Moen Cartridge Replacement He11

[wdfifteen]

Holy Gamoses what a pain in the ass!
Mrs WD came out of the shower at about 6 AM in a panic because the water wouldn't turn off. I calmly and confidently started trying to take it apart about 7 AM. Got a new cartridge that was supposed to fit as soon as HD opened.
First I tried to take it apart using the stupid tool Moen includes with its new cartridges. I could hear the old cart. laughing when I pulled it out of the package.
I juggled and worried it with pliers, screwdrivers, and assorted implements of destruction for about an hour.
Then (after watching a video) I drove two wood screws into the cart. to have something to pry with. No joy.
Next i drilled the center out and tried an Easy Out. Nope.
Then I tapped it and screwed a bolt in and used a slide hammer on it. The threads pulled out.
Then I screwed a piece of 3/8 iron pipe into it and applied the slide hammer. Again, it pulled out.
By then it was 2 PM and I was tired hungry, pissed off, and desperate, so i took a torch to it and tried to burn it out. After a nice chat with the lady at my alarm company I got them to put the alarm on test for a while so I could burn the crap out of it.
Lots of smoke and fumes later I had it in small enough pieces to dig out with a screwdriver.
Polishing the inside took until 4:00.
I had to take it on faith that the new cartridge was the right one because I could find no model number on the valve and the old cart. was a pile of charred cinders.
It took another hour to fight the new cart into place.
I had several minutes of panic when the stem would not slide in and out to turn the water on. I inspected the cart and noticed there was a rotary position where all the holes were covered. I've experienced valves that do on/off and mixing just by rotating the knob. I called Mrs WD to confirm that this one was push pull on/off. WTf?? I desperation I jammed it back in, just hoping to plug the hole so I could turn the water back on and take my own shower and deal with it later.
To my surprise it worked! It works differently, but it goes on and off and mixes the water!! Mrs WD thinks I'm a genius. I never let her see me sweat.




Here is the valve with the guts burned out of it.



This is what the old cart looked like when I finally got it out.



The old cart. may or may not have looked like this at one time.



All buttoned up and, miracle of miracles, it works!

[NoRush993/951]

Nice work! I always wondered what happens when that shower cartridge gets wedged in there and won't come out. You'll appreciate that next shower more than ever!

[aigel]

Glad you got it done!

Did you read before you dove in? I read and saw that parts fit and R&R can be a major PITA! Usually I do everything myself but I decided to let mine drip and have the plumber fix it once he was in the house for a bigger half day job ...

G

[Jolly Amaranto]

When I moved into the house I presently live in, I replaced all the Moen fixtures. I had too many problems with them in my old house. But now I noticed a lot of the manufacturers are going to a similar cartridge system. It's a gold mine for them. Kind of like printer ink cartridges. They ding you a hefty replacement fee every time they fail.

[aschen]

I just fought the exact same cartridge this weekend. Mine put up a decent fight but not as valiant as yours. I bought the alluminum extraction tool for 12$ but it was still a bear

[aschen]

This guy

DANCO Cartridge Puller for MOEN 86712 at The Home Depot - Mobile

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by aigel

Glad you got it done!

Did you read before you dove in?

G

Yes, I watched two or three videos on it. The removal tool shown above works if the cart. isn't stuck hard. If it is stuck the tool just pulls the stem out of the cart. The only original idea I had is the easy out and the 3/8" pipe.

[scotricker]

I like the Manly Man pictures. Burnt bashed pieces. Good Job !

[onewhippedpuppy]

This was an lol thread for me, because it sounds like soooo many of my personal projects. And after an abundance of profanity and beer, I also frequently resort to destruction. Well done.

[VincentVega]

x2

I was afraid of melting solder so I skipped the heat but went through the same thing too. I kept applying spray lube and prying it apart, not a fun job.

[MBAtarga]

Well - no pics of Mrs. WD exiting said shower?

[1990C4S]

Keep it classy. A shot through the steamy door is fine.

[GH85Carrera]

That sound just like every plumbing job I tackle.

At my old bachelor pad house that was built in the 1950s there was nothing whatsoever that was standard parts of today. It had lead pipe drains, and the bathtub faucet was the old style two knobs about 24 inches apart that went through the cast iron bathtub. I finally had to cut a hole in the living room wall to access the backside of the tub to remove the faucet and take it to an old man with a faucet repair shop. He said "wow I haven't seen one like that in years" but he rebuilt it and I got it back in place.

Of course I had a hot date that evening and I really NEEDED a shower after all that.

I finally re-did that pink and green bathroom and it required a complete gut of the bathroom down to wall studs and a new sub-floor and floor. I had to hire a plumber to replace the lead drain for the toilet and get to the cast iron sewer pipe.

Golly that was a fun project!

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Keep it classy. A shot through the steamy door is fine.

No problem, Mrs WD would never miss a chance to get nekkid in front of a camera.

[gsxrken]

For probably 14 years now, the handle of a single handle shower faucet I installed in our bonus room cannot be retained and will fall on the floor of the surprised house guest. I forget the particulars but I fastened the faucet body itself too deep into the wall joists, obvious only when the sheetrock and $$$ tile job was done or to someone who read the directions.
Every time I have a plumbing job it seems to require every tool I have plus another one.

[legion]

1) I'm surprised that the shower didn't leak from the cartridge after how twisted the housing looks.

2) I had a similar problem 1 month into owning my current house. Then I found out the manufacturer (Delta) no longer makes the cartridges for my particular shower. Fortunately I had a home warranty and it paid for a plumber to put in a whole new valve.

[hcoles]

I'm slowly replacing Grohe or Hansgrohe fixtures installed 25 years ago with Delta diamond valve fixtures. So far so good. The diamond coated valve surfaces are supposed to last forever, all I need is another 30 or so years.
Re. pulling out the Moen shower valves - yes can be trough - in the past using the provided tool has worked for me. I pull and lube every 3 or 4 years.
Lots of tools and material flying round and you got it to work - that takes talent. The goal is to inflict the max. amount of pain on the POS. Now you can tell the wife you saved $600 in plumber fees - use as equity on the next kitchen pass needed to go to the track.

[aschen]

I cant imagine any scenario or alternate universe where I am a responsible enough home owner to willingly pull the valves out of a shower for routine maintenance. I am impressed.

The diamond valves don't have any elasotomer seals?

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by aschen

I cant imagine any scenario or alternate universe where I am a responsible enough home owner to willingly pull the valves out of a shower for routine maintenance. I am impressed.

The diamond valves don't have any elasotomer seals?

They probably do somewhere - the marketing is that the sliding diamond coated surfaces stay clean or don't wear or some such.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by legion

1) I'm surprised that the shower didn't leak from the cartridge after how twisted the housing looks.

It's not deformed at all. There are trapezoidal notches at the top and bottom. Those, combined with the variation in color make it look like a piece of chewed gum in the photo, but the only damage is very minor scratching around the lip.