Price Pfister - Single Push/Pull Shower Faucet Repair Help
Ok, in my master shower, the push/pull single lever Price Pfister faucet has been really hard to pull out recently. I'm guessing there is a repair kit for it, however when I pulled the cover plate off to inspect, I couldn't figure out get the cartridge out. HELP! I'd like to take it in to Lowes and get a replacement, but I can't figure out get it out! Here's some pics! BTW that's not a retaining clip in the middle, thats the handle limiter Thanks for any help in advance!!! Beer 4U2 You know how most nuts are hex? Well, in your pics, you have a part of the mixer there, back in about 3/4 inch from the front?, that has 2 sides to put a wrench on. Have you tried to delimescale that joint and spray in some penetrating oil and **carefully** try to loosen that?, without causing anything to twist behind it in the wall? !This suggestion is not based on actual knowledge. But common sense would dictate that that outer part of the mixer valve (that has the 2 flat spots on it for a wrench) had to be assembled without that on there, so they could first get something inside. That 'something' may be the cartridge. And also may keep the cartridge from pulling out of the wall when you pull on it when showering.! I came back to add that unless there is a clip that passes through the top of that mixer valve body, then that nut end surely does have to come off. Obviously there has to be a means to keep the cartridge in the valve body so that when house water is turned on, the cartridge does not come flying out like a missile. Moen brand(mixer valves and faucets) has such a clip on top their valve bodies, that passes through the valve body directly in front of the cartridge, to hold it back in there when you pull out on the handle. That being said -what are those 2 green rectangles and that opening, that are ontop the valve body, right at that first joint that can be unscrewed? Could this be some clip system that passes through the valvebody? If not, that nut has to come off. BTW - Never caulk/adhere on an escutcheon trim plate onto shower wall by completely caulking all the way around the plate. Leave the bottom area uncaulked, in case any water gets past the caulk on top, sothat it can get out the bottom of the plate, without backing up into the wall cavity. Originally Posted by ecman51` You know how most nuts are hex? Well, in your pics, you have a part of the mixer there, back in about 3/4 inch from the front?, that has 2 sides to put a wrench on. Have you tried to delimescale that joint and spray in some penetrating oil and **carefully** try to loosen that?, without causing anything to twist behind it in the wall? !This suggestion is not based on actual knowledge. But common sense would dictate that that outer part of the mixer valve (that has the 2 flat spots on it for a wrench) had to be assembled without that on there, so they could first get something inside. That 'something' may be the cartridge. And also may keep the cartridge from pulling out of the wall when you pull on it when showering.! I came back to add that unless there is a clip that passes through the top of that mixer valve body, then that nut end surely does have to come off. Obviously there has to be a means to keep the cartridge in the valve body so that when house water is turned on, the cartridge does not come flying out like a missile. Moen brand(mixer valves and faucets) has such a clip on top their valve bodies, that passes through the valve body directly in front of the cartridge, to hold it back in there when you pull out on the handle. That being said -what are those 2 green rectangles and that opening, that are ontop the valve body, right at that first joint that can be unscrewed? Could this be some clip system that passes through the valvebody? If not, that nut has to come off. BTW - Never caulk/adhere on an escutcheon trim plate onto shower wall by completely caulking all the way around the plate. Leave the bottom area uncaulked, in case any water gets past the caulk on top, sothat it can get out the bottom of the plate, without backing up into the wall cavity. Thanks for the response! I see what you are saying about where to put a wrench on it, I may try that this weekend, however I have a home warranty I may just call and have them deal with this Also I see what you're saying about the caulking on the plate, but this is the first time this plate has been off since we bought the house in 2003 So it wasn't me Maybe you can watch -and post back? Hey guys - I just finished up replacing the same cartridge shown above, and since I came across this thread while I was researching do it I thought I'd share what I learned for posterity... After having no luck on the internet (or Lowes, or Price Pfister's useless/broken website), I ended up taking some pictures and driving across town to the locally-owned supergenius plumbing supply shop (George Morlan in Portland). They were able to identify it as a Price Pfister Avante unit, and the cartridge part # is S74-292. $22 bucks retail here/now. The new part was black plastic vs. white, and had a MUCH more substantial O-ring than the old (or maybe the old one had shrunk that much!). As suggested above, the flats visible on the end piece there do indicate that it's a retaining ring. I was a little concerned about being able to get it off but I proactively hit it with a couple shots of penetrating oil (real stuff, not WD-40) before I left for the store and when I came back it came off real easy. The real B* was getting the cartridge out... instructions say to reattach the knob and pull, but I spent a couple minutes pulling, wiggling and twisting, apparently with no progress. I was also concerned about putting too much force on the pipes, so I was trying to hold the valve with one hand and pull on the knob with the other, which limited the force I could use. Anyway as I was thinking about giving up I noticed that the little plastic tab that you can see in the last pic had moved a tiny fraction... so I resumed pulling, wiggling and twisting, and it slloooooowly made it's way out, eventually sending me backward onto my keister in the tub when it eventually popped loose! So long story short, a pretty easy job for a plumbing novice once you identify the parts. The only tools I used were a box-cutter (for cutting the caulk), phillips screwdriver, and slip-jaw pliers. Anyway, enough of my long-winded post... hope this helps the next guy. Originally Posted by justTad Hey guys - I just finished up replacing the same cartridge shown above, and since I came across this thread while I was researching do it I thought I'd share what I learned for posterity... After having no luck on the internet (or Lowes, or Price Pfister's useless/broken website), I ended up taking some pictures and driving across town to the locally-owned supergenius plumbing supply shop (George Morlan in Portland). They were able to identify it as a Price Pfister Avante unit, and the cartridge part # is S74-292. $22 bucks retail here/now. The new part was black plastic vs. white, and had a MUCH more substantial O-ring than the old (or maybe the old one had shrunk that much!). As suggested above, the flats visible on the end piece there do indicate that it's a retaining ring. I was a little concerned about being able to get it off but I proactively hit it with a couple shots of penetrating oil (real stuff, not WD-40) before I left for the store and when I came back it came off real easy. The real B* was getting the cartridge out... instructions say to reattach the knob and pull, but I spent a couple minutes pulling, wiggling and twisting, apparently with no progress. I was also concerned about putting too much force on the pipes, so I was trying to hold the valve with one hand and pull on the knob with the other, which limited the force I could use. Anyway as I was thinking about giving up I noticed that the little plastic tab that you can see in the last pic had moved a tiny fraction... so I resumed pulling, wiggling and twisting, and it slloooooowly made it's way out, eventually sending me backward onto my keister in the tub when it eventually popped loose! So long story short, a pretty easy job for a plumbing novice once you identify the parts. The only tools I used were a box-cutter (for cutting the caulk), phillips screwdriver, and slip-jaw pliers. Anyway, enough of my long-winded post... hope this helps the next guy. Thanks justTad, after your post with the part #, I order it online for $16 + shipping and fixed it finally last weekend, it was super easy and I wish I had done it alot sooner!! Originally Posted by Lifted96Chevy Thanks justTad, after your post with the part #, I order it online for $16 + shipping and fixed it finally last weekend, it was super easy and I wish I had done it alot sooner!! Glad to hear you got it fixed. Don't feel bad - mine's been super-stiff and leaking a little bit since I moved in... in 2004! Recently it became difficult to even get it turned down below a trickle, so I finally got motivated to fix it. The way I took out the old cartridge was, after you put the handle back on to pull the old cartridge out, take a pair of channel locks and slide the two handles of the channel locks behind the faucet handle to get leverage and gently pull. THANKS!! The above pictures and advice worked great. I found out that Pfister will send you a free replacement, but you have to pay $5 for shipping. I went to Ace Hardware and got it for $12. The number to call Pfister for the part is 800-732-8238 and they are open 7:30 - 4:00, Pacific Time. I have the exact same situation as the picture posted. I have read everyone's comments and I really do appreciate the advice (I'm not clear on some of the instructions). I had the plumber here tonight to give an estimate for repair - hoping he would get it apart for me and I'd take it to the parts store. He would not take it out - and get this - told me it would cost $1100 to fix! To replace the fixture as well it would be $1300! Can you believe this? I could retile the bathroom for less.........what is it with these professionals. And we have a 2nd bathroom with the same Price Pfister push pull handle. I gathered from this plumber that they didn't want anything to do with Price Pfister - so I can see how they would not want to repair. I will be doing one of two things: picking up the part or calling PF for the part - and using the instructions to replace the valve. Thanks for all the help and advice! Calliesmom, welcome to the forums! Glad you have the stuff to put the plumber down and do this yourself. It will be a fix that will cost you shipping charges and about an hour of your time. $1100 is 1/10th of a complete bathroom makeover, including new tile. Glad he hit the road without your money. Keep us posted on your project. Sorry this has taken so long to respond but am glad to say that we fixed the handle = and at a very low cost of $20.00. Amazing........ Turn off the water supply. Remove all the parts to get to the same situation as the pictures show. The next step is removing the collar nut. I had put some plumbers grease on it and when we tried to turn it counterclockwise, it came off fairly easily (put the pliers on the same flat marks of the nut). The hardest part was the cartridge itself. This is important. Take a flashlight and look at the cartridge in the wall. It has a bump on it so it is not smooth all around. If the bump is resting against the stop (and you will see what I mean when you look) you need to turn the cartridge with the pliers slightly to the left to free it to come out. With very little effort, it did come out. To remove the cartridge, put the screw from the handle in the end of the cartridge and use the pliers to yank on it. Once that is removed, carefully put the new cartridge in and have the bump rest on the stop again. Put the collar nut back on and replace all the parts that you have. You are going to be amazed at how easy it pulls out. If someone can let me know how I attach Price Pfister's visual instructions then you can see all the parts and instructions they sent me - call them at 800-732-8238 and they are more than helpful to send these out. I'm very happy I chose to get on this site and thank you all for giving us the incentive to do this job. One less service call to worry about. Oh and don't forget to put the water back on! Have a good one all. Glad you fixed it yourself. See, there's a method behind our madness!! Most of us are professionals, and as a rule pros don't like to give out secrets. In today's economic times, you gotta bat for yourself! That's why we are here. At least you took money out of that plumber's mouth and kept it in your household. Good job!! Chandler, glad to hear that we can go to a professional and learn ourselves. My sister has several baths in her house. When the plumber was there for another reason, she asked him about one of the bathrooms shower where the water was coming from the shower and tub spouts. The plumber said it was a diverter and that it would cost a bundle to fix. I've been on the Price Pfister site and it looked like my diverter would cost less than $10 - I don't know the brand she has but I will suggest she sign on to this site for any help if they plan to replace it themselves. Appreciate the support and thanks again! Thanks so much for everyone who contributed to this thread. It enabled me to replace my Price Pfister Avante Cartridge (S74-292) with relative ease. Home Depot had the actual factory replacement along with a non-OEM part. I went with the PP part even though it was a few bucks more. It was completely covered in plumber's grease, which make it very easy to operate once installed. The one step I wasn't clear about was that once you have removed the collar nut (with 2 flat sides) by turning cc, the cartridige assembly was free to pull out. I've added a picture of what it looks like with out the collar. I screwed the handle back onto the cartridge, held it in one hand and braced the pipes with the other to prevent damage. It pulled out with only a bit of force. Also, I recommend putting a trash bag under the pipes, because a lot of residual water from the pipes will come out when the cartridge is removed. I checked for leaks before putting the wall flange back on and every looked good. The shower is so easy to operate now. I'm a plumbing novice, so if I can do it you can too! Sorry, but even using the [IMG] tag, I can't get the photos to post. Maybe because it's a new account. Well, I have what looks to be the same Price Pfister shower, but my cartridge is labeled 9287. I got a replacement at Ace and installed it, but it still drips. Any suggestions? Maybe I need to get the OEM part? (Though I've never had a problem with Ace parts, I replaced a cartridge on a Moen shower a few months ago and it works fine.) After you removed the old cartridge you need to make sure the inside of the body is clear/clean. Often pieces of washer/O ring are left inside. Mike NJ Hmm, I stuck my finger in there and felt around, but maybe I missed something. Guess I'll check it again. Checked it again, clean as a whistle, nothing in there. Still leaks. Any other suggestions? I dont know but for $10 bucks I would try a new cartridge. The one you got may have been old stock at that type of store. Well at least those stores by me dont have jack. Try your local big box store. Danco is common replacement and I never had trouble. If not then the body may be scored or cracked internally. http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Bathro...storeId=10051 Mike NJ. Swapped out the cartridge again with the Danco one from Home Depot. Still drips. Argh! Great info here on replacing the Avante cartridge. My shower unit was slightly different, in that it had the all metal decorative knob, instead of the acrylic one. This was a pain! I used a strap wrench to hold the outer brass ring of the handle and some channel locks to grip the center chrome piece, of which there was only 1/8 or so sticking out to get a grip on. After a lot of torque, it finally unscrewed. After that, replacing the cartridge was pretty easy. thanks to everyone who posted here. My Pfister Avante Cartridge setup looked pretty much like the orig posted photos. The flat areas on the hex nut are where place a wrench to turn to left (counterclockwise). I used channel locks and it worked fine, although I had to put on quite a bit of pressure to start it. Once that is off attach the pull knob on the cartridge and pull it straight out. Mine required a little pressure but pulled right out. I found a replacement cartridge at Lowes for $14.73 Shop Pfister Avante Cartridge at Lowes.com I placed everything back together and was finished in about an hour. Including the time necessary to do a Google search and run to Lowes for the part. Thanks for the help.
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