Upgrading My Luxury RV Bathroom: Savy Thrifting Ideas

From the beginning I knew I needed to fix the toilet on my 2001 Beaver Patriot Thunder, but I always had other important things to do and for the most part it still worked. Howver, the gross mess and rocking loose toilet has caused me enough concern that I wanted to fix it before the floor rotted away, or at least hopefully before that happened. As luck would have it, I manage to get a free "NEW" Thetford Aqua Magic Style Plus from another job and I decided today was the day to fix the bathroom but also address the gross carpeted plumbing covers next to the toilet. So join me as I finally fix the toilet and upgrade my luxury classic RV to be more comfortable and sanitary.
WARNING!!! There are some parts of the video that some viewers may be uncomfortable seeing. I do change my gloves constantly, but please remember this is a part of life and living and something we all do.
Thanks for watching!!
style plus toilet: amzn.to/3Jc9pB6
Mango Power E: shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=102999...

[@slporter]

The only thing uneasy was the lost chance of violent cleaning of the tile while the toilet was off. :) I've learned a lot from this video. Thanks!

[@ToddM452]

Exactly why wouldn’t you clean and disinfect the floor tile before covering up to it and setting the toilet?

[@swirlgalaxy]

Howdy James!! You're not cheap, you're frugal!! There's a big difference!

[@2AZSUN]

James, master of the one handed repair!! The only thing gross about this was that carpet. What an incredible idea and fix for the nastiest part of your bathroom. That turned out fantastic!! You really have no idea how helpful and useful your vids are for those of us that like to do our own work. Thanks again for a great video!!

[@DavidHBurkart]

Outstanding video. Keep bringing hope to the hopeless James. You make such tasks seem not just possible, but actually probable to us Average Joes!

[@the1chainsawguy]

all men excel at one handed work! we learn that from our youth.

[@postersm7141]

I’m totally with you. Two places in your home that should never have carpet is your kitchen and especially your bathroom around the toilet. Oh my god why would people or builders put carpet around the toilet. It’s completely disgusting lol

[@sfcjones2590]

not the worse I have seen. 25 years in the Army I have seen more than I should have.

[@mikendebbie]

James - the one-handed wonder! Amazing!…and no cursing!

[@sissinoklahoma2057]

That ended up looking sooooo much better! The carpet in bathrooms; Who Ever thought that was a good idea and got all manufacturers to do the same? Crazy trend! Great job! Carpet is so nasty.

[@AZExpert]

You are totally right

[@denntamm]

Gotta say, the corian looks pretty darn good James

[@brianbelliveau5551]

Nice job I like the idea of no carpet in the bathroom

[@MagaRickn]

Hard work does not bother me! I can sit here, cocktail in hand, and watch you work all evening! ;) Got the same toilet. Excellent job! Who ever ends up with your coach someday will have an excellent maintained unit! :)

[@ericbuckner8182]

Your a frugal man not cheap . 😊

[@brucegenest7012]

Best seat in the house!

[@hectorperez7655]

me falling in love with that solar generator

[@stevencote5786]

Your great at what U do. I watch U all the time. Please stop apologizing for a toilet repair. I think we all know toilet repair is somehow going to B nasty. Thanks Steven Cote

[@SierraOne]

Filming and working at the same time - Amazing! Great Vid!

[@AZExpert]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@larrymiller8210]

We have a 2003 Itasca by Winnebago and have had it for 4 years and love it. Your advice on roof, I keep a sharp eye. You are the RV king of fix it. I have learned so much to keep others to fix my stuff. If you own one you need to be able to work on them. Thanks for all your great advice.

[@COMtnPilot]

James, you crack me up! Solid work, Brotha! 😎

[@terry3193]

Hey…who doesn’t love a toilet video?!…..can’t have enough of them 👍. I swear, you make everything look so easy. I really enjoy watching you work on “the greatest RV ever built “. Great video and always helpful! Take care. 👍

[@AZExpert]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@QSSCEO]

Dynamite Job! Looks original OEM to me. It'll be washable and sanitary. Some of a mans best thinking is done on the throne...I'm sure you will have plenty of time to admire your work. :)

[@AZExpert]

It's my favorite throne

[@clarencewiles963]

Thumbs up 👍

[@livinglifemyway7349]

Looks Better than Factory build!

[@stuartstuart866]

I installed a used toilet (curb find) in our house, my wife wasn’t too keen on the idea, but I reminded her that all public toilets that she has ever utilized are “used”. It cleaned up spotlessly and worked trouble free for years.

[@SpykersB]

Lol! Love it. 🍻

[@MaryWehmeier]

Toilet bowls can be disinfected. NBD

[@MrTheBigNoze]

Wow, those corian covers are very impressive and could have been factory. Great thrifting finds as well. Awesome vid, love to watch Beaver upgrades!

[@larrymiller8210]

I love cheap! Don't apologize! Thrifty is a better word. Thanks.

[@AZExpert]

Cost effective :D

[@gsp2west]

Another great video. I like the way you normalize yourself. You are a real person that thinks a lot like your viewers. Just another great job…Thanks..

[@bruceblais7958]

You're right James that counter material looks so much better by the way you're not cheap look at the nice RV you have so thanks for sharing see you next time

[@davidfaris1422]

Wonderful job. Not Gross

[@Technocrat.]

Started watching, but have to sleep now. Will finish tomorrow after work. James, never be ashamed of being cheap. Only way to survive. If you can get it cheap or free, why not. Kijiji here with all the free give aways you could build a house. Great video thus far, always enjoy them.

[@MikeCris]

A Harbor Freight steam cleaner may help brighten that grout around the toilet. I also like to presoak the grout lines with a pasty mixture of Oxy Clean.

[@EfficientRVer]

$30 for a Hitachi 10in miter saw at Goodwill. You're a beast! I bought mine new around 1986 for a lot more than that, when I had custom oak baseboards and door jambs made for the 3200sf house I built to raise my kids in, and did all the finish carpentry (except stair building and kitchen cabinets), door, and lock installations myself. Even after all that, and much more abuse including cutting all sorts of metal that's inadvisable, I'm pretty sure it's still the original carbide blade in it. This year, I've cut everything from wood to plastic to electrical conduit with it. Plus the threaded stainless rods I hung new hydronic unit heaters from last fall. Cutting threaded stainless with a wood blade is on the noisy side. Hint, you have to remove the sawdust bag to keep from smelling smoldering sawdust.

[@michaelcanto6175]

Excellent!

[@AZExpert]

Thanks for watching!

[@lavernedofelmier6496]

We lived off grid for 30 years, power tools use minimal power because of the duration. House, out buildings all made by the sun.

[@facilitiesmaintenancebyarne]

Oh man, I can relate! I have a very similar upcoming episode that started out as a simple flush valve replacement and ended up being a flange repair. My parents had carpet in their bathroom in the 70’s, lol… that must have been so satisfying to get rid of that! Love the new clean look! Nicely done!

[@jerrylynnparks3433]

I drove to Tucson to pick up a 8.1 vortex 2005 Lapalma 2000iles home drove it with no problem I wanted to thank you for your awesome knowledge you taught me a lot my name is Jerry and now your my go to guy thank you much for all the help! We are in Elizabethton T.N. have a blessed dayy friend! 😊

[@terrybrennan4978]

Great video! Nice work James!! The Corian came out great. So much nicer. Thanks for the video.

[@AZExpert]

I think so too!

[@RamblinRoadies]

Looks great James! Well done. The carpet looks disgusting. What were they thinking?

[@philw7174]

Terrific video James. Glad to watch the improvements on your Beaver. Happy trails!

[@janebray9392]

Hi James🙋‍♀️❤️🛻🇨🇦‼️You get a 10/10 card on this whole video!!! I love thrifting parts!!! And its so amazing that that thrifted stuff looks like a perfect match for the job! We just bit the bullet and changed our brand new - dead in the water - fantastic fan(lift arm broke due to manufacturer using wrong screws, and we were too busy to go thru the hassle of contacting dometic(which is in our bad books as 3 of their appliances in our brand new trailer are crap), to a Max Air fan and its been great to have it! So now we still have to fix the 3 burners on the brand new dometic stovetop😡, and the kinks will be worked out. (All the screws came out of the burners, some are completely gone, nowhere to be found) pathetic I tell ya. I just wanna drop kick Dometic out of my life...they used to be so good!!! Ok rant over. 😂 You did a lovely job on your bus🎉

[@surferjoehangten]

Well done! I understand...I recently refinished 2 1/2 bathrooms (3 toilets/1 walk in shower/1 Tub/new floors/molding/full paint) in a 2 story house. WHEW!

[@kirktruman6707]

Damn James it all looks awesome. Job well done

[@LadyMarie880]

so glad you put your big boys pants on , great job. so good , easy to keep clean , carpet in the bathroom is trouble the first time you use the bathroom......thanks again

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

CAN I HAVE YOUR OLD TOILET! 😁👍👍🇺🇲 BEST VIDEO EVER! 😁👍👍🇺🇲

[@williamcarruthers3142]

Impressive!

[@ImpalamansGarage]

Man that was a great idea on recovering those plumbing boxes. Mine has something similar but I had no idea what was in there. Great info. Thanks !

[@mykgrauss9872]

Thank you James, I've been looking for a video just like this one. Answered some great questions, and you did a great job! Thank you! Be safe, Myk

[@AZExpert]

Thanks for watching

[@YallAintRight]

I love this rig!

[@AZExpert]

Thank you! :)

[@QLFProductions]

I just installed your old toilet today, lol.

[@margueriterizzo7925]

Great video, I need to change a stool in RV. The gross part was the tile floor and the carpet. Hope that tile floor looks better in real life. That should be your next project.

[@lawrencebest9943]

Great video

[@AZExpert]

Thanks for watching

[@graemejury8318]

Hi james i injoy watching all your videos i am in new zealand 😊 great show

[@rustyhurdis847]

Really love how the corion worked. Hoping my dometic has a port on the back for my bidet sprayer.

[@mickeyrussell2127]

Excellent upgrade looks 100% better😊

[@Tony_in_AZ]

Cheap? You cheap? Naw. Thrifty. Very nice retro fitment with toilet and covers for utility runs ...

[@Scott924m]

Honestly it turned out better than I thought it would. I would never even think it wasn't original . Very Impressive.

[@larrydowns6267]

Really enjoy watching your projects and love your ingenuity! Excellent job as always James!

[@cwshumate914]

Looks great! Not too gross considering I grew up with septic. Had to clear blockages and dig up and open the tank.

[@davidharrison3173]

Oh my gawd. Clean the damn floor. The covers are brilliant but the dirty floor is insanity!

[@chrisbengford812]

01 BPT -Looking Good!

[@tradermomo6355]

Oh James... As much as I luv watching you work, the first rule of a "finished" job is to "SANITIZE" the area around the hole in the floor B4 you reinstall everything! 20 years of pee and what else! Working with my fathers business Custom Kitchen and Baths for 62 years, he would have never installed anything unless the entire area was bleached, scrubbing bubbled or whatever you had to sanitize the floor! tisk tisk tisk! Otherwise good work!!

[@AZExpert]

Thanks, I won't be eating off that floor or doing surgery there.

[@rujeepn]

So, that tile was driving me nuts thinking it was so dirty under the carpet thingies, but it looks like that's just the way that tile is made. 🤷‍♀ I have one of those carpet boxes on the side of my toilet so just another idea to upgrade something else! Does that towel bar hit you in the head? 😂 PS: I'm cheap & lazy so I would have probably just painted the wood! Thats what I did with my window boxes in the bedroom.

[@imgumbydmnt]

I used to pump septic and grease traps for a living, you're not grossing me out. 😉

[@matthewstrzelecki4280]

Nice job that looks awesome looks like it was meant to be

[@octaviofuentes7781]

Im traveling from California to Bisbee az hopefully I can stop by to meet you my man

[@lawrencesiemsen1083]

with patience comes success, you have a talent my friend

[@AZExpert]

Thank you!

[@just.bob.j]

Excellent job!

[@davemonk7596]

Great video! The corian idea is perfection!!

[@J.Cameron.Stuart.Adams.]

Bye bye piss pads! Great work mate!

[@TimothyMichaels]

That's the best kind of deal you can get, free. I'm guessing the flange on mine is cracked, water continues to warp wooden floor bad. All water turned off, pouring water manually, leaks like crazy.

[@mfowler4651]

James, I think I would’ve doubled up on my gloves for this one!

[@derekspringfield7921]

Always Great Videos

[@AZExpert]

Glad you like them!

[@cullenmiller8170]

Nice video and awesome fix. I seem to spent a couple hundred dollars every month on my 2001 Beaver. I had to replace the vacuum breaker and flush valve on my Sealand toilet last year. Rebuilding the vacuum generator of the vacu flush setup was not for sensitive stomachs. 😂😂

[@badgerpa9]

Looks excellent. Glad to see you took time for your own motor home. Did you ever notice there can always be something stopping you from taking care of your own rig and then you never get time to enjoy it either. Hope you are enjoying the deliveries and drives you are doing. Stay safe and healthy.

[@davidmcgee2126]

Nice job For ease of access I would have tried Velcro on the back instead of silicone I’ve used the loop side as backing on contact edges to reduce rattling A simple job turning into more than initially thought. Never happen So I’m working on a travel trailer. One issue customer has is water on bedroom floor when filling fresh tank. Customer has had this a year. I’m thinking something is leaking It has a wood box with white laminate in a compartment with one hook up for city and tank with 4 levers and a diagram of how to orient for city, tank fill, dry camping, winterization, the pump is directly behind in a carpeted box tucked between bed and wall. Tank flush connection is here also. A hole through the floor with the flip port cover like direct wire shore cord has to run a cable/ antenna connection. Above it is one of those little slide out wardrobes. Giving great access (sarcasm) being in the way outside or inside your choice or opening and closing to have a better look when inside or out Remove the top access to the see behind Hook up water No leak on city. I’m looking at other things while doing this. So I turn water on and if no leak in a minute I leave on check after 10-15 minutes Tank fill. No issue immediately. Vent hose looks tight. I’m thinking maybe this is it. I didn’t talk to customer. Service writer didn’t have any specifics other than happens filling tank Decent size tank. I’m busy. Listening for the overflow to start spurting. Peaking in to see if any water on floor I hear water I have a flood I turn water off Clean up I didn’t see where the water was coming from there was so much I’m focused on this overflow hose. I made up my mind that’s the issue when had no leaks to begin with Get someone to turn on so I can hopefully see where water is coming from Instant flood Look closely at the set up Fresh tank vent/overflow is on the side of the box in the water compartment which is 3 sides and a top nailed together and nailed to the floor. Big gap between wall and box The fresh tank overflow runs into the camper as does any water from not hooking hose up tight or if gasket goes bad or missing. There is the big hole for the cable to go through but running out the side into camper is lower Someone at our shop did a PDI on this too It’s a feature. Self cleaning floor when filling fresh tank Seakasil 221 is great stuff. Make anything watertight

[@user-pn2xz8nu1z]

Watched your video on toilet upgrade to your rv,went through same with my 05 COACHMEN Miranda .Watched many of your videos especially roof resealing and membrane replacement all way from Australia. Great work.

[@RebeccaRaven]

Thanks, James! I appreciate you showing the unshowable because those are the jobs I need good tutorials for to make my time as short as possible!

[@michaelnorton650]

nice job and i learned a few things

[@robertburgess6100]

Nice job, James!

[@shanejb2121]

Fantastic! Shay's attitude is just magnetic, and your artistic vision is second to none.

[@goththicus]

You made it look so easy. Nice work, and the counter top matches great.

[@hddm3]

Wow very nice as usual!

[@AZExpert]

Thank you so much 😊

[@I_wish_I_knew_something]

A new Turd Target!!!

[@postersm7141]

1:35 “ traps items“ looks like somebody’s taco Tuesday got trapped on the ledge.

[@weirdmatter]

I like this one!

[@timk.9827]

Very nice job James, Thanks.

[@Mr_Ripples]

Great job!

[@DLTJR1959]

Master technician at work. So appreciate your skills. So envious of your abilities. I am in the process of removing my air toilet and replacing with a regular drop flush unit. My limited mobility does not allow me to attempt such an endeavor. Thanks so much for your videos James. I would love to get you to work on my unit.

[@Talefromthehangar]

Nice work sir

[@toms5676]

i love your stuff!

[@AZExpert]

I love that you watch it!

[@user-zz9bf9mh2k]

Looks good. Nice work! Thanks for the video.

[@ThePeopleVerse]

Ha,😅 ... pretty good price, my foot. That's the BEST price. 😂❤

[@kenmeinke2753]

Great Job. Looks fantastic.

[@LiveTomorrowNow]

We love watching your videos and you teach us a lot!! Thank you!! ❤Zack & Linda

[@AZExpert]

Thanks for watching

[@WildeGreg]

Great video. I like how you show how to make repairs using basic tools and parts and turn it into a great looking project. I look forward to your videos. Thanks.

[@scarter176]

James, this is a good video

[@MikeCris]

Very nice upgrade/install.

[@bretmoore4988]

great video looks good

[@ggsdrummer]

Very nice & much needed upgrade in function & form & cleanliness 👍🏻😊 Well done James!

[@Technocrat.]

You need Matt's RV's Black Tank product.

[@mikeprice2487]

Great work as always James, it looks good and blends in perfectly to me.