The Old Tradesman

Bench note No. 1

Never Force a Stuck Cartridge

How to get a stuck single-handle faucet cartridge out without wrecking the valve, worked on a Moen 1200 or 1225.

  1. The Old Tradesman raises one finger beside his workbench, where an old single-handle faucet cartridge with two black O-rings and a brass stem lies

    Panel 1. The Old Tradesman says: The part that will not come out is telling you something. Listen before you yank.

  2. The Old Tradesman kneels at an open sink cabinet and turns the oval handle of a shutoff valve on the supply line

    Panel 2. The Old Tradesman says: Water off first. Then open the handle and let the pressure out.

  3. The Old Tradesman holds up a small U-shaped brass retainer clip in one hand and a flat blade screwdriver in the other

    Panel 3. The Old Tradesman says: Handle off. Now the clip. On this valve it is a little brass U, and a screwdriver tip pries it out.

  4. The Old Tradesman holds up a flat hand to say stop while holding a pair of tongue and groove pliers down at his side

    Panel 4. The Old Tradesman says: Here is where folks grab pliers and haul. The stem can come out alone and leave the shell in the valve. Now you have two jobs.

  5. The Old Tradesman works a cartridge puller, a short steel barrel with a hex nut and a T-handle, at a round valve opening in a tiled shower wall

    Panel 5. The Old Tradesman says: Twist it loose first, a quarter turn each way. Still stuck? A cartridge puller threads into the stem and its nut does the pulling. Your wrist is not a puller.

  6. The Old Tradesman holds a new slim faucet cartridge level on his open hand beside a workbench with a small tube of silicone grease on it

    Panel 6. The Old Tradesman says: Brush out the valve. Flush it with the water barely on and a bowl over the opening, then water off again. Silicone grease on the new one, ears lined up, clip all the way home.

The note

I have one rule for a cartridge that will not come out. It is stuck for a reason, and the reason is not that you are weak. Moen’s own list for a stiff cartridge is sediment, debris, mineral buildup or a damaged seal. None of those loses an argument with your wrist. The valve body loses it.

So do it in order. Water off. Handle open to let the pressure go. Handle off. Clip out. On a Moen 1200 or 1225 the clip is a brass U, and a screwdriver tip pries it free. A new Moen cartridge comes with a small white plastic tool that sits over the stem and straddles the two ears. Turn it with pliers a quarter turn each way and the cartridge breaks loose. Then pull the stem straight out.

If it still will not move, stop pulling and get a cartridge puller. Its center screw threads into the stem and its tabs catch the ears. Work the T-handle to turn the cartridge. If that is not enough, hold the handle still and turn the hex nut with a wrench, and the tool draws the cartridge out for you. Yank on the stem instead and it can come out alone and leave the shell stuck in the valve body.

The Old Tradesman points at a cartridge puller in his hand, showing its T-handle, threaded center screw, hex nut, steel barrel and two tabs
A cartridge puller: a center screw with a T-handle, a barrel with a hex nut, and two tabs at the bottom that catch the ears of the cartridge.

Before the new one goes in, Moen says to clean the valve body with a nylon brush and flush it. Hold an upside-down bowl over the open valve, stand clear of the tub or shower, and turn the water on only slightly for a few seconds. Then water off again. Grease the new cartridge with silicone-based grease, set the ears at twelve and six, and slide the clip all the way into its slots.

And if the faucet body itself turns out to be damaged, that is a plumber’s job, not a bigger pair of pliers.

References

  1. Moen, 1200 and 1225 cartridge installation instructions, INS744F (retailer-hosted copy)
  2. Moen, Installing the 1200 or 1225 Cartridge
  3. Moen, Using a 104421 Cartridge Removal Tool
  4. Moen, Removing a Stuck 1200 or 1225 Cartridge
  5. Moen, Handle is difficult to operate
  6. Moen, Valve Body Cleaning and Flushing
  7. Family Handyman, How to Fix a Leaky Faucet
  8. This Old House, How To Fix a Leaky Faucet
  9. This Old House, How to Repair a Dripping Single-Handled Faucet

The technique in this note comes from these sources. He is the voice. They are the authority. The panels are cartoons, not photographs.