How to replace Moen shower cartridge

[abby_diy]

There is no hot water in the shower. I do have hot water in the sink, so I know something's up with the cartridge. At least, that's what everyone says. I followed Moen's instructions to replace 1222 cartridge but no success so far. I recently moved into this house, so I am not very familiar with the plumbing.

I was not able to access the retaining clip, so I removed the escutcheon plate. However, the retaining clip is still blocked by the base plate of the escutcheon plate (see the attached image). The retaining clip gets blocked by the white plastic plate and the white plate seems to be attached/soldered to something behind the tub wall. I am at a loss here so would appreciate any DIY pros offering any advice. Thank you so much!

 

[Twowaxhack]

Cut enough plastic away to remove the clip.

Thanks for nothing Moen.....

 

[abby_diy]

Thank you so much for such a quick response, @Twowaxhack ! Is this normal? As in, have you seen this before? Seems like a ridiculous design.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thank you so much for such a quick response, @Twowaxhack ! Is this normal? As in, have you seen this before? Seems like a ridiculous design.

It’s the thin wall mounting system.

No, I haven’t seen it before but I trust and understand when you say the bracket is in the way. And it’s a Moen

Those cartridges can be difficult to remove and sometimes requires a specially designed tool to extract them.

 

[abby_diy]

I have the tool to extract the cartridge, but I find it baffling that I need to cut the plastic bracket to get the pin out. That is such a flawed design.

 

[TomFOhio]

Cut the plastic out right above the clip in order to lift it out. Won't hurt a thing.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I find it baffling that I need to cut the plastic bracket to get the pin out. That is such a flawed design.

Welcome to my nightmare