Review on Moen Commercial Heavy Duty Shower Only Replacement by Stephen Russian

Update 27th February 2021: We have used the upstairs bathtub continuously for the past 7 months in this 5 person group housekeeping. The cartridge holds up well with no leaks and spins just as freely as the day it was installed. Negative reviews here should be a one time scenario as we have been very lucky so far. I will update if anything changes. Note: I replaced a 22 year old Delta RP19804 cartridge for my Delta 1300/1400 series shower in our basement today and I will say that this Moen 1222HD cartridge is much easier to remove/replace than the Delta RP19904. If you are starting a bathroom makeover and are grossly replacing a tub/shower, use Moen and this 1222HD cartridge for durability and longevity. Original review on July 30, 2020 " here on Revain. The savings compared to the new prices in the box were worth it. For $30 it was an open deal. I chose this cartridge to get the job done once. Here are some caveats to keep in mind: - If you are ordering via an open box your new brass cartridge will not come with a rubber side seal grease pack. and the main O-ring at the top of the stem. I recommend purchasing Hayward's Jacks 327 Pool Lubricant here at Revain. This is pool gold and that's what I used for this job. In addition to Danco (for Moen cartridges) or a Moen cartridge remover and Danco 100% silicone or Jacks 327 pool grease, you will need an Allen key, Phillips screwdriver and needle nose pliers. Now that that's no longer the case, you can start removing the old plastic waste cartridge that resides in your existing shower valve. Shut off the water supply! Leave the valve open briefly to drain the remaining water. Then remove the handle by removing the hex wrench at the bottom of the handle, remove and remove the Phillips head screw holding the handle adapters. Remove the metal key shell cover. Using needle nose pliers, pull out the metal clip holding the cartridge. Take the Danco or Moen cartridge extractor, loosen the screw and snap the cartridge into place. Tighten the screw in the stem. Twist the puller left and right while gently pulling and the cartridge should pop out. Before installing a new Moen 1222HD cartridge, lubricate the ribs on the side of the cartridge and the top o-ring (near the shaft) with Jacks 327 pool grease or Danco 100% silicone grease, which is oil-free and suitable for use in is water. . Reinstall the new 1222HD brass cartridge by reversing this procedure. Before screwing the handle back in (last step), turn the water back on and check that the valve is closed and not dripping so you can put the handle back in properly. Turn off the water, tighten the knob and turn the water back on to make sure it is correct. This cartridge made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the ease of use of my 4 year old Moen bathroom faucet. Now I can easily turn it with one finger (it feels too loose) while before it was incredibly difficult to turn it off. almost to the point where the handle breaks cleanly. It's a shame that Moen didn't include this cartridge with each of their taps from the start. Those plastic posi-temp cartridges are junk because they have o-rings inside that will harden or become brittle over time due to hard water or debris. This causes them to stick and fail as almost happened to me. do yourself a favor Buy this cartridge once. Save yourself the trouble of doing this multiple times. Don't even think about buying a plastic cartridge. Thats much better. Don't risk breaking your arm to turn off the water!