Nobody wants to think about their RV toilet until it gives them a reason to. But after two decades of service work, I'll tell you that what most RV owners discover when they finally have to replace their toilet is that the choice between Thetford and Dometic is more nuanced than they expected. These are the two brands that dominate the RV toilet market, and they've taken meaningfully different approaches to the same problem: how do you design a toilet that works reliably in a mobile environment, uses minimal water, seals against tank odors, and still feels something close to residential?
The answer each brand has landed on differs in the details, and those details matter for daily comfort, long-term reliability, and parts availability when something eventually needs attention. Both brands make good toilets. Both have models that underperform. The choice comes down to your specific rig, your camping style, and which brand's design philosophy better matches how you actually use your RV.
The four toilets below — two Thetford and two Dometic — represent the realistic range of what most RV buyers are considering when they upgrade or replace. The comparison across brands is honest: where Thetford leads, I'll say so. Where Dometic has the edge, I'll say that too.
Through RV Upgrade Store, the Thetford lineup is represented by the Aqua Magic Residence High Profile and the Bravura, two of their strongest-selling models in the full-featured toilet category. The Dometic side is represented by the 311 Series Low Profile and the 320 Series High Profile.
These four units span the range from compact low-profile installations to tall, residential-height toilets, covering the two main criteria most buyers prioritize: installation height clearance and seat height for user comfort.
Best for: Full-timers and frequent campers who want the closest thing to a residential toilet experience, with a tall bowl height, household-style seat, and high-profile clearance requirement
The Residence name is deliberate — this is Thetford's most residential-feeling product in their RV lineup. At the high-profile height, the seat sits at a level that most adults won't find jarringly different from their home bathroom, which is a real daily comfort consideration for anyone who spends significant time in their RV. The elongated bowl design extends forward further than the compact round bowls common on budget RV toilets, providing the sitting geometry that most adults prefer.
The flush mechanism uses a full-pedal system that opens the waste valve completely with a single deliberate press, rather than the graduated fill-then-flush action on earlier Thetford models. A complete flush uses less water than partial-press fill cycles, which matters for fresh water management on dry camping trips. The porcelain-feel surface on the bowl interior is easier to keep clean than textured plastic surfaces, and it holds up better against the repeated treatment chemical exposure that RV toilets face.
A full-timing couple I set this toilet up for had been using the factory-installed compact round-bowl unit for three years and described the Residence installation as a transformation of their bathroom experience. The seat height difference alone — roughly three inches taller than their original unit — made a measurable difference in daily comfort. For anyone spending significant nights in their RV, that's not a trivial upgrade.
Best for: Owners who want Thetford's proven reliability and OEM parts compatibility in a high-profile format without the additional cost of the water-saver sprayer attachment
The Bravura is Thetford's workhorse high-profile toilet — not the most feature-laden product in the lineup, but an exceptionally well-proven unit with a decade-plus track record in the field. The key advantage of the Bravura for many buyers is parts compatibility: the flush valve assembly, foot pedal, and water supply components use the same platforms as Thetford's broader product range, which means repair parts are widely available and technicians are familiar with the service procedures.
The high-profile height gets the seat to a comfortable level without requiring the additional Thetford toilet riser that shorter units often need. The white finish is bright and clean-looking, and the smooth bowl surface is easy to maintain. The foot pedal mechanism on the Bravura is the same graduated two-stage design found across the Thetford line: halfway for bowl fill, full press for flush. Once learned, it becomes completely intuitive — though first-time RVers used to residential flush handles occasionally find it counterintuitive on first use.
For dealers and service shops that want a reliable, consistent product with minimal service complexity, the Bravura is the standard recommendation. Its repair history is well-documented, parts are always available, and installation is consistent across the product range.
Best for: Owners with limited clearance above the toilet — particularly in the toilet cassette spaces common in smaller travel trailers and van conversions — where a full-height toilet won't fit
The most significant distinction Dometic made when they designed the 311 Series was using a ceramic bowl rather than the plastic bowls standard across the Thetford lineup. Ceramic is the material used in residential toilets for a reason: it resists staining, cleans more easily, and maintains its smooth surface integrity through years of chemical exposure and cleaning that gradually degrades plastic bowl surfaces. In a toilet that sees daily use across multiple seasons, the ceramic bowl advantage is cumulative and real.
The low-profile designation refers to the overall height of the unit, which is shorter than high-profile Thetford models. This isn't a comfort compromise if your ceiling clearance above the toilet is the constraint — in those installations, the low-profile Dometic fits where a tall toilet doesn't. But if you have adequate clearance and are choosing low-profile deliberately for comfort reasons, understand that you may need to supplement with a toilet riser to achieve comfortable seating height for taller users.
The flush mechanism on the Dometic 311 uses a foot pedal at the base of the unit rather than the standard side pedal on Thetford models — a different ergonomic approach that some users prefer and others find awkward during initial adjustment. The spray rinse function on equipped models directs water around the rim for a more complete flush than single-point water entry.
I've installed the 311 in several slide-in truck campers and compact travel trailers where the toilet cabinet was built around a specific height constraint. Every owner has praised the ceramic bowl — within one season of use, the difference in bowl cleanliness compared to their previous plastic-bowl toilet is obvious.
Best for: Owners who want Dometic's ceramic bowl quality in a tall, elongated format that directly competes with the Thetford Residence on user comfort and residential feel
The Dometic 320 is where the Thetford vs Dometic comparison becomes most direct. Both the Thetford Residence and the Dometic 320 are targeting the same buyer: someone who wants a tall toilet with an elongated bowl that feels genuinely residential rather than like a compromise piece of equipment. The ceramic bowl on the Dometic 320 is the feature that differentiates it from the Thetford Residence, which uses a plastic bowl regardless of how residential it feels in other respects.
The pedal flush control at the base of the 320 is one of the cleaner implementations of foot-operated flushing in the RV market. The pedal is positioned and proportioned well for most adults, and the flush action is confident — full water delivery to the bowl with a complete valve opening that doesn't leave residue the way partial-flush mechanisms sometimes do. The elongated seat adds the forward bowl extension that makes seating geometry significantly more comfortable for most adults.
For owners choosing between the Thetford Residence and the Dometic 320, the decision often comes down to whether the ceramic bowl upgrade justifies any additional cost or installation complexity. In my view, for full-timers and heavy users, it does. Ceramic maintains its surface quality in a way plastic doesn't, and in a toilet that's used daily for years, that surface quality affects both cleanliness and the visual appearance of the bathroom.
Toilet replacement in an RV follows the same basic process regardless of brand: shut off the water supply, flush to empty the bowl, disconnect the water line and waste flange, remove the mounting bolts, lift out the old unit, and reverse the process with the new one. Most RV toilet installations take 30 to 60 minutes with basic tools.
The critical measurement is the floor flange preparation — the size and placement of the waste flange in your bathroom floor. Most RV toilets use a standard 3-inch or 4-inch waste flange, and both Thetford and Dometic units are designed for these standard configurations. But flange condition matters as much as size: a flange with a cracked seal ring or damaged mounting tabs won't seat the new toilet properly, regardless of brand, and a slow leak at the base of the toilet is the result.
Before purchasing a replacement toilet, inspect the floor around the existing unit for soft spots that indicate water damage from a previous seal leak. Replacing the toilet without addressing floor damage means the new toilet will eventually develop the same problem as water wicks into the damaged substrate. Address the floor first, install fresh flange seating material, then install the new toilet for a clean, leak-free result.
Choose Thetford If You...
Choose Dometic If You...
The choice between Thetford and Dometic in the RV toilet category is more interesting than most buyers expect because the brands have genuinely different strengths. Thetford's parts ecosystem and proven reliability make it the conservative, low-risk choice for buyers who want to keep their toilet running with minimal service complexity for years. Dometic's ceramic bowl is a tangible quality upgrade that justifies the brand for buyers willing to accept a slightly shallower parts availability in exchange for a better bowl surface.
For full-timers and heavy users: the Dometic 320's ceramic bowl is worth the premium. For weekend and seasonal campers replacing a functional toilet: the Thetford Bravura or Residence provides excellent value and proven reliability. Both brands are represented through RV Upgrade Store, and either will serve you well through years of camping if you maintain the seal system and don't ignore the early signs of wear that every RV toilet eventually shows.
I’m Bill Rowell, the founder of RVupgrades.com. In 2002, I launched the business to help fellow RV enthusiasts find unique and hard-to-find products. Over the years, it’s grown to offer more than 15,000 items, with a warehouse in Eastlake, Ohio. Having owned and repaired nearly every type of RV, I bring over two decades of hands-on experience to the table. For me, this isn’t just a business – it’s a passion and a way of life that I love sharing with the RV community.
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