[RippySkippy]

Over the weekend I replace the leaky cartridges in a Moen bar sink...individual hot and cold. The faucet was installed in in the mid 70's, functionally clean not loaded with mineral deposits, exterior finish just shy of looking new. The hot cartridge came out with some convincing, the cold did not. The lower half of the cold cartridge broke off inside the valve. Which would explain the drippy faucet, you could tell it must have been cracked for years.

My question is is there a tool that assists with the removal of the faucet cores? My method was crude and while I'm certain, it didn't cause it to break, most likely it didn't help.

I ended up removing the faucet from the sink, and finding a small punch to drive the broken part out from the supply side.



BTW...this series of Moen faucets now have life time warranty on valve parts, the one installed did not. Moen helped me locate a new part number that "should" work, but did not have them. After getting a referral from Moen, I called Kully Supply, Inc. www.KullySupply.com; Phone: 800-518-5388 (shameless plug for a company that filled a need), they had the out of production part and given that I worked with Moen to identify the part number, if it didn't fit they would take it back in return with out a restocking fee (all I'd be out was the shipping). The parts were not cheap, but the replacement faucet was in excess of $450, so in comparison, $75 in parts wasn't out of the question. The second generation part fit perfectly and the 30 year old faucet works PERFECTLY!

 

[Rehabber]

Just one more reason not to buy Moen. Cartridges that don't want to come out, EXPENSIVE cartridges. Stuff for Deltas or PF is a couple of bucks.

 

[RippySkippy]

That's kinda short sighted isn't it? Did you know it the 70's that this out-of-production replacement cartridge was going to be $35 each in 2009? It's irrelevant today as the same faucet now has lifetime cartridge replacement. Hind sight is usually 20/20...and arm-chair quarter backs are a dime a dozen.

Now that you've gotten down off your soap box, do you have any suggestions for removing a stuck cartridge? Since this isn't my field, I thought I'd try to get better prepared for the "next" time.

 

[bjr23]

Chatau series?

I don't remember the exact PN but a plastic tool came with the cartrige on the Chateau series with square notches that you slipped down over the cartridge and then could rotate the cartridge to help loosen it and then pull up with pliers or visegrips. I'm just a DIYer homeowner, and I like Moen Chateau valvle cartridges and have them thruout two houses. bjr

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I replaced our shower cartridge
I took apart as much as I could
Sprayed w/something that loosens up rust
I let it sit overnite
Then I sprayed it again the next day
Lightly tapped it with a hammer & was able to remove it
I'm not sure how long it was installed

 

[RippySkippy]

This one had no visible rust, the whole assembly was brass with some copper there may have been a bit of plastic inside...but most of the cartridge was brass. I thought there might be something similar to a handle puller that one would attach to the screw in the top and pull the cartridge straight out with a controlled steady pressure

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I didn' see any rust either, but I figured it couldn't hurt

 

[Gary in WA]

Even 30 years ago I don't think Moen used any metal that would rust....... Maybe some sediment settling.

Yes, there is a tool: http://www.moen.com/consumersupport/installation/moen0133/moen0133.cfm

Be safe, G

 

[brokenknee]

I have one, they work fairly well. My daughter and son-in-law purchased a foreclosed property with some water damage. I had to replace all the cartridges in the house. Some weren't to bad; I was able to remove them with a vise grip without further damage.

One was a real bear so I broke down and purchased this tool.

I was able to get it out without damage. I either picked it up a Lowe's or Home Depot, not sure which.

edit: the reason the ones I had were so hard to remove, is they froze and split the plastic housing.

Tip: when you reinstall make sure you use plenty of plumbers grease on the new gaskets and coat the inside of the fixture also. I learned the hard way, had to purchase a whole new cartridge since Lowe's did not carry the rebuild kits for it. I know someone sells them, but it was late and I needed to get the water back on.

 

[RippySkippy]

I wish they were of the type in the link provided by GBAR...where you could twist the cartridge just a bit then extract it...unfortunately these had a small tab that locked them into place and had to come straight up, before twisting. I guess I'll look at the little tool next time, it's good to hear BrokenKnee that it worked for you. When I replaced these on Sunday, there's not a single home improvement type store open near them, so I had to make do. Thank god it worked. And you're spot on about the grease...the replacements were fully lubed...