1994 Faucet Problem

[Don McKelvay]

My Moen faucet leaked (dripped) where the hose attaches under the sink. Unfortunately when I unscrewed the plastic connector the plastic and rubber grommets on top fell off and you know where they disappeared - into the great abyss between the shelf and the wall. No way to retrieve them as the wooden shelf etc are nailed together and even the wooden wall below that is mailed.

I tried using the grommets from the toilet hose sprayer but it still leaked, then bought a similar hose at Home Depot but the same thing - lots of drips. It seems although the plastic connector is tight, the problem is the hose itself moves and thus leaks. I unscrewed the connector and put my finger up the faucet and about 1 inch up there seemed to be a slight lip but no O ring or washer. I am guessing the lip 'might' stop the hose from moving up and thus when the connector is screwed in the drips might stop? My Airstream manual was no help.

I sent the attached photos to Moen who said the faucet is a 'Riser' 7345 model and was discontinued in 1995; however, the replacement hose 14855 was still available. I downloaded the pictures from their web but they show a Escutcheon (or base plate) for the faucet which my faucet does not have and thus the connections are different. When I asked about the 'lip' inside Moen could not answer and referred the email to one of their technician who said he did not know but would consult other technicians. So far I have not had a reply.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge regarding this faucet and have a solution? I have not seen a similar replacement faucet available from Moen but really want to simply fix this leak on this faucet.

[Kevin245]

Don,

A couple of thoughts...

A plumbing supply house (not Lowes or H-Depot) may have the items you need in their old stock.

The other option is to simply get a new faucet if you can't retrieve the old parts.

Best of luck

[Don McKelvay]

SUCCESS. The problem has been resolved. Although I did not get a reply from the technician from Moen I decided to drive to their office, get the new hose, install it and if it works great - if not I was at the right place for them to determine what the additional problem is.

The new hose worked and through discussion with their staff I learned the two washers on the Moen hose were bigger than those from the hoses from the toilet or from Plumbshop and thus did not seal properly. Not only that but they gave me extra 'O' rings and a cartridge plus sold me the hose at a good discounted price.

I learned the diagram in our Airstream manual, although it is a Riser faucet, is not the same as Airstream changed some of the parts. If the faucet could not have been fixed, and given this faucet is no longer available, there was the option of buying two different faucets that have could have been suitable replacements.

Finally, it seems Moen has a lifetime warranty on their products but only those sold after 1995 which is good news.