Sluggo
Member
I'm in a 14-year-old house that's undergoing a master bath facelift, which includes replacing the tile on the floor and walls. Both vanity fixtures, and the two shower faucets are original and all match. We can't determine what brand they are (see my other post asking for an ID), but the faucets and valves seem to be quite good quality. The vanity faucets are wall mount and we will be re-tiling where they come through the wall; the shower will also be fully tiled. My contractor has suggested we replace all eight ceramic cartridges for the four, two-handled faucets now that we have the handles removed. We have had no leaks and the bathroom has only been used by two adults, so not a lot of wear. My contractor is not the kind of person who suggests unnecessary work to pad the bill; he's just very conscientious and thinks of the replacement as a preventative measure. I'm wondering whether we should do this now when it's a little easier to swap out the cartridges or whether it's premature. Of course, if the replacement cartridges turn out to be expensive, that would influence my decision. What kind of life cycle should one expect for the cartridges with a quality faucet in this situation?