Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 12:42:06 pm

Title: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 12:42:06 pm
I'm having black water coming up through the fresh water inlet. Any one ever had this problem and what is the cure.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: wolfe10 on September 04, 2020, 12:45:59 pm
Is this black water (as in sewage) or is it black but "not smelly" from degraded hose gasket, etc?
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 01:08:20 pm
It is black water and it stinks. It only happens when driving with the tank over half full and it happen on sharp curves or hard stopping.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: craneman on September 04, 2020, 01:10:48 pm
What are you calling the fresh water inlet? You don't mean gray water drains do you?
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on September 04, 2020, 01:10:56 pm
Is your toilet directly over the black tank (Drop & Plop) or is it offset some distance from the black tank (TurboTurd 3000)?

If the latter, see below for a recent discussion of the TT-3000;

Magnuum Opus 3000 (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=38741)
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 01:44:30 pm
It's a manual toilet and the black water is coming out where the fresh water comes out comes out when flushing or when you
pull the flush lever up for fresh water to come in the toilet.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Michelle on September 04, 2020, 04:48:00 pm
It's a manual toilet and the black water is coming out where the fresh water comes out comes out when flushing or when you
pull the flush lever up for fresh water to come in the toilet.

Since you mention the problem when the black tank is "fairly full" and going around sharp turns, It sounds like this is while driving and you aren't referring to flushing the tank and having sewage come out instead of water.  Is that what you are describing?

Is it possible the tank level is reading low for what you actually have and it's the black tank contents sloshing back up?  Have you checked the condition of the flapper/seal that closes to prevent black tank contents from sloshing up? 

Which tank level sensor system do you have?  If a Javalina, there is a somewhat involved process to calibrate the sensors - you must do all 3 at the same time, and you must both empty ALL tanks and fill ALL tanks to do the calibration.


Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 06:17:53 pm
I will have to pull the toilet apart and see how the black water gets up there. After it happens when I flush crap comes out with the fresh water.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: dans96u295ft on September 04, 2020, 09:36:04 pm
That is truly a crappy problem to have!
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: bbeane on September 04, 2020, 10:10:33 pm
Black tank venting issue?
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 04, 2020, 11:39:11 pm
I don't think so Bruce as normally no smell.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Old Toolmaker on September 05, 2020, 09:18:43 am
I don't think so Bruce as normally no smell.
oldguy, if you had a Thetford Aquamatic IV I could tell you with some certainty that there is a fresh water flush line to the blade chamber.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 05, 2020, 01:50:50 pm
It's a Sealand Traveler 511. I will take it apart and see it I can figger out what is the mater.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Jan & Richard on September 05, 2020, 01:58:33 pm
It's a Sealand Traveler 511. I will take it apart and see it I can figger out what is the mater.
Please report back with what you figger out.  I have had my Sealand Traveler 511 totally apart several times for various repairs and I cannot imagine how black water could be diverted into the fresh water fill. 

Richard
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 05, 2020, 02:25:06 pm
Neither can I and I have had them apart. Will let you know.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: stump on September 05, 2020, 07:09:10 pm
The sewage tanks black and gray are seperate tanks frlm fresh water.  There is no way sewer water is being fed to toilet unless you filled fresh water tank with nasty.  Flush fresh water tank and see what comes out of it.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Caflashbob on September 05, 2020, 07:14:53 pm
Fresh water tank can go sour.  Rare. 
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: stump on September 05, 2020, 07:18:42 pm
Fresh water tank can go sour.  Rare. 
Or they filled on someone funky well. Drain fresh tank and sanitize drain again.maybe even again.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 05, 2020, 07:55:14 pm
Fresh water is fine. I will pull the toilet in the next couple of days.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: stump on September 05, 2020, 09:46:26 pm
Check studer vents first might have ome leaking
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Barry & Cindy on September 05, 2020, 10:35:31 pm
First Sealand Traveler 511 had two visible overflow drain holes in the upper rear of the ceramic bowl.

These holes are designed to bypass the foot pedal valve, with small water traps, to prevent running water to not overflow the top of the ceramic bowl.

To work the rubber gaskets need drain holes and the base needs to have a clear drain path.

Many things will allow smells and or black water to flow up and out these two holes.

Is your black water flowing out from these two round overflow holes?

Later versions of the same ceramic bowl model eliminated the holes, increased height and changed vacuum break and rubber gasket design and part numbers.

Barry
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: Woody & Sitka on September 05, 2020, 10:56:29 pm
Just a thought before you tear your coach apart.  Is it possible that the PO plumbed in a grey water toilet feed?  If so, gray water can smell very swampy...unless you are sure you are actually seeing black water in the toilet flush water that is.  Woody.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: nitehawk on September 05, 2020, 11:44:04 pm
I had a conversation with the Sealand customer service person re our #510 toilet and the two drain holes. She said that Sealand now furnishes plugs to plug the holes. Reason given? The 510 and 511 series are manually operated so filling to an overflow condition was extremely unlikely and more likely to be "operator" error.
I got the plugs, put them in (about five years ago) and no problems since.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: bbeane on September 05, 2020, 11:59:59 pm
The bottom line within the design of toilet their is NO WAY, black water is coming through the flush water supply as that comes through the fresh water feed. Black water no pressure supply therefore no way to run uphill, Sir Isaac Newton says do. Gravity it's not a rule it's the law.

Now if the PO plumed a gray water flush some how???? But that going to require a whole other pressure system pump and all.
Not to say you don't have a problem, but their ain't no way BLACK water is running up hill from the bottom of the black tank.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 06, 2020, 05:19:15 pm
Water won't run up hill but it can be pushed, like in the Bay of Fundy which has 56 ft tides. I got my toilet out today and I think I have two problems. One is the black water is being push up through the seal and out the two holes in the toilet by the sloshing in the tank going around corners. The second is as Wolfe
said something is degrading in the fresh water supply. I have had that problem since I got the rig and it doesn't smell. It would happen periodically. I will check and see what is causing that. As soon as my son
comes over I will send a picture of the first problem.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 06, 2020, 09:26:20 pm
The first picture shows where the sewer came up and there was sewer all over the fins and then it came out the drain holes in the toilet bowl. The other picture is the stuff that was coming out the fill holes.
It was up against a screen in the water valve for the toilet. I don't know what it is. It might have got in  when the last owner put in the new floor.
Title: Re: Stinking toilet
Post by: oldguy on September 11, 2020, 11:48:15 pm
Toilet is back in. I plugged the holes in the base and the two holes in the toilet bowl with epoxy so now sewer can come up that
way and it looks like I got all the stuff that was coming out of the fresh water line.