Why does my moen faucet leak

Check the faucet to see if there are any leaks. Make sure water is running to the right faucet handle then turn it back off. Does the faucet have any drips of water coming out of it? If the answer is no then your right handle has good seals.

This indicated a bad seal in the left faucet handle. This is the fun part for me, taking apart the faucet. I always encourage you to take pictures of the process in case you need to refer back to how the setup use to be before it was fiddled with.

In the case of this Moen faucet I needed to unscrew the base of the faucet handle. If you have a similar handle you can accomplish this by hand most of the time. Turn the base to the left to unscrew it. This will expose the brass nut that holds the cartridge in place. Turn the brass nut to the left to unscrew it. At this point my big tip is to take a picture of how the cartridge sits in the faucet handle body.

Take the cartridge with you to the hardware store or Home Depot or Lowes in order to find the correct replacement. I recommend buying the name brand replacement cartridge. With your new faucet cartridge in hand all you need to do is refer back to the picture you took of the stem position. Refasten the brass nut that secures the cartridge in place by hand tightening it then using channel locks.

Only secure the brass nut enough to keep water from leaking from underneath the new Moen replacement cartridge. A good way to check this is to turn on the shutoff valve to the faucet handle before attaching the faucet handle itself. The result of this repair is no more water dripping from the faucet, no more waste of a precious natural resource, and no more money being added to your water bill.

What the handle really needed was the seat and spring underneath the cartridge replaced. Also, it was interesting to find out that Delta and Peerless brands are basically the same thing. Once I knew that, it was easier to go shopping as Delta branded parts are much easier to find.

I hope the information was helpful. I posted this tutorial to aid anyone with the same problem. I took a bullnose plier to lift it up but it does not comes out, and I am afraid to pull up to hard, to avoid breaking it. My email address is [email protected]. Jeff — After replacing the cartridge and reassembling the faucet, when I turned on the water there was very little water pressure. Did I over tighten things? One way to test the shutoff valve water pressure is to remove the cartridge then slowly turn the valve handle to see how much water comes out of the faucet.

If the water just trickles then the shutoff valve could be bad or there might be debris in the supply line. Thanks for the quick reply. I tested the water shut off valve by replacing the new cartrdige with the old cartrdige and the water pressure was just fine — altho the drip returned. I even took the new cartridge back to the hardware store and replaced it as I thought maybe the new cartridge was faulty. But even when the 2nd new cartridge was inserted the low water pressure returned.

I replaced both the hot and cold cartridge and it appears to be the cartridge in the cold faucet that is the problem. I am going to try putting the hot cartridge in the cold faucet to determine if it might be another bad cartridge.

Improbable but possible. Will keep you posted. Definitely let me know what you find out. Let it sit for minutes.

Wipe off the excess WD40 and use a pair of channel locks to pull the cartridge loose. I, like Mary, had a very difficult time pulling out the cartridge.

I had to grip it with the channel locks and rock it back and forth gently to help coax it out a bit. Then I pulled straight up and got it out — took some muscle though. Big mistake. The water was barely trickling out of the faucet. Putting the old cartridge back in yielded the same results as they did for Steve — plenty of pressure and that pesky drip.

I headed to another home improvement store and this time found the Moen part. Faucet is all set now with great water pressure and no drip! I think it might be helpful if the picture you have of the channel locks holding the cartridge showed the side with the hole. The Moen part has a brass valve in the cartridge while the other part, as far as I can tell, is entirely plastic. Thanks again!! The only difficulty I had was extracting the cartridge but after applying white vinegar and using a thin blade to disengage the cartridge from the faucet, I was able to pull it straight up and out.

Not a leak! I have been told that Moen will replace parts for free. You could always call Moen and ask them about their policy, too. I have all Men faucetts in my home. For nearly 20 years Koen has sent me replacement cartridges and other parts at no charge. They are always nice and very professional. I would never by any other brand, because of my experience with Moe.

Hello Jeff, just a quick note of thanks for taking the time to post your tips. These repairs come up infrequently and its great to have these instructions to get you started.

You saved me a lot of time figuring out how the tap on this particular faucet came apart. I replaced both cartridges with no issue. Your help was much appreciated. Thanks so much Paul. You really made my day. Thanks for the easy to follow tips. I was able to replace both cartridges within ten minutes……. Well look at me! I did it!! Thanks to your guidance and pictures love the pics I was able to keep going until I got it done.

I now live in a leak free house!! Opening all those pickle jars has paid off, lol. Sometimes the hardest part is removing the handle or old cartridge. Jeff, your tips are great. I finally got the cartridge out after a bit of muscle work. Only got part of it out. Now what? I have Moen faucets which are 19 years old. That will help me give you a better answer. Me again …yay!!! Got it off…used a screen driver to pry it up. Thank you!! Very helpful website. Michael, have tried spraying WD40 on the lock nut?

If not, go ahead and spray the nut and let it sit for minutes. Then wrap the nut and base with a rag before using a wrench. Let me know if this helps. What now? Thank you. Michael, are you trying to remove the lock nut that holds the cartridge in place or the entire faucet? The reason I ask is usually channel locks are sufficient to remove the lock nut holding the cartridge in place. But sometimes you need to use a basin wrench. I am having the same troubles.

How did you get it loose? Assuming that you were successful in more than a year since this post was made! Another option is to tape off the base of the faucet and use a flathead screwdriver to pry off the handle. Starting at one side then moving your way around it like you would do to remove a car tire. I have a Price Pfister faucet that looks very similar to the one you have pictured and has a dripping issue. I turned off both shut off valves but the right handle cold still pours water steadily.

Do I need to replace the shutoff valve? John, it does sound like your shut-off valve needs to be replaced if the water is still on. This should be a straight forward repair but let me know if you have any questions. Your shut-off valve is probably either sweated on with solder, is a compression fitting, or screwed on. It is sweated on to a copper pipe, will I need to sweat the new one on as well. I do not have any previous experience doing that type of plumbing, how difficult will it be?

If you have a lot of copper pipe sticking out of the wall you could always cut off the existing shut-off valve. Do this with a copper pipe cutter, remove any burrs, then use a compression or SharkBite bite type shut-off valve. But again, this all depends on having a good two inches of copper pipe to work with. Awesome, just plain awesome. The step-by-step pictures might have been my hand, I literally did what the pics show. Great info mate.

Bob, you made my day when I read your comment. Thanks for dropping in. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips of your own. I have a moen 2 handle bath faucet. It is was leaking from the mounting nuts underneath. Could the aerator cause a leak from underneath? It is not dripping.

But this is an easy fix. If you remove your faucet handle there should be a nut that holds the stem in place. The nut holds the stem in place. If the nut gets loose and the stem dislodges just a bit then water will leak from underneath the handle. The second reason you could have a leak is that your rubber seat and spring are worn out. Our moen faucet has been dripping for months and I was tired of waiting on my husband to take care of it so I did it myself. After getting the correct cartridge took me only about 15 min to fix it.

Thank you! You ROCK!! Make sure you treat yourself. Thanks for the info, very great directions! Just fixed the cold side on a leaking two-handle Moen faucet. I took the old cartridge out first, just like it says in your directions. They just wanted the old cartridge — fine by me! Way cool. Hi Jeff, We have a faucet like the one shown in the picture. Any suggestions? I was trying to figure out this same problem about a year ago Marianne. And I got super frustrated until I found the installation directions.

Start by turning off the shutoff valves that supply water to each respective handle. Use a crescent wrench to then remove the supply lines from the shutoff valves. Lift the rod up from the spout then insert a Phillips head screwdriver. The spout can be loosened by turning this screw counterclockwise. If you have trouble you can use either channel locks or a strap wrench to loosen the handles. Do you have a picture of the old cartridge? If so, send it to [email protected].

Sometimes there are two tabs and you just need to take the cartridge out and turn it degrees and reinsert it into the faucet base. I have question for you. I was running the hot water in my bathroom sink, and all of a sudden it just stopped. I immediately checked the tub and the hot water was still functioning. Assuming its the cartridge for the hot water, but could it be something else?

Any ideas? I have had no leaks or indications there was a problem. There could be a few different issues. Try to turn the shut-off valve completely to the left and see if the hot water turns on.

Hope this narrows down the problem. But please let me know if you still have the issue after doing these things. Out came the plumbers box and faced with the modern plastic equivalent to the old brass stems I had to do a little research before I created more problems for myself. Oh, and I like the website setup. I also use Thesis and can appreciate a well laid, out easy to read site. Do you do your own site setup or have someone do that for you? Either way great job!

Hi Bear, glad to help you any time. I know the feeling your describing — solve one problem but find 8 more. And man it can be frustrating as all heck. Older homes are so charming and you can feel the history all around. Thanks for your kind comments about the layout. I do use Thesis and am in the process of building a new version of the site on 2. I have a older Moen faucet about 10 yrs and it does not have a nut at the bottom. It is the 2 handled type with a base but there is not apparent way to get the handle off to get to the cartridge?

I had a similar Moen Model e that had the handle break and the parts they sent end with me placing the handle over the handle adapter, there was no screwing it on. This one has no visible way to take the handle off? Hey Brian, if you want to go ahead and send me some pictures of your handles. Hope I can help you out after seeing the pics. There could be mineral deposits in the small inlet leading from the faucet handle base to the faucet spout.

I have replaced both cartridges on my moen 2 handle brantford but the faucet still drips. What should I do now? Hi Mitzi, does your faucet have seats and springs? The seats are rubber and sit down in the faucet right below the cartridge. If the leak persists the easiest thing to do is replace both seats and springs. Just make sure to replace the springs with the correct orientation — which is to have the seat sit on top of the narrow portion of the spring. Hi Jeff, I had a leak on a Moen shower, single valve plastic unit.

I removed the old one and a lot of difficulity and put in a new one after lubricating it a plummers grease. It worked fine but had a water hammer in the hot water side. Installed a water hammer tube and this cured the problem. I now have a drip leak from the shower head, just like my original problem after about 3 weeks from the start of this project. Any ideas. Hey Harry, thanks for your question. So you replaced the cartridge. Remove the cartridge and check that o-ring for residue or minerals.

Clean it then grease it again. Check if the leak comes back. If it does you should call Moen and request a new cartridge. Thanks Jeff for your quick response. I will remove the cartridge, clean and re-grease it and keep my fingers crossed.

I will get back to you and let you know the final outcome. Hello Jeff, I just replaced the Moen cartridge for a single lever in my shower because I have a leak.

I need your expertise Jeff. Can you please help me out? Thanks for your question Carlos. This will help them perform better and prevent them from drying out prematurely. Thank You!! I am so glad I found your page. LOL, I know how you feel Kimberly.

I wanted to yank many faucets right from the sink. Glad to help you any time. We have the roman tub moen faucet. We changed the cartridge and it is still leaking. When the handle is turned on the water puddles around the faucet base. Recommended Solution -Water can leak from various areas. A handle leak can puddle onto the base plate escutcheon making it appear to be a leak at the base of the faucet.

You will want to confirm the water on the base plate escutcheon is not a handle leak. You can test for a handle leak by wrapping a paper towel around the handle and turning on the faucet. To view the full warranty, see Moen. All Moen faucet's require silicone grease specific to their cartridges to allow the handle to move freely.

If the silicone has been removed, either through wear or through improper handling prior to installation, the handle will not move easily. To fix this, remove the cartridge from the faucet and coat it with Moen's silicone grease before replacing the cartridge.

Be sure to wipe all sides of the cartridge, including the interior with the silicone grease. Do not use plumber's grease or petroleum-based grease products as these may break down the O-ring and cause water leaks. Sarabeth Asaff has worked in and has written about the home improvement industry since She has written numerous articles on art, interior design and home improvements, specializing in kitchen and bathroom design.

A member in good standing with the National Kitchen and Bath Association, Asaff has working knowledge of all areas of home design.

By Sarabeth Asaff Updated December 06, Related Articles. References Moen: FAQ.