As an RV proprietor, there’s an opportunity you’ll want to exchange the seal across the base of your rest room sooner or later. Why? As a result of over time and with use, this seal breaks down, inflicting leaks and waste system points.
Changing this rest room seal, known as a flange, is actually a kind of RV upkeep duties you are able to do your self. We’ll present you ways.
Why Change an RV Bathroom Flange Seal?
The commonest cause you’d change a bathroom flange is in the event you’re putting in a brand new rest room in your RV. As soon as the previous rest room is eliminated, it’s greatest to put in a brand new ground flange seal at the moment. When you may theoretically place a brand new rest room on an previous flange seal, we don’t advocate it.
One more reason for changing the flange seal on an RV rest room is that you simply’re affected by a leak that’s coming from the bottom of the bathroom. To determine that the flange seal is admittedly the perpetrator, nevertheless, you’ll want to begin by emptying your RV’s holding tanks.
Leaks across the base of an RV rest room will also be attributable to an overflowing black water tank. That’s why it’s necessary to empty the tank and check to see if leaking remains to be occurring earlier than figuring out that you simply completely want to exchange the ground flange seal.
In case your tanks are empty, a nasty flange seal may trigger a leak round your rest room’s base when flushing. But when your rest room bowl is solely not holding water, chances are you’ll want to exchange the flush ball seal.
Happily, understanding how you can function and keep an RV rest room will cut back the probabilities of having to exchange a flange seal. A bit rest room TLC goes a good distance, but when your flange seal is on its means out, right here’s how you can take away and change it.
How To Discover An RV Bathroom Flange Seal Substitute
Earlier than you do something, seek the advice of your RV proprietor’s guide for correct rest room removing and seal substitute procedures. This will even let you know the mannequin quantity you’ll use to discover a appropriate substitute seal.
When discovering a substitute seal, you need to use a seal made by the unique gear producer (OEM). This can often be a versatile wax-free seal made out of froth.
Dometic and Thetford are the 2 hottest RV rest room producers. So listed here are a few hyperlinks to flange seal replacements for some rest room fashions from these manufacturers:
DO NOT USE A BEESWAX SEAL. As soon as they harden, wax gaskets can’t flex together with your RV, making them more likely to crack and trigger leaks.
With this course of, it’s additionally attainable that the flange itself is cracked and desires substitute. It’s unimaginable to inform that earlier than you take away your rest room, nevertheless. So if you wish to be secure, purchase a flange seal and a brand new flange so that you’re prepared for a profitable RV rest room seal substitute when it’s time.
What You’ll Want
Along with your substitute seal, you’ll want these instruments and provides:
- Adjustable wrench
- Newspaper or previous towels
- Bathroom cleansing brush
- Rubber gloves
- Paper towels or rags
- Flashlight
How To Take away Bathroom Flange Seal From RV
The primary half of this job requires eradicating the bathroom and the flange seal. Observe these steps to take action safely and effectively:
Step 1: Empty Holding Tanks
We talked about this above, however it’s value repeating. You don’t need to work on an RV rest room with a full black water holding tank beneath it except you need to cope with disagreeable odors the entire time.
Right here’s a fast video in the event you’re not sure of one of the best practices for emptying RV holding tanks.
Step 2: Prep the House
It’s a good suggestion to put down towels on the ground of your RV lavatory earlier than eradicating your rest room. That means, you could have one thing to soak up any water that leaks and a secure place to set your rest room down once you take away it.
Step 3: Clear the Bathroom
Now you’ll be able to put in your rubber gloves and clear your rest room bowl. Use a rest room bowl cleaner that’s particularly made for RVs. Be sure to open the ball valve and clear down in direction of the bottom as a lot as attainable together with your rest room cleansing brush.
Step 4: Drain and Disconnect
Flip off your RV water pump and disconnect from town water provide, if relevant. Then drain all of the water out of your rest room bowl by miserable the foot pedal utterly.
A water line provides clear water to your rest room’s flush mechanism in the back of the bathroom. You’ll have to unscrew this water line out of your rest room earlier than continuing. Bear in mind that just a little water could stay within the line.
Maintain an additional towel beneath to soak up any water that leaks. As soon as this line is eliminated, prop it up in order that gravity doesn’t trigger any additional leaking.
Step 5: Take away The Bathroom
This step requires just a few subtasks. So let’s break them up:
Take away the Shroud
Some RV bathrooms have a shroud across the base. This shroud will must be eliminated so that you can achieve entry to the 2 flange bolts holding the bathroom to the ground.
Take away Bolt Caps
Bolt caps are small plastic caps that defend the heads of the flange bolts. These will be eliminated by hand.
Take away Nuts
Use your wrench to loosen the nuts securing the flange bolts. As soon as loosened, it’s best to be capable to spin them free by hand. If a nut doesn’t loosen or all the bolt spins, you’ll have a cracked or damaged flange, which might require reducing the bolt to take away your rest room.
Alternatively, strive spraying WD-40 or one other penetrating oil on the nuts and letting them sit for a couple of minutes earlier than making an attempt to loosen them once more. Should you suppose you’ll want to chop the flange bolts to take away your rest room, we advocate contacting an RV service skilled earlier than continuing.
Take away Bathroom
Raise the bathroom up and off the flange seal till away from the bolts. Chances are you’ll want to softly rock the bathroom backwards and forwards to interrupt the previous seal. Then you’ll be able to flip it over and set it on the newspaper or towels.
Examine Bolts and Nuts
Verify the situation of the flange bolts and nuts. If rusted, change them with stainless-steel or yellow dichromate bolts made in your rest room’s mannequin. Seek the advice of your proprietor’s guide for half info. Or, in the event you’re putting in a completely new rest room, it ought to include a brand new set of nuts and bolts.
Step 6: Take away Outdated Flange Seal
Now, take away the previous flange seal and throw it away. The seal could stay caught to the flange on the ground. Or, it could carry off the flange and stay caught round the bathroom’s base.
How To Change An RV Bathroom Flange Seal
Now that you simply’ve disposed of your previous ground flange seal, listed here are the steps for putting in a brand new one and placing all the pieces again collectively.
Step 1: Clear The Flange and Bathroom Base
Take this time to scrub up the flange and the bottom of your rest room. Use an RV-friendly rest room cleansing answer and paper towels to take away as a lot residue as attainable.
Step 2: Examine Flange and Black Tank
As soon as the flange is clear, examine it fastidiously to make sure it isn’t cracked. Whether it is, you’ll want to exchange it as effectively.
Store flanges and different holding tank fittings at Tenting World.
That is additionally a great time to seize your flashlight or headlamp and peek down your black water tank. Search for cracks, dislodged elements, or the rest that could be inflicting points.
Should you eliminated your rest room and didn’t discover something fallacious with the flange or the flange seal, that is the time to determine different points that could possibly be inflicting leaks across the base of your rest room.
You too can take this chance to make use of your rest room cleansing brush to scrub down into that tank. If you’re glad that nothing seems out of the odd, proceed.
Step 3: Set up a New Flange Seal
Open your flange seal substitute and skim the directions. They need to confirm the aspect with the lip that must be dealing with downwards. Align that aspect with the flange and press it into place.
Step 4: Change the Bathroom
This step additionally requires a number of of its personal steps, however it may be helpful to have a second set of palms that can assist you put your rest room again on. Let’s break it down:
Set up Bolts
Make sure that the bolts are in place in your flange. Some could must be rotated to correct alignment to stop them from shifting as you put in the bathroom.
Align Bathroom with Bolts
Flip your rest room again over and align the holes within the base with the flange bolts. That is the place having a helper turns out to be useful. Set the bathroom straight down onto the bolts and gently press it down onto the brand new flange seal.
Examine the bottom of the bathroom to make sure it’s flush with the ground. Run your fingers across the base to double-check. If the flange is pinched, the bathroom will sit crooked, and also you additionally danger damaging the substitute flange seal. If one thing doesn’t really feel proper, carry the bathroom and realign.
Set up Nuts, Bolt Caps, and Shroud
Hand-tighten the flange nuts on each bolts so far as you’ll be able to. Then, use your wrench to tighten them alternately till they’re cosy and the bottom of your rest room is flush with the ground. Don’t tighten them an excessive amount of, as this could crack the flange or the bottom of your rest room. As soon as the nuts are cosy, change the bolt caps and the shroud across the base.
Step 5: Reconnect the Water Line
Your final step in reassembling an RV rest room is reconnecting the water line. This could hand tighten till cosy.
Step 6: Check Your Work
Earlier than eradicating the towels, check to make sure your rest room is working usually once more. Activate the water pump. Verify behind the bathroom to make sure water isn’t leaking from the road on the again.
Then, fill the bathroom bowl and flush it a number of occasions. Verify for leaks across the base and behind the bathroom. Should you discover leaks at any level, flip off your water pump instantly and examine your work. If leaks persist, contact your nearest Tenting World RV Service Middle.
The place To Get rid of an Outdated RV Bathroom
To complete this course of, you’ll have to eliminate your previous rest room and related elements. Whereas issues like flange seals and rusted bolts can principally go in your common trash or recycling, your rest room could require particular therapy relying in your municipal tips.
Please don’t throw your previous RV rest room into the dumpster on the closest campground you’ll find. Contact your native landfill or recycling middle to inquire about greatest practices for disposing of an previous RV rest room in your space.
Have you ever changed the ground flange seal in your RV rest room earlier than? Tell us what labored, or didn’t work, within the feedback beneath!
Should you’re nonetheless studying the ins and outs of RV upkeep, take a look at our downloadable RV possession and upkeep booklet!
Tucker Ballister is our Technical Content material Author. He’s a lover of the open street and the proud proprietor of a 2021 Sunlite Traditional journey trailer (his third RV so far). Try extra of his RV adventures, gear critiques, and outside recommendation at thebackpackguide.com.