Thetford cassette loo in a Symphony

The Thetford C3 Cassette Loo wouldn't flush when we bought it 6 months ago, and it was repaired under warrenty. This is the model that uses the onboard water supply, rather than a tank of its own. The original fault was that nothing happened when you pushed the electric switch down to flush. Since using it for a few months it has stopped flushing again, but this time, you do get a whirring sound, like one of those minature pumps you get on caravan water systems, but no water! Any ideas?

Some thoughts we've had.... The instructions in the AS manual seem to indicate the switch might operate a solenoid valve, rather than a pump,allowing the main onboard pump to do the water delivery. If we do have a seperate pump, is this a botch repair that has failed!

regards,
Jeff and Di Giblin

Hello Jeff and Di
Am I correct in thinking this loo is still under warranty? if so I think I would take the issue up with Thetford again as it obviously is not working as intended



John

Hi John,
No, our Symphony is 15 years old, but we bought it 5 months ago. The Warrenty was a 6 month third party arrangement offered by the dealer, which has proved to be pretty worthless. The flush didn't work when we first got it home, and it was returned to the dealer and seemed to work when it was returned to us. But now it's failed again.
My confusion is that when the activating button is pressed there is a sound like a small pump running, but no water. The information from Thetford, and my common sense seem to indicate that the operating switch should operate a soleniod valve, allowing the main onboard pump to push the water. Hence the query on whether the dealer repair was a botch!

regards

Jeff

Hi,
Are you sure that you don't have a separate flush tank? when you open the service door to empty the holding tank see if there is a filler which twists out with a cap on it. I thought that it was only the more recent vans which used the main water for flushing,
regards,
Chris

My Symphony is 14 years old and has a flushing tank that you fill through opening the hatch door, above the removable waste tank. It does not use water from the fresh water tank. I don't think yours can be any different.

Hi Folks, and thanks for the replies.

We've owned caravans for many years and are used, as you say, to filling the flush header as a seperate supply from a suitable point outside the van.
In the case of our 1995 Symphony, there is no external filler point. There is a similar type filler cap inside the toilet compartment itself, but no key for it. The pipework diagram in the AS manual shows the cold water feed ending with a spur from the shower/sink into the Loo, and the text in the manual states that the water is taken from the main supply.
Was ours a short-term design that was soon revised?

regards

Jeff

Problem Solved!

Thanks for your input everyone. Lesson learned... don't believe everything you read!
Following your several comments, we again examined what we had previously thought was a blanked off filler cap inside the toilet/shower compartment. It did open, and rather gingerly we poured a watering can of water into it, half expecting it to flood out underneath. It didn't, and after a couple more cans, we tried the flush, and it worked!
The AS instruction manual, that came with our Symphony, gives every indication that it is original (well thumbed and dog-eared!) and has been accurate in every other respect so far. But on this occasion it was plainly wrong.
A rather inconvenient (no pun intended!) filling point, as it means water has to be brought inside the living area to fill the tank, but any spillage does run down into the shower waste plug, so no harm done.

kind regards,

Jeff and Di

Well we all learn something every day. I've never heard of that arrangement. Anyway, glad you sorted it out.

Hello Jeff and Di

Sorry I do apologize I misunderstood and presumed the loo had recently been changed for a new unit
Glad to hear you have found a solution and so promptly!

John

Jeff and Di Giblin wrote:Problem Solved!

Thanks for your input everyone. Lesson learned... don't believe everything you read!
Following your several comments, we again examined what we had previously thought was a blanked off filler cap inside the toilet/shower compartment. It did open, and rather gingerly we poured a watering can of water into it, half expecting it to flood out underneath. It didn't, and after a couple more cans, we tried the flush, and it worked!
The AS instruction manual, that came with our Symphony, gives every indication that it is original (well thumbed and dog-eared!) and has been accurate in every other respect so far. But on this occasion it was plainly wrong.
A rather inconvenient (no pun intended!) filling point, as it means water has to be brought inside the living area to fill the tank, but any spillage does run down into the shower waste plug, so no harm done.

kind regards,

Jeff and Di

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I have just bought a 1995 Symphony and cannot figure out how to work the flush. I can see a covered hole above the cassette just inside the door...should there be a pipe coming from it?
Or should i be looking inside the actual toilet/shower space?
I will post photos shortly.
Thanks
Janice

Can't help directly Janice, but to keep you going (awful pun intended!! ) you could fill a trigger spray with a solution of the pink loo flushing stuff and use that to rinse the bowl. Some people use that method all the time to save having to empty the cassette or refill the flush reservoir so often.

Dave

Hi, i have a 97' symphony which has electric flush 12v operated by pushing the cap on left of toilet, the one that opens the waste compartment, it draws water from the mains tank.

Dave

@fenderbender - You are right, it simply uses the water tank which i just hadn't yet filled. It does suggest there's a separate container in the manual but presumably that's referring to a different setup :-)

Thanks to everyone for getting back to me.

My 97 Symphony had a separate flushing tank, filled up through a swing out funnel in the cassette compartment outside. Strange how the same model, same year had different arrangements.