Frugal farmer husband. Tried to fix shower/tub but valve broke. Didn't want to buy new one, asked plumber for old disc kind (better, had had a ball kind). Put it in, gets water through the valve, but put the faucet on, it just drips. Could it be upside down, or the brand new insert a lemon and just needs another one?

What brand faucet is it ? Can you snap a pic of it and post it for us ?

But in general: you cannot go from Disc to Ball type cartridge. You have to stick with what you have.

Back to you. Milo

Sorry, don't have a camera. The plumber gave me the faucet too he took them out of a house being remodeled, not broken just older. It's a single knob that rotates to turn on the water, cold to hot by how far you rotate it. The rubber rings and springs inside work when you take the faucet off, but not when you put it back on. We got a new disc insert for it, but I know there's more than one kind. This was a year ago. He's 71 and telling me how to do it. After trying about 30 times I gave up and we've been pouring pitchers of water from sink on us for showers, he's too "frugal" to pay a plumber! So if I knew I've forgotten the brand. Plastic pipe, he got in and cemented it in, he wonders if it could be upside down.

It should work even if you put it upside down.
It is hard to offer advice if you don't know what we are dealing with.
The only "ball" interior I know is in Delta or Valley faucets.
I don't understand why you keep mentioning "disc" since this faucet doesn't use any discs.
Faucet with knob that turns can be Price Pfister, Delta, Valley, Moen...

You are probably not re-assembling the faucet correctly. Keep trying. Springs first, then cup washers, than Ball has to line up with notch and groove, then large cup nut. Try again. Back to you. Milo

Got me confused! Nothing seems to add up. You've failed to provide us with the information we need to work with.
Here's a diagram of a Delta bath and shower valve.(see image) is #6 the ball that you're referring to? Let me know. And for Petes sake, give us details and more information. Regards, Tom