Shower faucet cartridges can be especially difficult to pull. Al Moen invented the cartridge faucet, and cartridge faucets remain a specialty of the Moen company. The company designs them to be removable so you easily can replace rubber gaskets and O-rings that may be causing leaks. Unfortunately, these rubber parts often stick to the valve housing and make removing the cartridge a challenging job. Moen sells a tool that makes pulling cartridges easier, but sometimes you need more help than that. Cartridge Removal Procedure The usual procedure for removing a cartridge is to unscrew the handle, and after turning off the water, pull out a retaining clip. In the best of circumstances, you then grip the cartridge stem with pliers and pull, and the cartridge should slide right out. In less than ideal circumstances, however, the cartridge won't budge, no matter how hard you pull -- and you begin looking for ways to gain more leverage. Before trying other pulling methods, however, it's wise to douse the cartridge with white vinegar and wait for an hour or two.

It safely dissolves mineral deposits that may be binding it. Using a Cartridge Puller When the cartridge doesn't come out, even after treatment with white vinegar, you have occasion to make use of a tool that Moen manufactures for pulling stuck cartridges. The T-shaped tool fits over the stem and seats against the cartridge housing. After screwing its bolt into the cartridge stem, rotate the handle to loose the bonds holding the cartridge so you can pull it out. If the cartridge is old and stuck enough, however, you may end up pulling out the cartridge shaft and leaving the sleeve stuck in the housing. You need to remove the sleeve before you can insert a new cartridge. Pulling Out the Cartridge Sleeve Plumbers confronted with a stuck cartridge sleeve have developed an effective method for removing it. You first cut threads into the inside of the sleeve with a 1/2-inch tap. The sleeve is made of brass, which is easy to thread. You then insert a 3-by-1/2-inch hardened steel bolt through the holes of three or four stacked 1-inch washers, and screw the bolt into the threads.

When the bolt is deep enough so its head wedges the washers against the cartridge housing, tightening it with a wrench loosens the cartridge enough for you to pull it out. Considerations You don't always have to resort to a cartridge puller, especially when you're removing a cartridge from a sink faucet. Reattaching the faucet handle after you pull the retaining pin often gives you the leverage you need. Depending on the configuration of the faucet and wall or backsplash, you may be able to hook a pry bar behind the handle, support it against a piece of wood and pry the cartridge. It often takes only a small movement to break the seal so you can remove the cartridge by pulling on the handle. /Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionA little while back, I was experiencing signs of a worn out valve in my main floor tub/shower.  The knob was getting  difficult to turn and soon I started noticing evidence of a small leak that was damaging the ceiling of the basement below the valve. I opened up as much of the plumbing as I could get to through the access panels and confirmed that the valve, not the pipes were leaking.  

It turns out that the Moen shower valve in the main floor bath uses an easily replacable cartridge insert.  In about an hour, including a trip to the neighborhood hardware store for a new cartridge, my shower valve was repaired and working better than ever. Here’s how it was done: Start by turning off the water supply to the tub.  Pry the decorative cover from the end of the knob with a straight screwdriver, then unscrew the knob and remove it.  Puppies For Sale PragueWith the knob gone, it should now be possible to remove the large trim ring against the wall by pulling a couple more screws.Hud Homes For Sale In Canton Ms Using a small pliars, pull out the small retaining clip protruding from a slot in the valve body near where the knob attaches.  Pups For Sale In Bakersfield

(As an aside, check out the weird blue fiberboard on the back side of the wall.  It was soaking up the leaking water like a sponge.  I don’t believe this is a code-compliant building material for a wet area…) Once the clip is removed, reattach the knob and pull straight out until you have removed the valve cartridge. Then remove the knob from the old cartridge, attach the knob to the new cartridge, and reverse the removal steps to finish the installation. Before reinstalling the trim ring, I replaced the gasket around the edge because the old one was worn out.  Adhesive foam weatherstripping was just the right thing for the job. With the new cartridge, the tub and shower valve work like new.  I finished this repair six months ago and I’ve had no evidence of leaks or trouble throughout that time.You must be the original purchaser/owner of your Moen product in order to qualify for Moen's Limited Lifetime Warranty and obtain free parts. How To Get Free Moen Parts:

How to Get Free Moen Parts I work in the plumbing industry and every day I see someone coming in looking to pay for plumbing parts they should be getting for free. It’s either because they are not aware that they can get them free of charge  or they just don’t know how to go about it. May it's because they think is just going to be too much of a hassle or they will have to wait a long time for the parts and in the long run, they are probably going to be better off paying for them anyway. Most stores don't carry parts for anything they sell; of course, consumers don't want you to carry every part of every item you sell, they just want to you to carry the part they are happen to be looking for on that particular day. Lets face it, the reason you purchased a Moen faucet in the first place was because it came with a “Lifetime Limited Warranty”. At the time you were probably thinking, alright; "Free Moen Parts" for life and I won’t need to replace this faucet for as long as I live.

One day you noticed that your Lifetime Moen faucet, has started to drip a little, the finish may be coming off or maybe it had gotten just a little harder to turn or operate. Sound familiar, I bet it does. You may have forgotten about your Moen "Lifetime Limited Warranty" or you don’t remember where you put your warranty information and you can't find your purchase receipt. Suddenly you started thinking, how I'm I going to get parts, and if I buy a new faucet, I’m going to have to go through the trouble of replacing it or maybe I will have to hire a plumber and that alone will cost more than the faucet is worth. Most of us can relate. By now, you just want to fix the problem as quickly and economically as possible.  You head down to your local home improvement store and look for parts, you might have to try two or three stores before you find exactly what you need, you check out the price of a new faucet and you decide to try a few generic parts that sell for $30.00 plus (US) dollars, $40.00 in Canada.

Meanwhile, you are spending valuable time and money looking for something, that you can most likely get for FREE. Now that I have your attention: Let me tell you how to get you Free Moen parts.  Moen’s warranty is quite broad and covers a lot of different parts so you don’t have to worry too much about whether or not you're covered, you're most likely are.  It’s always best to have your purchase receipt and your warranty information close at hand.  However, in the event that you can no longer locate this information here is what you do. Tip: If you register your new Moen Product, with Moen, when you first purchase it, you will not have to keep any additional records of your purchase, and you will be able to obtain free warranted parts, for as long as you own it. Before You Call Moen! Before you rush out and call Moen, you will at least have to have some idea of what you are looking for i.e., a kitchen faucet or bath faucet part, a sprayer part, a two handle faucet handle or a faucet cartridge.  

You will be able to get help from Moen if you have difficulty identifying your Moen product.  You can normally tell, if you have a genuine Moen faucet, since Moen always stamps or engrave their name, directly on every product they make.  Look for the Moen name or the Moen series number which is a little more difficult to find. Finding The Series Number Kitchen Faucets, both Single and Two Handle type: You should find the series number stamped on the back side of the spout, located at the bottom near the base where it swivels on the sink. By pointing the aerator or the tip of the spout (the end where the water comes out) so that it is facing the 3 o'clock position, you should be able to see the series number on the opposite side in the 9 o'clock position. This is usually a four or five digit number beginning with "7" or "8" and it may be followed by letters. Single Handle Lavatory Faucets: Try looking, on the under part of the spout, sometimes using a small mirror and a flashlight will help.

Two Handle Lavatory Faucets: Try looking, on the back side of the decorative ring that is located at the bottom of the spout, again you can try using a small mirror. Finding Your Moen Faucet Part Number You can skip this part if you already know the part and part number of the item you are looking for; and go directly to "Getting Your Free Moen Parts:". Your best bet here is to go directly to the "Moen Replacement Parts" web page. You will start by selecting the room that your faucet is in, Bathroom or Kitchen and hit "Continue". Next, you will want to "tick off" your product description, Sink, Tub/Shower, Bidet or Roman/Garden Tub if you preselected "Bathroom" or you will be asked to select the finish if you selected "Kitchen". Then "tick off" the type of finish (chrome, brush nickel, oil rubbed bronze, etc.) on your product, this will bring you to the next screen where you can "tick off" more information, like single or two handles. Note: The questions may vary a little depending or whether or not you are selecting a kitchen or a bathroom product.

Fill in, the type of handle, like Lever, Knob or Cross or whatever applies to your product.   Keep filling in all the information till you finally get to the "Find Your Product" screen and click on "Find My Product". Now, Moen will take you to the product page where you should be able to identify your product, by name or visually by picking out the one that looks the closest to the product you have in your home. Now click on the View/Order Parts (green) button. This will take you to the Illustrated Parts list  and a numerical parts list with highlighted part numbers.  You can click the highlighted part number, on the drop down menu, to place an order or check out the part number on the Illustrated parts list to see what part you would like Moen to replace Free of Charge. Don't be too quick to order and pay for parts unless you are certain you are not covered by the or Moen has denied your claim. It's Important That You Do Not Place An Order With Moen If You Are Looking To Obtain Free Warrantied Replacement Parts!