One of the main points of traveling in an RV is having the primary comforts of home while still being mobile, and one of those main comforts is being able to use your own private RV toilet. But what if an RV toilet foot pedal repair is needed because your RV toilet foot pedal broke or if you have an RV toilet leaking at foot pedal?
If this is your situation, you now have an RV toilet that you can’t use, which is no good!
Not to worry – we’ll walk you through how to fix an RV toilet foot pedal in today’s guide.
What Is An RV Toilet Foot Pedal?
The RV toilet foot pedal is simply a pedal at the base (either in front or on the side) of your RV toilet that you press down to flush the toilet.
Some RV toilet models like the Dometic 300, 310, and 320 and Thetford’s Aqua-Magic series have the pedal placed on the side while others like the Thetford Bravura have the pedal at the front.
Most RV toilets may feature a single pedal that both fills water and flushes depending on how far down it’s pressed.
Some RV toilets will have a flush pedal that has two separate pieces – one for flushing and the other for filling.
How Does An RV Toilet Flush Pedal Work?
Although you’re probably aware of this if you’re reading this guide, RV toilets have a foot pedal or flush pedal at the base of the toilet that you press down with your foot to flush the commode after use.
Most home toilets have a flush lever at the top of the tank, but RV toilets use a foot pedal to save space and make the mechanics of the toilet easier for use in campers and travel trailers.
When the RV toilet foot pedal is pressed down, the water valve opens, allowing water to come through the water line.
This also moves the blade (aka flapper) to let the exiting water and waste in the RV toilet to go down into your RV black water tank.
When you release the pedal, the blade closes and you can fill the RV toilet bowl with water.
So of course if your RV toilet foot pedal is broke then your RV toilet won’t flush and you need to complete the RV toilet foot pedal repair process.
We’ll cover how to fix an RV toilet foot pedal in the next section.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Repair – Common Issues & How To Fix
RV Toilet Leaking At Foot Pedal
If you have an RV toilet that’s leaking at the foot pedal, you probably have a damaged intake valve or a buildup of debris or sediment around the pedal assembly.
If it’s a matter of buildup, usually cleaning it out will resolve the issue.
If you suspect it’s the water valve, make sure to see if it has been damaged due to improper winterization if the valve is plastic, otherwise you may have a rusted valve if it’s metal.
Also, check the back of the valve where it connects to your RV toilet – sometimes it’s held together only by plastic clips, and using two screws to screw it in (in the provided screw holes) will fix your issue.
Additionally, it may just have worn out and it’s time to replace it altogether.
Check out this video on how to fix your toilet’s intake valve:
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Broke
Perhaps your RV toilet foot pedal is broken because it’s simply not functioning how it’s supposed to.
If this is the case you’ll need to proceed to our RV toilet foot pedal repair walkthrough below.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Stuck Down
Sometimes an RV toilet flush pedal can become stuck to the floor and not return to its original position, causing a constant flow of water, which not only depletes your water reserves rapidly – it also causes your black water tanks to fill up quicker than normal – both of which are no good.
You’ll need to skip ahead to our RV toilet flush pedal repair guide below.
RV Toilet Flush Pedal Not Opening Flapper
If your RV toilet foot pedal is not opening the flapper when pressed down, the waste will not move out of the bowl.
This can cause blockages, odors, and of course is a situation that needs to be resolved immediately because the toilet cannot be used until the RV toilet flush pedal is repaired.
This can sometimes happen after winterization or if you allowed the toilet to sit without water in the bowl because the seal and the flapper valve are stuck together and the culprit really isn’t your foot pedal at all.
First try filling the toilet bowl with water and let it sit for 30 minutes – the water may help to unstick the flapper valve from the seal and allow your RV toilet to start working properly again.
If this didn’t fix your problem, then move on to the RV toilet pedal repair walkthrough further in this guide.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Broke Off Or Fell Off
Sometimes the RV toilet foot pedal will fall off or physically break off from the RV toilet when pushed down too hard.
If it snapped off, you can try to mend it with some super glue or attempt to fabricate your own attachment to get the pedal mechanism to work, but it’s not always easy.
If the foot pedal simply fell off, you may also be able to reattach it.
When these options don’t work, you may need to consider replacing the RV toilet foot pedal or replacing the RV toilet entirely.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Harder To Operate Than Normal
Sometimes the blade will stick to the seal, making the flush pedal not work as easily.
Usually this can be fixed by applying some silicone lubricating spray to the blade.
Water Won’t Stay In The RV Toilet Bowl
If you can’t get water to stay in the bowl then it’s very likely that this is completely unrelated to your RV toilet flush pedal and that something else is causing the issue.
Check out our guide on how to fix an RV toilet not holding water for some common causes and fixes.
RV Toilet Foot Pedal Repair – Step By Step Guide
RV Toilet Foot Pedal – Dual Assembly 
RV Toilet Flush Pedal – Single Assembly
- Step 1: Turn the RV toilet’s water supply off, then flush the toilet to empty any additional water out of the bowl and get rid of any remaining water pressure.
- Step 2: Unbolt the toilet from the floor – there are two bolts, one on each side of your RV toilet.
- Step 3: Disconnect the water supply from the back of your RV toilet.
- Step 4: Lift up the toilet from the floor and place it on a towel.
- Step 5: Plug the waste hole with a rag so you don’t get any foul odors wafting up into your RV cabin.
- Step 6: Access the RV toilet foot pedal. You may need to remove the bottom cover or disassemble the base of the RV toilet depending on your model.
Here’s an image for example:
- Step 7: Install the new RV foot pedal onto your toilet ollowing the replacement part instructions.
- Step 8: Test the foot pedal before reconnecting the toilet to see if the mechanism works as it should.
- Step 9: If the test was successful, remove the plug from the waste hole and follow steps 1-4 in reverse order to reinstall your RV toilet with it’s new flush pedal.
- Note: This is also a good time to replace your RV’s toilet seal while you’re completing the RV toilet foot pedal repair process since you’ve got everything apart anyway.
Thetford RV Toilet Foot Pedal Repair
Thetford RV toilet foot pedal repair is possible using the appropriate replacement parts and the instructions in our guide.
Make sure to order the correct replacement Thetford RV toilet flush pedal for your model.
Dometic 310 Flush Pedal Replacement
According to Dometic, doing Dometic 310 flush pedal replacement is not possible because they have a factory-sealed bowl-to-base assembly.
This also applies to the Dometic 300 and Dometic 320 series.
Some RVers have had luck with calling Dometic about issues with their 300, 310, or 320 and either getting a replacement on warranty or a discounted or free replacement Dometic RV toilet if their unit is out of warranty.
Aqua Magic IV Foot Pedal Flush Repair
The Aqua Magic IV RV toilet by Thetford is another very popular RV toilet, and you can use our RV toilet foot pedal repair guide above to fix your issue.
Just be sure you get the correct pedal part for your specific model number before proceeding.
Wrapping Up OUr Guide To RV Toilet Foot Pedal Repair
We hope this guide was helpful to you in resolving your RV toilet flush pedal problem.
Please let us and your fellow RVers know of any tips or tricks in the comments below!
While you’re here, check out our other helpful RV repair guides:
- What to do if your travel trailer wheels are off ground after leveling
- RV roof reseal cost guide – how much is it to reseal an RV roof?
- How to use Dawn dish soap in RV black tanks to keep them clean and kill odors
- What to do if your RV heater is blowing cold air
- How to fix an RV microwave not working
- Our step-by-step guide to motorhome fuel pump replacement
- How to replace your RV window glazing bead
- How to diagnose and fix an RV air conditioner freeze up
- Preparing your camper for an RV one night freeze
- How to fix a sagging RV slide out
my thetford aquamagic 1V has a dual pedal system. the small pedal dropped down, so it hangs loose, and does not flow water into the bowl. it is just floppy.