Soggy Feet!!

We are often taken by surprise when stepping into the Warwick Duo 2011 bathroom .... Eeeeewwww not again! That soggy feet feeling. Yuk!! 

So far, after 4 years of occasional soggy feet, we've had to guess where the water is coming from. 

• The waste tank - We guess that too much water in the waste tank while travelling splashes back up the drain pipes (2) into the shower tray floor and rubber mat. ... solution, always drain the waste tank before travelling! 
  

• Take a shower, drain and wipe up drips and puddles to make dry - more soggy feet!   ..... We are guessing that some water over flows or splashes from the tray through the gap under the plastic skirt covering the bottom of the Thetford toilet especially if the vehicle isn't level. Then water runs back out again whilst travelling!
  

• Similar to above problem but assuming .... possibly the Thetford flusher tank overflowing while travelling and ending up draining through the gap under the plastic skirt. Solution drain flusher tank or have no more than 1/2 full.   
  

• Yuk! horrible dirty fluid nasty stuff which looks suspiciously like well used chemical fluid - more soggy feet! The misses was not pleased   ...... I look in the casset compartment to find yuk fluid everywhere - We are guessing its drained down to the bottom of the Thetford compartment and leaked out through the gap under the plastic skirt.    I strip down the cassette (after 4 years use! ) and clean and inspect all the seals. They were pretty, well yes, yukie so assume they weren't sealing properly. 
  

All of this may bring a smile but my life is at risk here, not to mention my next meal. 

All of the above are assumptions as it always gets wet when we're not looking! 

I've thought of mastic sealing the gap by the plastic skirt but fear that will only trap and seal in water and yukie fluid under the Thetford unit.

Has anyone else experienced these things and what solutions have you come up with. .... You could be saving a life here and returning marital harmony!   ..... It may come to this! 

I would replace the cassette every 3 years. After 4 years the seals will be wrecked.

Replacing the cassette is unnecessary. The seals are removable. Takes all of five minutes and costs about £10 for a new seal.....available from any caravan parts dealer. Keith

We had same thing I don't think it's cassette. I think it's waste tank to full when traveling. Ex

Hi Wiggly Woggled

Sorry to compound your misery and put some lightheartedness into this post, but you yourself can obviously see the funny side, and the life of a A/S motorhome owner is a joke at times.

I always wondered why they were called SOG toilets, I now know why, and your explanation has been faultless to the point.    

When traveling we always put the drain plugs in the shower drains. This would stop any waste water coming out of the drain. It may be worth a try.

I should have also said that our shower head has a tap on it so that the curtain can't turn the shower tap on and allow it to drip

Thanks for your replies some of which have jogged my musings still further.

Yes I do think water from the waste water tank can flow back up and even with the plugs in the drain holes still finds a way in. Even a 1/4 full tank can be too much so we have taken to draining the waste tank before moving off. ... if I remember!

I read once Thetford's recommendation not to leave flush water in the flush tank as it can overflow. I'm assuming this is a real possibility as air needs to get in somewhere so presumable the tank isn't sealed. I thought it a bit unreasonable to have a design that requires us to have to keep draining the flush tank. So now we tend to keep it no more than half full which does seem to help.

I'm going to replace all the seals on the Thetford cassette as I think over time they harden and become less effective. Using olive oil helps to lubricate the seals.
Also, AS suggested I get some silicone spray to lubricate hinges, etc.. The spray can tells me it also lubricates plastic parts (such as those in the Thetford cassette) so I'll give that a try.

Yes, the shower head drips water after use so now we wrap the head in a plastic sandwich bag!

Even with all these precautions the problem always catches us out and I'm sometimes at a loss to figure out for certain how the water gets in or where its come from. Its not a regular occurrence so it must be something we've done. ... sorry I've done, as its always my fault!!

Removing the Thetford cassette exposes the cassette compartment with two sunken compartments within this with plastic covers. At the rear of the cassette compartment beyond the sunken ones there is a gap which would allow fluid /water to drain below underneath these compartments. I am assuming then that water or leaked fluid can find its way out into the shower tray via the gap in the plastic skirt next to the shower tray. Not having a drawing, even on the Thetford web site, its unclear what the arrangement is below the cassette compartment. The only way would be to dismantle and remove the whole Thetford unit which I'm unlikely to attempt.

One other possibility remains and that would be leaking sink taps /pipes or drain but this seems unlikely as there's no sign of water when parked up and the water pump is active and sink being used.

Ah well, the mystery continues. We're off to Spain in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking of taking a wet suit!!   ... and a hard hat! 

Just as an aside- you mention two sunken compartments under the cassette with plastic covers. These will take bottles of toilet fluid. Our Symphony had these but not our Nuevo. I bought a couple of small Elsan fluids and when emptied filled them from a larger (cheaper) bottle. Saves finding somewhere else to store fluid.

Hi Wigley Woggled

just a thought on this. How old is your van is it still in warranty?? If so hand the problem to A/S to investigate and sort out. 

Also show me a shower head that does not drip water after use!! Even my previous van suffered from this and it was a Bailey not an A/S. 

This might help you and others. I have purchased a replacement shower head on ebay with a trigger lever. This has been a good investment. I now get no nasty after drips/ leaks, and can leave the tap lever set without altering the hot and cold settings, also good because I don't like getting scalded after the missus leaves it on hot/ scald by accident Don't go for a really cheap Chinese one though as you get what you pay for.