SWMBO detected a slow drip in the shower, i immediately assumed that the cartridge needed to replaced. After installing the replacement OE MOEN cartridge I turned the water back on and determined the leak wasn't resolved. I then removed the cartridge, cleaned the bore with a tooth brush, inspected it with a light and didn't see anything that appeared detrimental. I inspected the original cartridge and the new one and no oring or gasket appeared damaged.
so after the second install where it was still leaking, I removed it again, cleaned the bore again, and flushed it out by turning on the water and letting it drain into the shower floor. I then cleaned and reinstalled the original cartridge.
1. Did I do anything wrong?
2. If the problem isn't solved, what else can I do?
3. Could it have been a defective replacement cartridge?
cyow5
HalfDork
3/30/25 8:24 p.m.
Are you positive it was Moen? Amazon is notorious for passing knockoffs, but my Moen from them a few weeks ago worked perfectly (the Ace brand was awful). If it is legit, are you using the grease? Sure the handle is clocked correctly?
cyow5 said:
Are you positive it was Moen? Amazon is notorious for passing knockoffs, but my Moen from them a few weeks ago worked perfectly (the Ace brand was awful). If it is legit, are you using the grease? Sure the handle is clocked correctly?
Moen didn't come with grease. I used food safe silicone grease for o-rings as it is what I had laying around and claims to be used for sealing o-rings (its the stuff I use to service my coffee maker)
As for "genuine MOEN" it came in a package that said moen, shrug... I can buy one from ace hardware if its still leaking and try again. Right now the original is back in having been cleaned and greased.
cyow5
HalfDork
3/30/25 8:39 p.m.
I don't recall the model number of mine, but it did come with grease. If the original is holding with new grease though, I'd call it fixed for now
cyow5 said:
I don't recall the model number of mine, but it did come with grease. If the original is holding with new grease though, I'd call it fixed for now
it was dry this morning, so I'm going to take your advice and leave it be. Hopefully Amazon tells me to just throw the defective one away.
so regreasing and reinstalling the old valve seemed to last a few days but the wet floor of the shower was back this morning. I went at lunch and grabbed a genuine MOEN cartridge from the local big box store and the correct DANCO grease (danco faucet silicone grease) and replaced it following all of the previous instructions...
- 1. turn off water
- remove any pressure in system by opening faucet
- remove handle, trim ring, and lock pin
- remove old cartridge using cartridge removal tool being careful to pull straight
- clean valve out using old tooth bruth
- open valve to full count to 10 close valve (flushing system)
- grease all rubber parts on new cartridge
- reinstall reversing steps 2-4
- turn water supply, test hot/cold, since it was backwards rotate cartridge 180 degrees, reinstall pin, trim cover and handle
at first no water came out and now i'm giving the system 30 minutes to fully drain before I test to see if it solved the problem.
Make sure you clean the bore really well. I had a moen and a tooth brush would never have cleaned the deposits that were in there. They make hones that would probably be the best. I very carefully scraped and cleaned it out.
I also bought a real moen repair kit. $20 va $60 for the new cartridge.
I will also say that Moen is pretty serious about their lifetime warranty. They sent me a pair of cartridges when my kitchen sink started dripping, and their support guys were pretty good. I'd ask them about it.
I went through this and there were a couple rubber seals that didn't come with the cartridge that needed replacing. I don't think my cartridges were actually bad, just the rubber bits that seal against them.
jfryjfry said:
Make sure you clean the bore really well. I had a moen and a tooth brush would never have cleaned the deposits that were in there. They make hones that would probably be the best. I very carefully scraped and cleaned it out.
I also bought a real moen repair kit. $20 va $60 for the new cartridge.
the cartridge i have purchased was an authentic moen. it's the 1225 and I replaced a 12801 that was in the handle. Do you know where I can find one of those hones? i'm happy to try a hone, i still have the original cartridge and can order a rebuild kit. I live in the suburbs of Chicago which is known for having hard water so its possible that deposits are there that I can't really see, i looked in the bore /w a flashlight and didn't see anything that would indicate a problem but if its drop .
as of this morning, i can't tell conclusively if the problem is solved... i don't see any drips but nobody had used the shower since 3pm yesterday (when I last replaced the cartridge) and it was mostly dry with just a small spot that may have been wet. Compared to the amazon "authentic cartridge" its definitely better but after removing the old one, regreasing it, and re-installing it, it was fixed for a few days. it just didn't last
RX8driver said:
I went through this and there were a couple rubber seals that didn't come with the cartridge that needed replacing. I don't think my cartridges were actually bad, just the rubber bits that seal against them.
nothing in the cartridge instructions required swapping seals over, where were the other seals located?
