Cartridge style faucets o rings & silicone grease?

[GiveMeAVowel]

We have your standard Moen single handle cartridge kitchen faucet and the problem has been that after correctly replacing that
cartridge after less than a year the rubber o ring hardens and starts leaking water.....now I have been told that according to Moen's own tips for best results you should ALWAYS apply a thin coating of 100% food grade silicone grease to the o ring and possibly the inside of the seating area for that in the faucet body itself.

I want to be very careful about contaminating the water flowing out with that grease, and told that only 100% food grade silicone grease should be used. Is this the real cause of the early failure of the o rings and which greases. I think Dow Molycote is food grade, what is the difference between 100% food grade silicone and just plain
100% silicone grease. Thanks.

 

[Brad_C]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
what is the difference between 100% food grade silicone and just plain
100% silicone grease. Thanks.


One is prepared and packed in a facility that complies with all the regulations required for it to be marked "food grade" and the other isn't. The non-food grade might have some other components that are not edible, but it's not likely.

 

[miked2]

I thought Moen gave you a little packet of grease with the repair kit. I was told you can use "waterproof grease" or Vaseline if you didn't have anything else.

I replaced a Cartridge this past winter, it was 18 years old. Do you have hard water or any other water issues? Good luck!!

 

[Stelth]

Don't use any petroleum based grease on a Moen cartridge. "Plumber's Grease," "Stem Grease", or "Heat-Proof Grease", or vaseline will cause the cartridge to fail. The Moen cartridges I've gotten over the years have mostly come pre-greased.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: miked2
I thought Moen gave you a little packet of grease with the repair kit. I was told you can use "waterproof grease" or Vaseline if you didn't have anything else.

I replaced a Cartridge this past winter, it was 18 years old. Do you have hard water or any other water issues? Good luck!!


The type of cartridge is the 1225B, we get these as free due to the warranty for life they offered on this model of faucet. I don't recall getting that grease packet, I will make sure to ask them this time when I order the replacement. No hard water here, you can not smell chlorine either which I know can be hard on rubber elements.
The brass parts of the old cartridges don't appear to have any obvious corrosion on them either if that is any indicator.
We have had TWO free replacement faucet bodies and numerous replacement cartridges over just 6 or 7 years now, not real pleased with the quality but of course it is a contractor spec model.

 

[wayne50]

I use that same cartridge. It usually comes well greased and operates very smoothly, but after about a year or so the grease wears off and it stiffens. Next time I think it needs attention, I am just going to take the cartridge out and re-coat with plumbers silicone grease.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: wayne50
I use that same cartridge. It usually comes well greased and operates very smoothly, but after about a year or so the grease wears off and it stiffens. Next time I think it needs attention, I am just going to take the cartridge out and re-coat with plumbers silicone grease.


I wonder why Moen doesn't offer a silicone o ring which would solve the problem? Maybe some of their models actually use that type of o ring.

 

[CT8]

Off topic but about 15 years ago I bought a kitchen faucet from Moan it failed leaking or breaking or the finish peeling for about 12 years they sent parts and several times a whole new faucet. With out question. I was impressed. Finally I bought a Delta [not the as good as they used to be] but there have been 0 problems in 3 years.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Off topic but about 15 years ago I bought a kitchen faucet from Moan it failed leaking or breaking or the finish peeling....


I wonder where this model was made.....China? :smirk2:

We must have had the exact same model.

 

[Merkava_4]

I use Dow one-eleven on my Moen cartridges.

 

[stockrex]

is petroleum gel ok to use on rubber orings?

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I use Dow one-eleven on my Moen cartridges.


Is that 100% silicone grease?

Moen claims that petroleum based grease will swell and make the rubber o rings fail prematurely.

 

[Brad_C]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel

Moen claims that petroleum based grease will swell and make the rubber o rings fail prematurely.


25 years of periodically replacing O-rings because I always lubed them with petroleum jelly agrees with that. I've not had a failure since I switched to Silicone grease about 5 years ago.

It's not generally a quick failure, just a guaranteed one.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

You could just use Moen #99915 silicone grease, which is what their cartridges come with. It's even available at most big box home centers, plumbing supply stores, and hardware stores for a couple bucks.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
You could just use Moen #99915 silicone grease, which is what their cartridges come with. It's even available at most big box home centers, plumbing supply stores, and hardware stores for a couple bucks.


Thanks Pop, I didn't know about that. I really don't want to spend 20 bucks on the dow corning stuff even though I could find others uses for it if I try hard enough.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Is that 100% silicone grease?


Yes it's the grease the water softener guys use to lubricate plastic valves.
They tell me by law they're required to use food grade grease.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
Is that 100% silicone grease?


Yes it's the grease the water softener guys use to lubricate plastic valves.
They tell me by law they're required to use food grade grease.


Thanks Merkava, you always give good advice. I know that the NSF certification is pretty important at least in commercial food and beverage situations. While I don't want to damage the rubber o ring I am more concerned with contaminating my potable water in the sink faucet.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Stelth
Don't use any petroleum based grease on a Moen cartridge. "Plumber's Grease," "Stem Grease", or "Heat-Proof Grease", or vaseline will cause the cartridge to fail. The Moen cartridges I've gotten over the years have mostly come pre-greased.
This.

 

[Blaze]

I about ready to chuck my Moen single handle in the garbage.