moen cartridge broke off i pipe

[willie]

I am desparate, and really need help. I am replacing the cartridge in my shower, and the when i was yanking the old one out, only the inner part came out (aargh!). the outer part, seemingly, is stuck to the pipe. i'm squirting a lake of vinegar in there, but it's not helping (eek). facts you should know:

:: it's just a shower, not a tub.

:: it's a moen cartidge (both old & new). the old one's been in there for about 30 years

:: the handle is single, not double

would heating it help or hinder? what about hammering a nail-punch to the inside?

[Travis Jordan]

All Stanadyne / Moen cartridges are basically the same design. I'm assuming that you removed the little clip that holds the cartridge in place before you tried to yank it out of there. If this is true then the only thing that is holding the old cartridge in place are the (3 ?) o-rings around the outside of the body and a bunch of calcium deposits .

Vinegar or Lime-A-Way is a good start. If that doesn't work then forget heating it (and DON'T hammer on it - that will just push it in further). Instead use a tap that will thread into the hole where the plunger was. Cut threads until the tap bottoms. Then remove the tap and put a short (smaller diameter than the tap) piece of dowel rod into the hole. Something like 1/4 inch diameter by about 1/2 inch long. Then, thread the tap back in the hole. The bottom of the tap will hit the dowel which is now bottomed out behind the cartridge. Continue turning in the tap, and the cartridge will follow the tap up and will come out of its hole. If you don't have the right tools for this check with ACE Hardware. The local ACE store here has a complete removal kit that they will loan homeowners.

[MLD]

Perhaps the same tool that is used to remove the threaded piece of a nipple that broke off inside of a fitting will work (elbow, Tee etc.). It looks like a basin wrench except it goes inside the diameter of the nipple, expands as it is turned, locks onto the broken part and will get it moving. Local hardware store like True Value has them (might even loan you the tool as they did for me once). Home Depot also has them. MLS