Don Hiebert
Member
I recently replaced the shower valve cartridge on a single handle shower valve (Delta) which is 15 years old and no longer supported by Delta. The old valve had a drip and I figured this was the way to fix the problem. I ordered a compatible valve on Amazon... RP32104 Faucet Cartridge Assembly Replace For Delta Compatible With Monitor 17 Series (1998-2005) This is a plastic cylinder/cartridge that uses a handle for on/off and a lever on the end for hot/cold. There's also a single on/off knob for two jets that shoot straight out and we never use.
I don't recall what the instructions said but I didn't use any silicone grease this time. The valve worked on installation but did not turn freely. This problem got worse until today when I tried to turn the shower off and it only cut water flow about 50%. It will not turn off. I put a dime in front of the shower head washer just to block water flow so I can use the rest of the plumbing in the house.
Is this problem caused by lack of silicone grease (assuming that should be used?) and is there hope for this valve if I remove it and replace any o-rings that might have moved? This part is obviously foreign made and Delta does not have anymore of them so I"d need to make this one work or order another similar one.
I don't recall what the instructions said but I didn't use any silicone grease this time. The valve worked on installation but did not turn freely. This problem got worse until today when I tried to turn the shower off and it only cut water flow about 50%. It will not turn off. I put a dime in front of the shower head washer just to block water flow so I can use the rest of the plumbing in the house.
Is this problem caused by lack of silicone grease (assuming that should be used?) and is there hope for this valve if I remove it and replace any o-rings that might have moved? This part is obviously foreign made and Delta does not have anymore of them so I"d need to make this one work or order another similar one.