How to Repair an RV Toilet Foot Pedal (Dometic Replacement)
Some appliances or parts are not meant to be repaired. That is the way it goes these days. Manufacturers make different household or RV items in such a way you have to replace the whole item to have a working model. Don’t be surprised if you are told to replace your toilet when a small part breaks.
You can use different adhesives to glue or ‘weld’ the broken pieces back together. But that repair may not bring back the integrity or strength of the foot pedal. Dometic does not make a spare part for this item and advises customers to replace the whole toilet.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about before you spend a lot of time trying to fix something that may not be designed to be repaired.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal 101
How Does The Foot Pedal on an RV Toilet Work?
The concept is quite simple. You use your foot to press down on the pedal and that action opens up a valve releasing the water that flushes the waste down into your black water tank.
The location of the foot pedal depends on the brand and the model. Sometimes the foot pedal is placed in different locations even though both models are made by the same company.
Also, the foot pedal has different trigger points. If you push with slight pressure, you may only fill the tank with more water. If you press all the way down, you should get both new water and the flushing process at the same time.
Then some RV toilets have two pedals for you to push. One for adding water and one for flushing. They all work under the same principle and open valves when pressed. The type of construction materials used to make the foot pedal may not be that strong and can break easily.
So you have to be careful when pressing down on it as many foot pedals are more fragile than you realize.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Not Working
The source for this issue may not be the fault of the foot pedal or its mechanism. Sometimes, it is the result of the flapper and the seal sticking together. This happens from time to time when winterization was not done as well as it should have been.
You can try to unstick the two by pouring water into your toilet and letting it sit for about 30 minutes. After that time frame has expired try the foot pedal again to see if it works or not. If so, you are good to go. If not, then something may be wrong with the pedal.
You can try using some lubricating spray as well before moving on to looking at the pedal as the source of this problem. If it is the pedal that is causing the problem, you have to buy the correct replacement part and remove the old pedal.
However, this may not be possible on some toilet brands as they are designed not to be replaced. You will have to check the brand to see if it can be repaired or replaced or not.
Broken Foot Pedal on RV Toilet
Unfortunately, this happens more often than you may think. RV makers have the reputation for using the cheapest parts possible, which means they do not have a lot of strength.
Then you are left with several options, depending on the brand and design of the toilet. For example, some toilet foot pedals can be repaired by using Gorilla Glue, Super Glue or even JB Weld or similar adhesives.
This repair takes a little time and you may have to remove the toilet from its place to do the repair effectively. There is more bad news though on this topic. Some foot pedals cannot be repaired in this way.
Using adhesives may only be delaying the inevitable as the foot pedal will not have the integrity it once had as a new part. What that means is that the pedal may break on you in the near future and you will have to consider using the other options.
For the Thetford brand line, it may be possible to get replacement pedals. Once you do that, all you have to do is just remove the old one and put the new one in its place. Just follow the instructions to do this replacement.
The news gets worse, though. If you have a Dometic 300, 310 or 320, you do not have the luxury of replacing the foot pedal with a new one. You have to replace the whole toilet. Their sealed bowl to base design prevents replacing the pedal.
How To Repair RV Toilet Foot Pedal
In most cases, you probably have to remove the toilet from its position. That means shutting off and disconnecting the water supply first. Then remove the two bolts, one on each side, then take the toilet off.
Position the toilet in such a way you have clear access to the foot pedal assembly. Then take a rag to plug the hole. The rag will prevent foul odors from escaping into your RV.
Once all of that is done, you just work on removing the cover to the pedal, if there is one, and take the old pedal off. The assembly may use a pinch system where you have to push the two sides together to get the pedal out from its position. Or it may simply have a couple screws to remove or both.
After you get the pedal off, you simply reverse your steps and put the new one on. secure it in place, make sure it works smoothly and then return the toilet to its rightful place. Do not forget to remove the rag before doing this step.
Put the bolts back in, reconnect and turn on the water supply and you are done.
Can You Replace The Pedal on an RV Toilet?
Yes and no. It will depend on the brand of the toilet if you can do this step or not. As we have just said, the Dometic 300, 310, & 320 are designed in such a way that you cannot remove the foot pedal and replace it with a new part.
The toilet is sealed at the factory and there is no way for you to get access to those parts needed to remove the pedal. Even if you did get access, there is no guarantee that you will find a replacement pedal in the stores.
Dometic has told its customers that they need to replace the whole toilet if they want a new foot pedal. If you are under warranty, then that is no big deal. If you are not under warranty, to save money you should do the repair yourself.
The Thetford brand is said to have replacement foot pedal parts that you can buy. Then the replacement process is not that difficult so you can remove the old pedal and replace it with the new one without help from professionals.
How do You Remove Thetford Foot Pedals?
The owner’s manual or service manual should have diagrams and step-by-step instructions on how to do this. If you do not have your manuals or they do not say how to make the repair, then keep reading.
The most convenient way to do this repair is to remove the toilet and set it up on a workbench or table. You can follow the directions given earlier in this article. Once you have the toilet in the right position, you need to remove the cover which may entail removing 1 to 3 screws.
Once the cover is off, you should be able to reach in and squeeze the arms of the pedal to remove them from the part securing its position. Just do not squeeze any harder than you have to.
Once the pedal is released from its holder, simply pull towards you and it is out. Reverse those steps when putting the new pedal back into place. Then you get to put the toilet back in place and do not forget to turn the water supply on once everything is re-connected.
How do You Replace a Foot Pedal on a Dometic RV Toilet?
This process is not for every model that Dometic makes. For those models that are designed with a replaceable foot pedal the following steps should be adhered to:
1. Turn on your water pump and flush the toilet. This should remove any pressure in the toilet flushing system
2. Check for leaks by cleaning around the base of the toilet before moving on to the repair.
3. Next, remove the nuts that are holding the spring mechanism and the foot pedal. Sometimes these are covered in silicone so you will need a heat gun to remove that sealant.
4. Once the spring and the pedal are removed, put the new parts back on. You should replace the spring to make sure you do not leave a faulty or weak part in the toilet flushing mechanism.
When tightening the nuts back up, take care to make sure the parts are aligned properly and not loose.
5. After installation, check the pedal to make sure it does not touch the floor at any time unless fully depressed. If it touches the floor halfway, you have to do the work over again.
Dometic 310 Flush Pedal Replacement
There is nothing but bad news here. Dometic made the 310 in such a way that there is no replacement part. What that means is that you cannot go to an RV parts store and pick up a new pedal and then install it yourself.
The design is done in such a way that you have to buy a whole new toilet and replace the old one. Many people like that option because it gives them an excuse to upgrade from a plastic toilet to a porcelain one.
We cannot say what the reason is for this design but Dometic likes it that way even though it may be a burden on their customers. It is possible that they do not want owners trying to make the repair and messing up the flushing mechanism as they do it.
No matter the reason, many owners do get rid of their 310 in favor of a better toilet, one that has a foot pedal replacement part. The only problem with replacing the 310 with a new toilet is that the latter may not fit in the same space.
Dometic 300 Toilet Foot Pedal Replacement
There is even more bad news in this section. You will not find a replacement foot pedal sold anywhere for this model of Dometic toilet either. You can go to Amazon and see a lot of 300 replacement parts and not one of them will be a foot pedal.
That goes for the 310 and the 320 models as well. The 300 series toilet design is done in such a way that you have to spend extra dollars buying a new toilet when the old foot pedal breaks on you.
Or you have to try gluing the part back together or fashioning your own replacement part. There is no other option available for any toilet in the 300 series. This design causes many owners to think about upgrading to a more user-friendly model.
Some Final Words
Foot pedals are an essential part of RV toilets. They make flushing a lot easier and you do not have to bend over to get rid of the waste. However, these foot pedals are not always made from the strongest construction materials and they will break on you.
That is when the fun will begin. You will discover, as other owners have, is that on some models you cannot replace just the foot pedal. That is not always a good situation to be in.
