Bathroom Shower Hardware Change

Fundamentally yes, Moen to Moen will be easiest and the most important part will be the control itself in the middle. You just need to find a trim kit that matches your valve body.

Swapping that out to a handheld shower will be a retrofit sort of kit with the diverter and hose branching off at the shower head, unless you have access to the backside of that wall easily (like it's in a closet and you don't mind cutting up the drywall) and you want to invest in a whole new valve/kit and pay a plumber to install it all / drill a new hole or two in the tile.

Call Moen and figure out what valve body/trim kit you have now and what different ones are compatible with it. Then pick one and 10 minutes later with a screw driver and you'll be done.

torontotim wrote: ↑ ...Then pick one and 10 minutes later with a screw driver and you'll be done.

...until you find that the screw that holds on the handle has seized solid . You then strip it with your allen key and go on to find that it's not trivial to drill these ones out so end up cutting the handle off with a hacksaw. Once you go there you're replacing the cartridge as well. Just in case, I'd suggest you call Moen and request a free replacement cartridge before you even start. Just tell them the one you have is constantly dripping.

dirtmover wrote: ↑ ...until you find that the screw that holds on the handle has seized solid . You then strip it with your allen key and go on to find that it's not trivial to drill these ones out so end up cutting the handle off with a hacksaw. Once you go there you're replacing the cartridge as well. Just in case, I'd suggest you call Moen and request a free replacement cartridge before you even start. Just tell them the one you have is constantly dripping.

LOL - doesn't sound like a hypothetical scenario

Definitely confirm you can remove the trim kit and don't force any of the screws. If the little socket-cap set screw holding the handle on is too tight, spray some penetrating oil on it and make 100% sure you're using the right size allen key before you even try to turn it.

Stick with Moen for sure. Not sure if you can confirm ahead of time that the valve in place now would work with any new trim, but that would be helpful too.

We had a leak and when the plumber tried taking the valve off, it had ceased and he ended up breaking the supply line in his effort to remove it. He had to then cut tile, open it up, repair the pipe and we needed a renovation kit to cover up the new opening. It was a fricken pita, and more expensive than anticipated.

I've often found when I start something that I perceive to be a "simple" fix or update, it turns out to be a lot harder than expected. I usually anticipate the worst now, and when it goes well I actually feel quite happy about it, lol!

those 3 pieces are super easy to change, you can even change the shower stem to one that is black too, my friend did it in his house, very easy 100%

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/moen-b ... lsrc=aw.ds

Moen in black, the hand wand is held to head with a magnet. Installed nickel version for an elderly neighbour who was struggling with another handheld clip on....the magnet seems great.

You can get same trim without valve for about $200, the linked version has a valve you don't need.

torontotim wrote: ↑ LOL - doesn't sound like a hypothetical scenario

Definitely confirm you can remove the trim kit and don't force any of the screws. If the little socket-cap set screw holding the handle on is too tight, spray some penetrating oil on it and make 100% sure you're using the right size allen key before you even try to turn it.

The problem with that screw is it's not easy to get the penetrant to where it needs to be because goes through a plastic adapter and engages quite deep in the handle. I had mine off just last week and although my hypothetical scenario didn't play out to it's ultimate conclusion the screw was a bitch and even once it was out the handle was still seized on with calcium. It took a lot penetrant, vinegar and coaxing but eventually yielded. The takeaway is, don't assume it going to be easy and prepare to break stuff if you're not very careful and aware of the breaking point of the valve.

Toukolou wrote: ↑ We had a leak and when the plumber tried taking the valve off, it had ceased and he ended up breaking the supply line in his effort to remove it. He had to then cut tile, open it up, repair the pipe and we needed a renovation kit to cover up the new opening. It was a fricken pita, and more expensive than anticipated.

Oh, that's unfortunate! This should never have happened. A plumber that's dealing with this sort of stuff regularly should have known how much force is safe to apply to the valve. At some point you have you cut your losses and start cutting to get it apart. The primary goal needs be to preserve the valve body and plumbing behind the wall at all costs even if it means destroying the handle and cartridge in the process.

The plumbing for a shower should always be accessible from the other side of the wall, which is typically drywall and much easier to repair than a tile wall. Once you cut a tile wall open, repairing it properly is nearly impossible as it should have a waterproof membrane under the tile/thinset. Cut through that, and good luck maintaining a waterproof layer.

I gutted our 2nd floor bath and made sure to reposition the shower so it backed onto an adjacent bedroom. Previously it backed onto an exterior wall which was insane. Now if I needed to cut the old valve body out and replace everything/repair a pipe, it would mean cutting open drywall, not the wall of the shower.

dirtmover wrote: ↑ The problem with that screw is it's not easy to get the penetrant to where it needs to be because goes through a plastic adapter and engages quite deep in the handle. I had mine off just last week and although my hypothetical scenario didn't play out to it's ultimate conclusion the screw was a bitch and even once it was out the handle was still seized on with calcium. It took a lot penetrant, vinegar and coaxing but eventually yielded. The takeaway is, don't assume it going to be easy and prepare to break stuff if you're not very careful and aware of the breaking point of the valve.

IMG_20230201_193438724.jpg




Oh, that's unfortunate! This should never have happened. A plumber that's dealing with this sort of stuff regularly should have known how much force is safe to apply to the valve. At some point you have you cut your losses and start cutting to get it apart. The primary goal needs be to preserve the valve body and plumbing behind the wall at all costs even if it means destroying the handle and cartridge in the process.

Lol, couldn't agree more!

Thanks all - not too worried about the difficulty of the job, home is 1 year old, so hoping all is still easy to remove

Just not sure what cartridge i have in advance- assume i gotta remove the handle first to find out?

And then get a like moen set with same cartridge? Do other manufacturers use like for like cartridges too?

https://www.moen.com/products/Mikah%E2% ... er/82310BL

Would that work?

On sale at Rona

https://www.rona.ca/en/product/moen-mik ... lsrc=aw.ds

wmahmud wrote: ↑ https://www.moen.com/products/Mikah%E2% ... er/82310BL

Would that work?

On sale at Rona

https://www.rona.ca/en/product/moen-mik ... lsrc=aw.ds

It looks like your existing faucet is a Moen Chateau, Since it's newer it's probably a posi-temp pressure balanced cartridge in their common valve body. If you look up the specs you can confirm, but it's fairly likely the new set will work just fine. You'll end up with an extra valve body and cartridge but it's probably cheaper with the sale to buy the set vs just the trim.

If you stick with Moen you should be able to put in any number of their systems.

My current Moen shower system is their generic builder grade from 2005 and I determined which model I had using their AI Faucet Finder Tool.
https://www.moen.com/customer-support/faucet-finder

From there I contacted Moen Support by email and asked if the system I wanted would work with the valve from my 2005 system. Moen confirmed it would work as my old valve was their standard pressure balanced Posi-temp valve which they still utilize. I would have been a bit limited if I wanted to get into a really fancy shower system but with your valve being so new you may have alot more options.

If you find a competitors shower system you like them you can just asked Moen support to assist you in building a similar Moen one.

As I said before Moen support was great to deal with.

I just switched out a 3 year old Moen Chateau valve trim kit with the Moen Align and did not have to change the valve. If your place is 1 year old, then I think it should be safe to say that you have a fixture with the Moen M-PACT common valve system, allowing you to update the faucet style in the future without replacing any plumbing.

When you take off the handle, you should be able to see a logo with an "M" on the trim plate. This means the fixture has the M-PACT common valve system. Just buy the Moen fixtures in your link and you'll be fine. You won't need anything else like a new cartridge or valve.

Thank you all!

wmahmud wrote: ↑ https://www.moen.com/products/Mikah%E2% ... er/82310BL

Would that work?

On sale at Rona

https://www.rona.ca/en/product/moen-mik ... lsrc=aw.ds

It would work, and that trim set can also be purchased without the valve for $100 less. I posted it earlier, installed for an older lady who couldn't latch/unlatch the handheld wand on her old system. The magnet works great, I had my doubts until I unpacked it.