DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Best way to fix this leaky shower valve

2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  plummen 
#1 ·
This valve leaks. I can't quite figure out how much, but I'm pretty certain it's my culprit. There have been a couple of times I've gone downstairs and water is dripping quite rapidly out of several of the subfloor cuts. Looking up through the holes, there is water apparently coming from the upper edge of the tub. But the virtual flood doesn't happen all the time. It's happened twice in 2 months. I thought maybe my daughter was dumping water someplace where it would get behind the surround, but I've determined that not to be the case.

So tonight I took the valve plate off and noticed drips coming from the valve. Not sure if there are times that it runs harder and times where it doesn't drip at all, but it had a steady drip tonight - but still less than what was running downstairs. Of course it had been shut off and messed with prior to taking the valve plate off.

So, can I replace anything on this to stop the drip? It's behind a surround/green board on this side (seen in pic) and behind cabinetry on the other side of the wall, so cutting a hole isn't practical. It appears there are little tabs where the two notches are, at the top and bottom. Are those releases to take out some inner assembly which can be replaced?

Thanks for any information!
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#3 ·
Cartridges seldom leak into the wall---they can ---I think you need to enlarge the hole around that valve in order to change the cartridge---

Use a Moen cartridge pulling tool---if the cartridge replacement does not solve the leak--investigate the shower arm connection--that is a common cause of leaks.

A poorly sealed tub overflow can go undetected until someone over fills the tub---that is also a possibility---
 
#5 ·
I don't see anything seriously wrong with it myself anyway,other than maybe needing a new cartridge installed.
If for some reason the stem part of the cartridge comes out leaving the shell behind theres a simple fix for that also.
Cut off a piece of 1/4" copper tubing around 1 1/2" long and stuff it inside where the stem came out.
Then thread a 1/2" pipe tap into the shell ,once it bottems against the piece of copper keep turning the tap in until the shell of cartridge comes out with it.
Make sure to lube new cartridge up really good and clean out any trash inside valve before installing new cartridge.:)
 
#4 ·
Vinegar or PB Blaster may work on the corrosion, but even then the internal body may be pitted/corroded enough for new cartridge/o-rings to not work.
It probably does not have its own shut offs, so you have to have plan b where the valve can be removed and pipes capped. I think you have to figure on removing the cabinet or replace the tub surround.
There are repair plates that are big enough to cover the hole necessary to replace the valve, but I don't know if those plates will work on the plastic/fiberglass surround.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top