How To Replace A Moen Shower Cartridge

Below is a video on how to replace a moen shower cartridge.

If you could subscribe or like the video…. thanks, I hope this helped someone out there. If you know someone that it could help just press the share button and share it with them. Be sure to check back for more do it yourself fixes soon.

Today we will be showing you how to replace a moen shower cartridge in your shower whether it’s because it drips or because the temping part of the valve is bad.

We will first start off by turning off the hot and cold supply valves that supply water to the shower valve. Next grab a utility knife and use it to remove the cap over the screw. With the cap removed we can grab a screw driver and loosen the screw so we can remove the handle.

Once we have the handle removed we can remove the white part from the center and then the chrome cover from the center. With those removed we can take a screw driver and remove the two screws that hold the cover plate to the shower wall.

Once we have the face plate removed you will notice a small tab just behind the shower cartridge on the top of the valve. The tab is a clip that holds the shower cartridge in place. So to remove it we can use a pair of needle nose pliers. Grasp the clip on top and wiggle side to side while pulling it upwards.

With most new shower cartridges they give you a removal tool. It’s normally white in color and made of plastic. We can next open the new shower cartridge and get the removal tool. Once you have the removal tool out we can slide it onto the end of the shower cartridge. Next take a pair of channel lock pliers and turn the removal tool to the left and right loosening the shower cartridge in the shower valve. They do make a metal removal tool.

Once we have the shower cartridge loosened in the shower valve we can take the same set of Channellock pliers and grasp the end of the cartridge while holding the shower valve so it can’t move and then pull the shower cartridge straight out of the shower valve. Once we have removed the old shower cartridge we will need to clean the shower valve. To do this we can use a 3/4 wire brush made to clean the inside of ¾ copper fittings. Just take the brush and move it in and out of the valve while going in a circle to ensure we clean the whole inside of the valve.

Next we can grasp the new shower cartridge and you will notice an H and a C on one side of the cartridge. That side will need to go up and the H representing Hot should be on the left and the C representing Cold should be on the right. Next we can take some plumbers grease and grease up all the rubber parts of the cartridge. That would be the rubbers on the sides of the cartridge and the o-ring towards the front of the cartridge. Once the cartridge is greased up we can also take some grease and put some on the inside of the shower valve.

With the valve greased up we can now install the new shower cartridge. Grab it and make sure hot and cold are facing upward and we can just slide it into the shower valve. The notch on the shower valve should line up with the tab on the shower cartridge. You don’t want to turn the spindle as you could damage the rubber on the side. You should feel it bottom out when you have it in position. If you need to you can use that same pair of channel lock pliers to push the cartridge all the way in just be sure to hold the shower valve as not to bend or damage the plumbing in the wall.

With the cartridge all the way in we can now reinstall the clip that holds the cartridge in position. It should be as easy as just dropping it into the grove and having it go all the way down.  If you have trouble getting it in make sure you have the cartridge all the way in the clip should sit in front of the cartridge.

With the clip in we can now reinstall the shower valve face plate. Make sure the gasket on the back of the face plate is in good condition as that is what seals the face plate to the shower wall to prevent water from getting behind the shower. The notch on the faceplate goes up the word off should be at the bottom.  We will take the two screws and line them up with our mounting tab on the shower valve and get them started by hand and then run them down with a screw driver so the faceplate is just touching the shower wall.

Next we can reinstall the chrome stop tube with the notch up. Next we can reinstall the white part with the notch up. If you have trouble reinstalling these you may need to loosen the faceplate a bit so everything can line up. Once we have the chrome cover and the white part installed we can snug down the faceplate.

Next with the chrome stop cover on and the white part on and the faceplate tightened down we can now put the handle on. Before tightening the handle down you will want to turn on the valves that supply water to the shower valve. With the water on we can check if our handle is on correctly. You will want to make sure when the handle is over the off position that the water is off. If you still have water coming out even though you are at the off position your handle is 180 degrees out. To fix this simple take your handle off and turn it 180 degrees and put it back on. When you put it back on it should be half way between hot and cold. Once on turn towards cold and then to the off position and the water should stop coming out. While doing this you will want to check for any leaks.

Now that we determined our handle is reinstalled correctly we can now tight the screw to hold the handle on. Once the screw is tightened we can now reinstall the cap that goes over the screw. With the screw tightened and the cap reinstalled that is it you have just replaced your meon shower cartridge.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer