Tying up a few loose ends

Running an older caravan isn’t all about major repairs! Nigel Donnelly ticks a few minor tasks off the to-do list

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THERE’S NOTHING QUITE like spending some time in the van to remind you fairly quickly of all the things that you have been meaning to fix from last year and forgotten all about.

We took our first weekend away in the caravan in April, and I immediately remembered plenty of things that had been annoying last time out, which I had forgotten to address.

So as soon as we got home, I reached for the tools and got some niggles ironed out.

JOB ONE LEAKING TOILET CASSETTE

Nobody wants to talk about toilets, but the old Thetford C4 cassette toilet in the Bailey has plainly seen some action in its 25-plus years.

We've noticed a number of maintenance tasks that have been ignored for a while, which will be covered in a later issue, but this was one thing that needed urgent attention.

There are various symptoms of a leaking lip seal, but the one we couldn’t ignore was when removing the cassette from the van. Carrying the cassette over to the disposal point, we were aware it was damp on the top, and there was definite evidence of leakage from the cassette as we walked across the field.

We found we needed to carry the cassette horizontally to prevent leaks. This is one of the symptoms of a tired lip seal.

This rubber gasket creates a watertight seal between the toilet bowl and the cassette.

'I immediately remembered plenty of things that had been annoying, which I'd forgotten to address'

It’s crucial for preventing leaks and smells from seeping into the van, and for the correct operation of the Thetford cassette toilet.

Happily, replacing a lip seal is pretty straightforward, so we headed off to Reading Caravans, our local accessory shop, and picked up the parts we needed to get the repair done.

Job one Step-by-step guide