Moen mini-wide-spread sink faucet questions

[wbnethery3]

Hey guys,

We have a 12-year-old house that has Moen Kingsley and Monticello 2-handle sink faucets installed throughout. I just recently noticed that the assembly was loose at my sink in the master bath, and investigated to see how hard it would be to tighten it back up. I was shocked to find that the backing plate which holds the valve body to the counter top was almost completely rusted away. When I looked at my wife's sink, the plate is also very rusty. The valve bodies appear to be made of brass, but the backing plates are obviously plain steel.

We have lived in the house since it was built, and the issue with the sinks has gone undetected until now. In hindsight, we've seen evidence that I should have been more careful to investigate (occasional drips of water or rust at the back of the cabinet under the sinks). The builder did not apply any sealant around the base of the handles or faucet where they sit on the counter. As a result, water which pools around them will slowly but surely seep down and cause the damage I've discovered. My questions are:

- is application of a sealant normal for these types of faucet? I've done a kitchen sink installation that called for it, but the Moen instructions (or should I say pictograms since there aren't any words) don't illustrate using a sealant. While I'm better about wiping away excess water after using the faucets now, for several years I wasn't and I'm sure that's why my sink is worse than my wife's. It's resulted in worse hard water stains on my side as well, so definitely a lesson learned.

- is it possible to get a replacement backing plate from Moen or will this require complete replacement of the valve body? I've got a call into Moen but waiting on a response so figured I would see what opinion here is as well.

Once I've got the valve body apart, assume I need to replace o-rings on the faucet... my builder used push-on "shark bite" style shutoff valves which I'm systematically replacing with glued-on valves, so that's on the list as well. I thought I'd just be tightening up a nut or screw, but this is definitely turning into a major project...

Thanks in advance... everyone here is always very helpful.

 

[wbnethery3]

Just spoke to a rep at Moen... apparently the rough-in valve body that my builder used was not a Moen part, probably a generic one that they buy in bulk. Guess I'll head to the local hardware supply at lunch and see if they sell them... and if they have the plates that go with them. This just gets better every time I turn around.

 

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[Mliu]

my builder used push-on "shark bite" style shutoff valves which I'm systematically replacing with glued-on valves

What type of piping is stubbed out from the walls? Copper or PEX or something else?

I've never seen angle stop valves that were "glued on" so I'm curious to know what you're using (or misusing). What make and model valves have you been installing and how have you been gluing them on?

 

[wbnethery3]

What type of piping is stubbed out from the walls? Copper or PEX or something else?

I've never seen angle stop valves that were "glued on" so I'm curious to know what you're using (or misusing). What make and model valves have you been installing and how have you been gluing them on?

Maybe it's a choice of words, but this thread covers the topic. My house is plumbed with CPVC. That's off-topic for the current issue, but thanks for stopping by.

 

[hj]

a non "Moen part" or a "generic" one would NOT have been able to be used with the rest of a Moen faucet, so either you or the Moen agent are incorrect about what you have.

 

[wbnethery3]

They are definitely Moen (name marked on the aerator). The customer service rep could very well be mistaken, but the current design Kingsley uses something completely different. The rep told me that only the garden bath has hard piping between the valves and the riser and that even their older design valve body had hoses between the riser and vavles... finally at a computer where I can upload some pics. Going to the local plumbing supply tomorrow to see what they have. The rough-in valve stems are 4" spaced.

 

[wbnethery3]

The valve body in this thread (which I found in a Google search and led me to pose my questions above) is the same design as mine... so it would appear most likely that the Moen rep wasn't well-trained. The next question is - would it be feasible to just replace the plate or am I going to have to buy a new valve body? Still waiting on an answer about whether it should be caulked... seems like a bead of silicone around all three penetrations would've prevented this whole fiasco.

 

[Dj2]

Call Moen again, this time you'll get a different representative.
Maybe you'll get better results.
Rust in washers is not rare, just replace them. I don't think a bead of silicone would stop corrosion.

 

[wbnethery3]

Call Moen again, this time you'll get a different representative.
Maybe you'll get better results.
Rust in washers is not rare, just replace them. I don't think a bead of silicone would stop corrosion.

Good suggestion... just got off the phone with them, and they're sending two new faucet sets as a warranty replacement. The rough-in valve I had is the M-Pact Mini widespread and has been discontinued... they're sending a Kingsley centerset as replacement for both sinks, and hopefully the base will seal off and keep water from seeping under and through the holes in the granite. If it does, at least it won't cause any problems with the new faucet. Now my only issue is getting the lovely wife to accept the different appearance... the widespread is a cleaner look, but hopefully the new one is good enough to pass muster.

 

[wbnethery3]

And to just be clear - Moen did make good on this, but I had to do a lot of legwork to get it. Their website stinks for finding older / discontinued parts... once I had done enough googling to find the model number, it was a lot easier to find on their site. In my call yesterday, I was not able to tell them the dimensions and hadn't removed it from the counter yet, so couldn't share the details they really needed to help me. Glad they stand behind their products... this was going to be several hundred dollars out of my pocket otherwise.

 

[hj]

It is a "mini wide spread" which has completely different designs than a conventional wide spread.

 

[wbnethery3]

It is a "mini wide spread" which has completely different designs than a conventional wide spread.

I assume this reply was to the pictures I posted and you missed the fact that I had already found that same info. I guess I've learned my lesson - don't post here without pictures first. There wasn't enough information in my original post for you guys to be able to help me properly... that's my fault because I was frustrated and hadn't had the chance to take everything apart. Hoping this goes smoothly once the new ones arrive - will share some "after" pics when it's done. Thanks!

 

[hj]

You would not have had to "take things apart", just show a picture of the faucet. That would have been enough to give you all the information you needed.