Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club. Today he answers a question about a running RV toilet.
Dear Dave,
My toilet was running and not spraying the bowl when flushing. I have low water pressure in the kitchen sink. Now, the toilet has stopped running all the time, but if you try to rinse the bowl too long it starts it all over again. The shower is okay, but I noticed the sink flow has slowed. What’s going on? —Linda
Dear Linda,
My first question is does this happen both on a city water source and when using the onboard pump? If it is both, I would suggest taking a look at the incoming line to the toilet as well as the water valve. Since most of the time you will be running hard water through your plumbing system, it is common to get lime and other sediment buildup and clogging. The toilet running could be the valve stuck open and then it breaking loose again.
And just to clarify, you stated the toilet is running but not spraying? Does this mean the water is running inside the bowl, but the auxiliary sprayer is not working? Both start at the flush valve.
I would suggest taking the valve apart and cleaning out the screen, valve and lines. You may need to replace the assembly, which you can get from any dealership. Make sure you have the make and model handy.
Since the shower seems to work fine, I would also take the faucet apart and clean out the screen at the aerator or tip. It could also have sediment. I would also suggest an inline filter out at the water source.
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From a Plumber. Dave’s suggestions are a starting point and make sense. Since multiple fixtures are effected it sounds like it is on the supply side.
From another plumbing contractor if you’re hooked up to city water with a pressure regulator that has a higher pressure setting than the city water pressure it can cause surging. A lot of RV park water supples are undersized especially during high demand times that will cause the surging problem to happen. I’ve had this happen with a 40 pound regulator in a park when the city water pressure dropped under 40 pounds during peak demand. I removed it and the problem was solved.