Moen Cartridge U-shaped Pin Question

[luckylindyhopper]

My husband and I replaced the 1220 Moen Cartridge in our spa tub yesterday. We had little problems pulling it out and getting the new one in, until we went to place the u-shaped pin back in its place. We have tried and tried and cannot get the darn thing back in. The cartridge does not seem to want to push back any further, and I don't want to damage anything by forcing it back. Any tips on getting the pin back in? Also, would it be a horribly, bad thing if we were to just leave it out? Any help would be most appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Jerome2877]

Try turning the cartridge either left or right, there are two plastic tabs that stick up they should be forward and back and the clip slips in around them.

Definitly get it in there, that clip hold the cartridge in place!

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jimbo]

If you purchased a generic cartridge,such as a Danco from HD, or some other brand...anything except the whte package with the GenuineMoen Logo on it, they have a tendency to be harder to seat all the way. They use an o-ring on the nose which is just not quite the right size.

 

[luckylindyhopper]

It is the Moen branded cartridge. I picked it up at Lowe's, because I saw that Home Depot only had the generic brand.

I tried turning the cartridge and still no luck. The cartridge looks like it is seated properly (based on the animated instructions online and the printed instructions that came with the new cartridge) so I don't quite know why it's not wanting to go in.

 

[Jadnashua]

I had a similar issue with a Delta cartridge. Get yourself a small tub of silicon plumber's grease, put a thin coat of silicon grease on the o-rings, and then try. I'm pretty strong, and I couldn't get the cartridge seated without it. Once I did add some, it was still stiff, but did pop in that last little bit. Also, ensure that the o-rings are properly seated in the groove.

 

[luckylindyhopper]

I had a similar issue with a Delta cartridge. Get yourself a small tub of silicon plumber's grease, put a thin coat of silicon grease on the o-rings, and then try. I'm pretty strong, and I couldn't get the cartridge seated without it. Once I did add some, it was still stiff, but did pop in that last little bit. Also, ensure that the o-rings are properly seated in the groove.

Thanks so much for the suggestion! Tried this and it worked perfectly! I can gladly say my tub is back up and running!

 

[Mikey]

I've also noticed that occasionally the u-clip needs to be wiggled around a bit so that the ends will find their way into the slot in the valve body. There's enough slop that you often wind up trying to push the clip into the valve body, rather than the slot -- just wiggle the clip until the ends are aimed at the slot and you can push it in with your fingers.