New liveaboard: so far, so good except cassette toilet gauge...

[NealSmith100]

Ok, so we have been aboard Little Miss Sunshine for 2 weeks. We have had everything figured out as we have gone along and no diasters so far. For those who have followed my previous threads, Mrs Neal loves living on a boat but is less loving of moving it. (so far!)

 

Anyway, one thing defeats me and which I cannot for the life of me figure out.

 

How in the name of all living things do you get the sliding waste gauge on a Thetford cassette toilet to work?!?! There is a magnet in the cassette on the float and another on the side of the insert and (I assume) when the float rises it is supposed to pulls the insert magnet along with it which in turn pulls the red slide up but is there some top level masonic secret to lining them up so it works or is it just a rubbish system?!!?

 

I know we can use the eyeball test but this kind of niggle is just the thing that gets into my brain.....

 

 

[mrsmelly]

Its a totaly unecesary item anyway. You can see every time you use it what level is in the cassette.

[Alan de Enfield]

When you have made a deposit - look in the hole. 

Nothing beats a Mk1 eyeball.

[bizzard]

Weigh it. You can either mount it and use it on  bathroom scales, or suspend it from the ceiling from a spring balance, its very comforting to swing whilst having a sit on. Dismount before taking a reading of the cassette contents from the scales or spring balance.

[doratheexplorer]

My cassette toilet has a little light which is supposed to come on when the cassette is full.  It's never worked.  I don't care.  As others have said, I used the "have a look" method to see when it needs changing. 

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

My cassette toilet has a little light which is supposed to come on when the cassette is full.  It's never worked.  I don't care.  As others have said, I used the "have a look" method to see when it needs changing. 

Cor - you must have lots of money, fancy changing the cassette when its full.

We can only afford to empty ours and re-use it.

[doratheexplorer]

25 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Cor - you must have lots of money, fancy changing the cassette when its full.

We can only afford to empty ours and re-use it.

Yuk!  You wouldn't expect a princess to do an icky job like that?  I have one of my 'boys' to do it for me.

[Movin' on]

Had the same issue - just use the eye test - remember the reason you live on board is to get away from stress - open a bottle or make some tea and move on?

[NealSmith100]

Clearly the system is just rubbish! I just wondered.,

 

The eye test it is - it's what we've been doing anyways!

 

Ta all.

[MHS]

19 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Cor - you must have lots of money, fancy changing the cassette when its full.

We can only afford to empty ours and re-use it.

But like electric car drivers you will suffer from range anxiety. Will I make it to the next Elsan?

 

We have 4 cassettes, so must be loaded. Let’s hope after Brexit they don’t start taxing wealthy Thetford owners. 

19 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

My cassette toilet has a little light which is supposed to come on when the cassette is full.  It's never worked.  I don't care.  As others have said, I used the "have a look" method to see when it needs changing. 

Our light does work, but it even says in the manual not to rely on it. We always use the eyeball method, but when having guests onboard have been saved by the light a couple of times. When it comes on, you are millimetres away from being in the sh*t!

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, MHS said:

But like electric car drivers you will suffer from range anxiety. Will I make it to the next Elsan?

Arrrrr - you mean 'spare cassettes'.

 

Very different to : "Jeeves - the ashtrays are full, change the car for a new one"

[MHS]

My wife and I take in turns to be Jeeves or Wooster. 

 

If one of us has any cuts on our hands, we play Wooster until it’s healed. No point taking chances with all those nasty bugs about. 

[rgreg]

I have 4 cassettes: two have a working light mechanism and two don't. As others have said, you can see when they need changing so I don't even give preference to the ones that illuminate. 

[aracer]

17 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Arrrrr - you mean 'spare cassettes'.

 

Very different to : "Jeeves - the ashtrays are full, change the car for a new one"

I don't think people who swap to a different nb when the toilet is full are on this thread. If you're going to do that you might as well have a pump out.

[john6767]

23 hours ago, rgreg said:

I have 4 cassettes: two have a working light mechanism and two don't. As others have said, you can see when they need changing so I don't even give preference to the ones that illuminate. 

Similar for us, 3 cassettes, 2 the light works, 1 it does not.

[Nunovyrbizz]

My foolproof auditory cassette indicator;

 

1. Purchase a ping pong ball and slice in half with a heated wire.

2. Place cricket (available from all good reptile stores) in one half then replace the other half using a liberal amount of super glue.

3. Insert ping pong ball in cassette.

4. When the chirping gets louder you know the cassette is getting close to being full.

5. If you find ping pong ball on bathroom floor, you have left it too late therefore recalibrate your hearing until you are au fait with cricket volume to cassette volume.

 

n.b, a few ears of corn can extend the working life of this system by many days, no professional cricket seller will advise you of this because they want you to make many more regular purchases but through trial and error I have discovered this which has brought my cricket expenditure down by tens of pence per annum.

 

You're welcome.

[ditchcrawler]

9 hours ago, john6767 said:

Similar for us, 3 cassettes, 2 the light works, 1 it does not.

Does that affect you trying to read the paper when on the loo ?

[john6767]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Does that affect you trying to read the paper when on the loo ?

? if you can read by the little led you are doing better than me, not that I have tried of course.

[MtB]

My ghast is flabbered that bog manufacturers incorporate contents gauges when normal people just look in the hole.

[LadyG]

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

My ghast is flabbered that bog manufacturers incorporate contents gauges when normal people just look in the hole.

Of course, the point to to ensure the thing has all the bells and whistles so the first time purchaser is happy that he has paid a premium price for a premium product, else they might just buy a bucket and  spade.

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Of course, the point to to ensure the thing has all the bells and whistles so the first time purchaser is happy that he has paid a premium price for a premium product, else they might just buy a bucket and  spade.

Otherwise known as 'Composting'

[Guest]

For those who's LED doesn't work with some cassettes but it does with others (and you would like it to) the cause is often nothing more than a dislodged float actuator in the waster tank. Often caused by over vigorous shaking when emptying the tank. The other cause can be something (normally toilet tissue) wrapped around the float arm preventing it from rising. The latter is usually only temporary though and normally rectifies itself after a couple of fills and empties.

 

It is easy to see the float and what it is or isn't doing by sliding the cover flap and using the orange actuator on the top of the tank to open the flap (After emptying and rinsing of course!!). On a C260 (and possibly others) the float is located on the inside wall at the end with the wheels.

 

The hole is just big enough to get an hand in and remove any thing affecting the float operation or some have had success re installing a dislodged float. (if you have the stomach for it but that said, if the tank has been rinsed properly there really isn't an issue).

 

If the LED doesn't work with any of your cassettes the cause is more likely to be a failure in the electrical circuitry in the toilet casing it self, or a failed LED. You can get them on eBay.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by MJG

[zenataomm]

When my bum gets wet the bog needs changing!

 

You say …."We have had everything figured out as we have gone along and no diasters (sic)so far."    Clearly, if all you've got to get stressed about is a gauge on yer Thunderbox.  

Get them ropes untied and go find yourself some genuine issues, then report back.

[cuthound]

24 minutes ago, MJG said:

For those who's LED doesn't work with some cassettes but it does with others (and you would like it to) the cause is often nothing more than a dislodged float actuator in the waster tank. Often caused by over vigorous shaking when emptying the tank. The other cause can be something (normally toilet tissue) wrapped around the float arm preventing it from rising. The latter is usually only temporary though and normally rectifies itself after a couple of fills and empties.

 

It is easy to see the float and what it is or isn't doing by sliding the cover flap and using the orange actuator on the top of the tank to open the flap (After emptying and rinsing of course!!). On a C260 (and possibly others) the float is located on the inside wall at the end with the wheels.

 

The hole is just big enough to get an hand in and remove any thing affecting the float operation or some have had success re installing a dislodged float. (if you have the stomach for it but that said, if the tank has been rinsed properly there really isn't an issue).

 

If the LED doesn't work with any of your cassettes the cause is more likely to be a failure in the electrical circuitry in the toilet casing it self, or a failed LED. You can get them on eBay.

 

 

 

I think that is taking the reduce, reuse, recycling thing a step too far. ?

[colinnorth]

I believe the float type indicator system on Thetfords is non-linear. As you fill the loo the reading stay in the green area without moving until the cassette is about 3/4 full, then the indicator starts to move. When full it will show completely red.