Cartridge Replacement & Water Shutoff question

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Bakechad

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I have a Moen single handle faucet in my shower that would sometimes drip when it was turned off. Now it is rapidly dripping all the time. After looking at a plumbing reference book and reading the postings here, I have determined I need to replace the cartridge. That leads me to two questions.

The posts I have read suggest using a cartridge pulling tool when working on Moen products. Would this tool work: http://tinyurl.com/7krmd

My other question is about shutting off the main water supply. In my limited plumbing experience I have always had a shutoff for whatever I was working on. Since this the shower I will need to shut off the main. I have shutoffs below and above the meter inside. After I shut one of those off, I need to drain the system. My question is do I need to turn off the gas hot water heater while I drain the system?

Thanks

Chad
 

Jimbo

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1. I haven't seen that particular tool before, but there are many brands available and they all should serve the purpose of helping you to twist the cartridge after removing the "horseshoe" clip. Twisting breaks it free and allows it to be pulled easily.

2. You don't need to go crazy about draining the system just to work on a shower. However, as a general safety precaution, any time you turn off the water, it is a good idea to turn the WH to the "vacation" setting. This would generally prevent the heater from coming on. After restoring the water, run a hot faucet for a while to ensure that the tank has had a chance to refill completely in case it drained at all.
 

Jadnashua

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You only need to drain a little water out of the system to relieve the pressure and the lines that may be above the shower (say you have a sink upstairs and the shower is downstairs). If the shower is the highest thing, just open a sink faucet below it, then you won't get wet when you remove the cartridge. Unless you hot water heater is upstairs, it probably won't empty at all. If you have valves on the input/output, you can close them and it will remain full (it's best to turn the thing down or off if you do that though, since if it does come on, it has nowhere to expand).
 

hj

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tool

The tool shown is a handle for a loose key hose faucet, not a cartridge puller. If the stem is really stuck in the valve then one puller will remove the center piece and then you have to figure out how to get the remainder out. Another one inserts into the barrel after the center piece is out and "sticks" to it, so if you cannot get the piece to move and remove it, you are stuck with replacing the valve because there is absolutely no way to remove the tool until you can get the rest of the stem out. These problems are why I, and many plumbers, have three or more different Moen stem removers, and some jobs require all of them before the removal is successful.
 

Cass

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Applying plumbers grease, once the valve is cleaned out, may prevent this from happening the next time. The cartridge will have a light coating on it but applying a light coating to the valve (be sure it is dry) with a tooth brush will help.
 

Bakechad

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hj said:
The tool shown is a handle for a loose key hose faucet, not a cartridge puller. If the stem is really stuck in the valve then one puller will remove the center piece and then you have to figure out how to get the remainder out. Another one inserts into the barrel after the center piece is out and "sticks" to it, so if you cannot get the piece to move and remove it, you are stuck with replacing the valve because there is absolutely no way to remove the tool until you can get the rest of the stem out. These problems are why I, and many plumbers, have three or more different Moen stem removers, and some jobs require all of them before the removal is successful.


I didn't think the picture matched the description. Lowe's does that quite a bit. Everywhere else I looked, the Danco tool was a cartridge and stem puller that is multi-function just as you describe.
 

hj

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If the cartridge is plastic, or a brass one that has not bonded to the faucet, then almost any tool will remove it. If it is neither, then any of the various tools, if used by themselves, can get you into a situation where you cannot turn the water on until a plumber comes and finishes the removal.
 

Toolaholic

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Beware ,hj Gave Good Advice

6 months ago i got only 1/2 of the cartrage out and carefully sweated in a new moen valve through the tile hole. it wasn't easy and the customer got a large bill. if you don't do plumbing you could be in a BIG HURT
 

hj

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valve

You needed the one or more of the other removal tools and then you would have saved yourself a lot of work. The only times I have had to replace the valve were when the maintenance men tried to remove the stem with hammers and chisels, and when a mechanic tried to drill it out. I have even removed a core that broke in half inside the valve.
 

Bakechad

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Well I replaced the cartridge and it wasn't too bad. The hardest part was getting the retaining clip out. The old cartridge came out with a little force and the new one went in without a problem.

The only problem is now the faucet drips out of the spigot. It is only one drip every four or five minutes, but it does drip.

Any idea what I did wrong?

Thanks
 
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