Hi all! I am having a little difficulty with my tub faucet. First off, I am not certain what brand it is because the handle is a generic replacement but I've thought that it might be a Moen. It is a single-handle, pull on/push off, left and right to control temp style with a teardrop shaped handle with the point of the teardrop facing up. I should also note that the house is 30+ years old and we've owned it for about 5 so the faucet could be anywhere from 5 to 30 years old.

My problem is that my faucet has a leak that has been getting progressively worse and is now a very steady drip. I thought this was something I could handle myself and I tried pulling the cartridge out of the wall. What came out was an approx 5 inch long metal bar about the diameter of a pencil that had some o-rings and brass washers on it. I'm thinking that is not a part that is supposed to come out as it had one of those expanding split washers holding it in. I changed the o-rings on the chance it might help and managed to get the rod back in and while everything works, the drip is the same - no improvement.

First question, how can I be sure what type of faucet I have since there are no markings? Second, does the large chrome escutcheon plate from the wall for access or is this something that can be done without removing it?

This sounds very much like a Moen in my 24 year old condo except that cartridge was about a 3/4 inch diameter. I was able to get a (Brasscraft) replacement cartridge at the hardware store, which stopped a leak.

Can you post some pictures of your faucet and the metal bar that you removed?

Thanks
John

I haven't had much of a chance to work on this again but I intend to try and get the cartridge out again. This time I will take some pictures if that same bar is the only thing I can get out. Do either of you have insight on how I'm supposed to get the cartridge out? Like I said, when I tried it before I just pulled it straight out (with vise grips) and it really didn't seem like what came out was the full cartridge, more like the inner part of it. So I'm wondering if there's some trick you're supposed to do to get the whole thing out, or if - worse - the cartridge is seized in there and will be impossible to get out?

What came out was an approx 5 inch long metal bar about the diameter of a pencil that had some o-rings and brass washers on it
This is a Moen cartridge, (see image) did it look like this? Let me know, Tom