[papa4x]

After some hot water heater problems, I got no water pressure in the tub/shower. I replaced the cartridge (one an knock off that slides real easy and when that did not work I used a 'genuine Moen replacement part')
Both to no avail. I still get very little water pressure. I called Moen and they suggested sticking a wire where the cartridge goes and try to ream out any debris in the small holes that bring in water and go to the tub. (be careful not to scratch the tube the cartridge goes in)
Still no luck, either I really can't get far enough into the holes to do anything, the holes are to small or there is a bigger problem.
I ran the water with out the cartridge in and I get plenty of water flow. Moen assures me that the valve is so simple, that nothing can go wrong with it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mine does not have the half dollar/loony size pressure valve on the side of the valve.

[afaroo]

I ran the water with out the cartridge in and I get plenty of water flow. Moen assures me that the valve is so simple, that nothing can go wrong with it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mine does not have the half dollar/loony size pressure valve on the side of the valve.

If the water flow is good with out the cartridge, then there is no problem with the faucet, you need to ask moen to send you a new cartridge or you can buy one, by any chance can you post the model number of your faucet, also see the attached link will show how to check and clean a cartrideg,Thanks.

John

[withinsanity]

After some hot water heater problems, I got no water pressure in the tub/shower. I replaced the cartridge (one an knock off that slides real easy and when that did not work I used a 'genuine Moen replacement part')
Both to no avail. I still get very little water pressure. I called Moen and they suggested sticking a wire where the cartridge goes and try to ream out any debris in the small holes that bring in water and go to the tub. (be careful not to scratch the tube the cartridge goes in)
Still no luck, either I really can't get far enough into the holes to do anything, the holes are to small or there is a bigger problem.
I ran the water with out the cartridge in and I get plenty of water flow. Moen assures me that the valve is so simple, that nothing can go wrong with it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mine does not have the half dollar/loony size pressure valve on the side of the valve.

I'm in the same boat, had very little water flow and not enough pressure to get the shower to work. Had a plumber come out and install a new cartridge we got from Moen (can get them for free if you call and ask for one) and ended up with no water flow at all. He came back with a 2nd plumber and tried a 2nd new cartridge they had, still no water. With the cartridge out there is plenty of water flow so the problem must lie somewhere from the cartridge to the spout. Only option I've been given is to have them cut a hole in the bedroom wall behind the tub to access the pipes. If you come up with any other solution please share.

[papa4x]

I'm in the exact same boat, had very little water flow and not enough pressure to get the shower to work. Had a plumber come out and install a new cartridge we got from Moen (can get them for free if you call and ask for one) and ended up with no water flow at all. He came back with a 2nd plumber and tried a 2nd new cartridge they had, still no water. With the cartridge out there is plenty of water flow so the problem must lie somewhere from the cartridge to the spout. Only option I've been given is to have them cut a hole in the bedroom wall behind the tub to access the pipes. If you come up with any other solution please share.

Well I have fixed the problem, I think. I tried "wiring" it out but did nothing. I then tried a vinegar treatment. I took off the shower head, the tub spout and the cartridge. I plugged up the tub that goes into the tub spout (I used a twisted wad of saran wrap, I plugged up the hole where the cartridge goes into (here I used a plastic elbow so I could poor the vinegar in there.) I then had a flexible plastic tube I shoved as far as I could get into te shower spout. I also poured vinegar in here (my tub was had a little cup at the end that helped)
I let the vinegar set for a few hours, then drained it out the tub spout. The first time it drained, it came out with a blue tint. I refilled it again and let set over night, again the it came a little blue but less so. I did this one more time and this time it came out pretty clear.
Inserted cartridge and water!!
All told about 24 hours of vinegar soak. Sure beats replacing the valve that Moen said was simple it couldn't be the problem but they would replace it if needed. The 4 sweat fittings in all directions would have been the real hassle.
I almost gave up on this site after my fist answer was 'replace the cartridge' when I thought I was clear I had tried two different cartridges.
I hope your solution comes out as easy (and cheap) as mine did. Though it was frustrating here for a week ( 4 kids and not shower, YIKES!! )

[afaroo]

I'm in the exact same boat, had very little water flow and not enough pressure to get the shower to work. Had a plumber come out and install a new cartridge we got from Moen (can get them for free if you call and ask for one) and ended up with no water flow at all. He came back with a 2nd plumber and tried a 2nd new cartridge they had, still no water. With the cartridge out there is plenty of water flow so the problem must lie somewhere from the cartridge to the spout. Only option I've been given is to have them cut a hole in the bedroom wall behind the tub to access the pipes. If you come up with any other solution please share.

Hello Withinsanit,

Before you cut any thing do this remove the shower head and try it if water flows, if it does then the problem is with shower head, may be some debris stuck inside clean or replace it, good luck.

John

Well I have fixed the problem, I think. I tried "wiring" it out but did nothing. I then tried a vinegar treatment. I took off the shower head, the tub spout and the cartridge. I plugged up the the tub that goes into the tub spout (I used a twisted wad of saran wrap, I plugged up the hole where the cartridge goes into (here I used a plastic elbow so I could poor the vinegar in there.) I then had a flexible plastic tube I shoved as far as I could get into te shower spout. I also poured vinegar in here (my tub was had a little cup at the end that helped)
I let the vinegar set for a few hours, then drained it out the tub spout. The first time it drained, it came out with a blue tint. I refilled it again and let set over night, again the it came a little blue but less so. I did this one more time and this time it came out pretty clear.
Inserted cartridge and water !!!!!
All told about 24 hours of vinegar soak. Sure beats replacing the valve that Moen said was simple it couldn't be the problem but they would replace it if needed. The 4 sweat fittings in all directions would have been the real hassle.
I almost gave up on this site after my fist answer was 'replace the cartridge' when I thought I was clear I had tried two different cartridges.
I hope your solution comes out as easy (and cheap) as mine did. Though it was frustrating here for a week ( 4 kids and not shower, YIKES!!!)

Hello Papa4x,

I am glad that your issue is resolved and that shared your experience with us, Lets wait what the other experts has to say about this fix, Thanks.

John

[withinsanity]

Well I have fixed the problem, I think. I tried "wiring" it out but did nothing. I then tried a vinegar treatment. I took off the shower head, the tub spout and the cartridge. I plugged up the the tub that goes into the tub spout (I used a twisted wad of saran wrap, I plugged up the hole where the cartridge goes into (here I used a plastic elbow so I could poor the vinegar in there.) I then had a flexible plastic tube I shoved as far as I could get into te shower spout. I also poured vinegar in here (my tub was had a little cup at the end that helped)
I let the vinegar set for a few hours, then drained it out the tub spout. The first time it drained, it came out with a blue tint. I refilled it again and let set over night, again the it came a little blue but less so. I did this one more time and this time it came out pretty clear.
Inserted cartridge and water !!!!!
All told about 24 hours of vinegar soak. Sure beats replacing the valve that Moen said was simple it couldn't be the problem but they would replace it if needed. The 4 sweat fittings in all directions would have been the real hassle.
I almost gave up on this site after my fist answer was 'replace the cartridge' when I thought I was clear I had tried two different cartridges.
I hope your solution comes out as easy (and cheap) as mine did. Though it was frustrating here for a week ( 4 kids and not shower, YIKES!!!)

Brilliant idea, and something I am definitely going to give a try. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to this even though it sounds like you've resolved your trouble.

[withinsanity]

Hell Withinsanit,

Before you cut any thing do this remove the shower head and try it if water flows, if it does then the problem is with shower head, may be some debris stuck inside clean or replace it, good luck.

John

When I had the cartridge out the other day I removed the showerhead also and put an air compressor up to the spout to see if I could blow out anything that was blocking the water. I got a little water that must have been sitting in there coming out of the top shower pipe but nothing in the path to the cartridge, also tried plugging up the shower pipe to see if that would push the air towards what seems to be the problem area with no success. Keep in mind I know nothing about plumbing, from talking to others I'm assuming that water travels from the cartridge to the spout, then up a separate pipe to the shower so the problem seems to be between the cartridge and spout. Also when I took the cartridge out there was a little water standing in the inside of the valve and not emptying down the hole towards the spout which has me thinking it has to be plugged between there and the spout. If I am completely wrong about the paths please let me know.

Back when there was still a little water coming out if you pulled up the lever on the spout to fire up the shower you could hear it trying to get there but there was not enough pressure to make it all the way up. What I'm thinking is if I try the vinegar down the shower pipe it will also travel up towards the cartridge as it fills, clearing out what is hopefully hard water buildup (there is no water softener and a pretty high rating for hard water here.) Again if I am completely wrong on this method possibly working for me please let me know, I'd appreciate the knowledge.

[afaroo]

Milo, Mark, Or Bob.

Please take care of this for me I am in transit to Hong Kong, Thanks.

Best Regards,
John

[withinsanity]

I can't thank you enough for sharing what worked for you. Today I plugged up the spout and sent vinegar down the shower pipe and left it to sit overnight. After about 6 hours I suddenly heard water running, went into the bathroom and there it was... water coming out of the shower (didn't realize I had it turned on.) Cleared the spout and was getting some water out of there, not full pressure but definitely a lot better than nothing! I've since turned the water off, replugged the spout, and loaded it back up with vinegar to sit overnight, so it should be back to full pressure by morning. Words cannot express my gratitude.

[oldfarmhouseguy]

I have the same problem. Old house, old pipes and hard well water with no softener. I replaced a vanity in the bathroom and I had to turn off the main water for the house to be able to work on it. When I turned it back on the tub lost water pressure. I replaced the Moen cartridge but it was the same low pressure. It didn't make sense but the only place it could be is between the cartridge and the spout. Vinegar seems to be a good solution so I'm in the process of soaking the pipes. Hope this works - thanks for the information.

[oldfarmhouseguy]

I tried the vinegar as mentioned above. After 12 hours it still was the same, maybe a little less pressure. I took a flash light and looked into the opening where the moen cartridge fit into and noticed some black rubber in the 2 side slots for the hot and cold water. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be there so I went to my builder supply guy and we checked another valve/cartridge kit to see what it should look like. No rubber. I took a small screwdriver and picked the 2 pieces out. It turned out to be an old side piece from a previous cartridge. It split in half and embedded into the 2 water holes going to the cartridge. The new cartridge went in fairly hard so this may have been the reason. This also damaged the carridge plastic a little so I picked a rebuild kit for the cartridge to make sure I was putting in a good piece. Rebuild is really easy. I didn't use the silicone lubricant on previous installs so this may have caused the old piece to go in hard and come apart when I removed it, not sure. The lubricant came with the rebuild. When I tested this out the pressure was better than ever. I needed to use the clip to hold the cartridge inplace from the added pressure. The shower pull also worked a lot better with the new pressure. Hope this helps someone trying to do this on their own.

[oldfarmhouseguy]

Just to clarify. The old moen cartridge side rubber piece was stuck in the valve pipe openings not the cartridge. I reread this and it seemed a little confusing.

[massplumber2008]

Thank you for posting this information. I have run into your scenario as well... ;)

I'm sure this will benefit someone down the road!

Mark

[wannabeaplumber]

Thanks John,
After having yanked,pulled,tugged and said a few non-repeatable expletives, I finally got the shower valve stem and cartridge out (via using a tap ). But after that ordeal, I went to my local home improvement store and purchased a new Moen cartridge, installed it per the instructions but still no water pressure. I took your advice and took the shower head off and soaked it in CLR solution for a day and Voilà! Things are back to normal... yippee I can shower again! You saved me from calling a plumber who would have charged me up the yingyang and plus I learned a lot about the process. The education factor was well worth the time and frustration. Thanks.
Richard