Dornbracht Cartridge Installation

[spark146]

A DIYer here with a question about replacing a leaking cartridge in a Dornbracht ‘Madison’ single-hole faucet. I’ve got the replacement cartridge but I can’t find disassembly instructions for the faucet anywhere online. I’ll appreciate any expert guidance that could be provided. Thanks!

Here are pictures that might help:

Removed cap from hot-side knob:

With the cap removed I can see the top of the cartridge but there is nothing that suggests how to remove the knob itself...

There is nothing on the outer surface of the knob that would allow it to be removed. On the piece below the knob itself, there are facets, suggesting that it might be able to be unscrewed. Even so, I can't see how unscrewing it will help, since the knob will still be blocking its removal...

The replacement cartridge...

Dornbracht's drawing which shows the cartridge ('12')

As I said, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Reach4]

Nice pictures and post. Could it be that unscrewing the four #8 parts would let you lift that #9 piece? I don't know.

Your second picture shows some effects that makes me wonder if there are not threads just below that surface.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

See those little 'hooks' on the end of the plastic end of the cartridge? It looks like the handle snaps on those, and those little nubs are what hold it in place. The splines are what align it and give it some grip to turn the cartridge's shaft. IF that's the case, it should just pull straight out, but take a bit of tug to bend the nubs in far enough to release it. It might help if you could lightly pry the plastic in to get the nub out of the slot in the handle while pulling. If they were really nice, they'd have a tool that would push each of those arms in so you could pull it off easier! If there's no screw that goes into the end of the cartridge, that's almost certainly what it is. Then, once you have that off, you need to unscrew the collar below to gain access to the cartridge.

 

[spark146]

My thanks to those who replied. I appreciate the quick and considered answers.

'jadnashua', your suggestion was substantially correct: the knob was simply friction-fit to the plastic spline of the cartridge. A tug -- with a bit of side-to-side rocking -- was all that was required to remove the knob. (I should have noticed that the plastic spline on the replacement was slightly flared at the bottom, indicating that the friction-fit would increase as the knob was further seated.) As you guessed, once the knob was off it was a simple matter of unscrewing the collar (no tool needed, just by hand) revealing the hexed portion of the cartridge. A 17mm box wrench was required to loosen the cartridge; no open end or adjustable because age -- and the leak -- had it seriously locked in place. Once the cartridge was out, the slightly-deformed silicone rubber gasket could be seen: that deformation is what allowed water to bypass the cartridge, leading to the faucet drip.

Again, many thanks for the help. Problem solved!

 

[EuroPlumber]

Thanks to Jadnashua for the good explanation. Dornbracht technical service can be reached M-F 8-5 Eastern time at 1-800-774-1181