How to find the model number on an RV appliance
Where is the model number on an RV toilet or refrigerator?
The model number is on a printed label attached to the appliance itself, not on the part you are replacing. On RV toilets it is usually low on the back or side of the base, near the floor flange. On RV refrigerators it is behind the lower exterior vent door, on the chassis. You need the model, not just the brand, because two toilets from the same maker can take different parts.
Why the brand alone is never enough
Almost every wrong part we see ordered comes from stopping at the brand. "Thetford toilet" is not an answer to which seal you need, because Thetford has made a dozen models and they do not share the same parts.
The parts lists are organised by model, so the model is the key that unlocks everything else. Without it, even a correct part number is a guess about whether it belongs on your camper.
The same component, two different numbers
- Aqua-Magic V and VI — blade seal is 31708
- Aqua-Magic IV Hand Flush and Pedal Flush — blade seal is 33027
- Both sit at item 9 on their own parts list.
Where to look
The label is on the appliance, and it stays there for the life of it. It is not on the part in your hand, and it is not on the packaging the part came in.
- Toilet — low on the back or the side of the base, near the floor. You may need to look behind or under the bowl with a torch.
- Refrigerator — behind the lower exterior vent door on the outside of the camper, on the chassis or the burner housing.
- Water heater — inside the exterior access door, on the tank flange.
- Awning — on the roller tube end cap or the mounting rail.
Model number, serial number, part number
Three different numbers, and they do different jobs. The model number identifies the appliance and selects the parts list. The serial number identifies your individual unit and matters when a part changed mid-production. The part number identifies one component on that list.
Manufacturers do use the serial number to split a parts list — a document may say a component applies to units above or below a given serial. When it does, the serial stops being trivia and becomes the deciding factor.
If the label is gone
Labels fade, and on an older camper the model plate is often unreadable. Work from the component instead: find the part you are replacing on a parts list, see which models carry it, and narrow down from there.
That is what the component pages on this site are for. They list every appliance a given component appears on, so a recognisable part can lead you back to a model.
Look up your part
Search a part number, an appliance model, or the component that failed. We check the manufacturer’s own parts lists first.
Open the parts finderRelated
Last checked 2026-08-30.