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So the faucet cartridge in Shower 1 was about 12 years old and really stiff. I replaced it with a new one. But then it started leaking through the middle of the new cartridge. I thought it was a faulty cartridge. So I tried another new one. There was still a leak. I then tried using the cartridge from Shower 2, which I knew worked fine, but it still leaked. I have tightened the locking nut as tightly as I dared lest I damage the threads, but it still leaks. Is there something wrong with the cartridge housing?

I remember when I initially removed the locking nut in Shower 1 that it was really stiff. Much stiffer then the locking nuts for the other faucets in my house. Did the original plumber screw it on too tight and damage the faucet housing? I do notice there are some aberrations on the inside of the housing in Shower 1. Please find some photos attached. Please also see these photos of the housing for Shower 2, which look a lot cleaner inside. Is this the problem? How do I fix it? enter image description here [![enter image description here][2]][2] enter image description here enter image description here

Edit: forgot to mention, this is a mixer tap. here is an image with the handle on. enter image description here

Edit (April 17): My next strategy is to cover up these holes at the side of the cartridge with plumbing tape. I will post an update about how this goes.

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Edit 3: It didn't work. Water is still leaking from the cartridge. Guess its time to call a plumber :/

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  • Just to be sure, Shower 1 and Shower 2 are not only the same brand but the same model, right? Otherwise, IIUC, the cartridges will not just swap from one to the other.
    – FreeMan
    Apr 16, 2021 at 14:38
  • yes, Shower 1 and Shower 2 are the same.
    – Platypus
    Apr 16, 2021 at 23:32
  • And the new valve works fine in the other identical shower? the top image appears to show some corrosion or wear around the inlets. Hard to see how deep. is there any damage on the locknut from being overtightened or that would prevent it from threading in all the way? If you put a 0.5mm to 1mm circular shim between the cartridge and the locknut does it increase mounting pressure enough to seal?
    – K H
    Apr 17, 2021 at 3:36
  • A ring of solid copper wire will do to test if inadequate compression is the problem. If you can confirm that, you'd probably want to make a better shim of whatever sheet plastic packaging is available. If this solves the problem for you, please do come back and inform us so an answer can be written. I'm writing this in comments because it's just troubleshooting ideas with a cartridge type I've never seen, but I see very little else that could go wrong.
    – K H
    Apr 17, 2021 at 4:23
  • Hi @K H, yes, new valves work fine in the new shower. From touch, the wear around the inlets isn't deep. The threading around the locknut doesn't seem to be a problem. I placed some circular shims around the cartridge before screwing, but it didn't seem to help. Could it possibly be that the wear around the housing inlets is causing an imperfect fit with the cartridge's inlets?
    – Platypus
    Apr 17, 2021 at 8:41

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