I have Moen's plastic tool for rotating a 1222 shower cartridge to help make it easier to pull out, but whenever I try to rotate the cartridge with the plastic tool, it bends and warps slightly and seems about to break.
Maybe I need one of those metal cartridge puller tool, but I don't see how even that could possibly rotate the cartridge; the plastic tabs (which say "HC") are wedged in an indentation of the metal tube. I don't think the metal part is supposed to rotate, so how could the cartridge itself rotate? Or is the plastic suppose to slide up on the metal incline as it rotates and pull out the cartridge that way?
I've heard people say to use vinegar to help loosen the cartridge; where exactly would I put vinegar? And the cartridge being mostly plastic & rubber — would calcium really be holding it in place (I would think vinegar could be useful for defusing two metal parts that are stuck together, but do metal & plastic fuse together due to calcium?)
Best Answer
I ended up asking a plumber to come. He tried a bunch of approaches with chisels, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, to no avail. Then he got a metal cartridge extractor and it pulled out the cartridge within a minute.