2000 Monaco Lapalma 36G bathroom remodel toilet riser box questions

[Q5Grafx]

so i have a 2000 monaco and the toilet riser box is carpeted. i have redone the rest of the bathroom already and have purchased a dometic 421 lo rise platinum toilet to replace the sealand traveler that it came with. the wood under that carpet is disgusting and i dont want to put my new toilet on it. i am reflooring with a pvc plank flooring solution. problem is the 10000 staples holding the carpet on but once i got under the carpet found out the wood isnt rotten but thoroughly nasty and dont want to waste all the time pulling out 10000 staples from pissy stinky wood. I have new 3/4" marine grade plywood to rebuild the box but cannot figure out how the old box is attached. everything else like the hose covers had screws bolting them to the floor chipboard. they carpetted all sides of the box before installing it and there are no screws holding the box to the floor. what im wondering is if anyone knows if the box is held down by the flange mount screws into a structure under the box. I am living in this RV fulltime and cannot go a very long time without the toilet working as im old as dirt and have to use it alot. also the new toilet is about 2" taller than the traveller that is currently in it and was wondering if i could lower the height of the box. I have the entire front of the box's carpet removed and one half of the top but still havent found anything that would mount it, not a single screw anywhere.

 

[elfredaseward]

I can’t tell you how your 2000 Monaco’s riser box is fastened, so treat this as a caution: if there are truly no screws into the floor, the flange or a hidden cleat may be doing the holding, and cutting before you find it risks cracking the tank flange. With a full-time situation and a low-rise Dometic 421 going in, I’d verify the flange height and the 2-inch gain before shortening the box. I came across this listing while comparing low-profile toilets: Thetford 42058 Aqua-Magic Style II RV Toilet Review — but it doesn’t cover Monaco construction. Has anyone actually pulled one of these boxes and found the fasteners?

 

[Q5Grafx]

I can’t tell you how your 2000 Monaco’s riser box is fastened, so treat this as a caution: if there are truly no screws into the floor, the flange or a hidden cleat may be doing the holding, and cutting before you find it risks cracking the tank flange. With a full-time situation and a low-rise Dometic 421 going in, I’d verify the flange height and the 2-inch gain before shortening the box. I came across this listing while comparing low-profile toilets: Thetford 42058 Aqua-Magic Style II RV Toilet Review — but it doesn’t cover Monaco construction. Has anyone actually pulled one of these boxes and found the fasteners?

Thank You. I have completed the Job. The box was attached with screws that were buried under swollen wood that i found with a magnet and the toilet flange itself. I had to buy a flange cutter to cut the flange. Under the box it was just a couple supports made from 1x2. Due to the way the black tank riser was run i wasnt able to lower it at all so the low profile toilet (Dometic 421) was 2" higher than the sealand traveller that was installed. Now in the back of the toilet room there was a step where the hot and cold water pex lines were run and it was about a 2x4 in height. So i built a floor riser box with 2.4s and topped it with marine plywood and then covered in vinyl flooring. i also had to add a circle riser on top of the toilet box 3/4" larger than the radius then the new toilet base. I came out good and its stable and solid feeling but im now going to replace the flooring i picked because it wasnt durable enough. the flooring i put down before the toilet going in got destroyed by my shoes during the work to remove the toilet box.

 

[michaelbrown]

Good to hear the magnet found the buried screws and that the 1x2 supports explained it. The flange cutter part is what worries me on my own 2000 Monaco toilet riser: cutting the flange seems like a one-way move if the tank riser height leaves no room. I'm weighing a low-profile toilet and a marine-ply riser with vinyl plank, but the 2" gain and shoe-damage issue make me think I'd need a more durable floor first. I saw Lippert Flow Max Elongated Ceramic RV Toilet Review while comparing options, though it doesn't address Monaco construction. Has anyone run a flange cutter without cracking the tank?

 

[isabellathomas]

The buried-screw detail is what I keep coming back to on my own 2000 Monaco riser, since I haven't found anything obvious holding mine yet. Your point about the tank riser leaving no room to lower is exactly my worry with a flange cutter, because one wrong cut and the tank is the problem. I'm leaning toward a low-profile unit and a marine-ply riser first, but I keep changing my mind while comparing models, and I looked at the Dometic 410 Complete RV Toilet Review Dometic 410 Complete RV Toilet Review without finding anything specific to Monaco. How did you decide the flange cut was safe before starting?

 

[Q5Grafx]

so the flange cutter is just a large hole cut saw that requires a 1/2" chuck drill to run. you have to use a peck type drill operation to drill it to remove the plastic from the bit. if you just go slow and do not make cuts longer than like 2-3 seconds each it will be highly beneficial in that the plastic will not melt to itself. but in about 10-15 minutes you will easily cut through the flange without any damage to the tank. I did run the drill for too long and it melted plastic to the guide bonding it to the pipe. so i got sand paper strip and sanded it free. the only issue is now there is no thread off way to remove the flange. the original flange is a thread on type but the bolts i had the heads rusted off and could not be removed to unscrew the flange, so the new flange is glued on. I have no leaks. ive been using it for about a month now. i did raise the floor in the toilet room with 2x4 base and 3/4" plywood top. it just made it more comfortable to use so i didnt have to use the toilet while standing on my tip toes. but as for the flange cut tool its very safe, the guide will prevent it from cutting the pipe and keep the hole saw running parallel to the pipe. it will just burn in your shoulders because the drill and hole saw is heavy and the angle you have to work at is a low leverage angle. but take an hour to do it if you want with only working it for a minute or two and take a break if the shoulders start to hurt rather than cutting longer and risking the plastic melting to itself. hope this helps.