and can be removed by unplugging the electrical connector. Check that the mechanism is not broken in any way, particularly where the flush knob shaft connects, and check that the two switches operate correctly. One of the switches is 'made' by compressing the flush knob and the second switch is made when you insert the cassette to ensure that you cannot flush the toilet when the cassette has been removed. I hope this helps.