How to replace cartridge in Mondella Rococo shower mixer?

[bak4more]

Hi, just having a little trouble & unsure about the final steps to remove the cartridge.

I've removed the handle fairly easily. Next is where I'm stuck. Nothing online shows an exploded view of assembly or how to separate. Other mixers have instructions saying to undo the chrome (cover) ring to expose the brass nut.

Unfortunately the chrome ring isn't going anywhere. I've tried a rubber strap wrench but no go.

I see a new one comes preassembled & this (cartridge) would have been fitted from factory as it's original with new house.

In all the time I've lost I've found out more about Mondella & it's supplier to Bunnings, KSG, than actually what I need.

There are 4 square holes on inside of head which could be a keyway for a special tool. But who knows.

I'd appreciate some directions please.

 

[Akanksha]

Hello @bak4more,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you join us and we look forward to seeing and assisting you with your home improvement and garden projects. 

Thanks for your question. It's an unusually busy time on the site and many of our experts and members are away on their year-end break. Our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc is helping members during this busy period and I'm sure will be happy to assist you as soon as he can. 

Let me also tag our ever-helpful members @Jewelleryrescue, @JDE and @Noyade in case they have any thoughts. 

Thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Akanksha

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @bak4more 

I am  having trouble on finding information about this brands tape mixer.

But if your right those gaps are for a tool  for unscrewing,  

I couldnt  find that tool either.

A     So I would try long nose plyiers pointing into  two of those slots and turning anti clock wide and see if it moves.

B  I would  use a small screw driver aimed  at the edge of one of those notches at an angle and hammer screw driver short  sharp taps to move/ drift the round nut to become undone.

I am not an expert on internal plumbing I usually learn  hands on if i need to fix something around my place.

[bak4more]

Hello @Jewelleryrescue thanks for your effort & time to reply. I also appreciate the acknowledgement "I am having trouble on finding information about this brands ..."

A & B did cross my mind to a degree based on my mechanical trade background. There is a faint line in the corner all the way around suggesting the outside & inside may separate. I also ran a pin head through the square holes to see if there was a groove or lip for the inner part to hold in (but no, nothing).

At the end of the day clear instructions from the supplier would be best.

I'm not keen on forcing at the risk of defacing unless I'm sure how it goes together.

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @bak4more

Its  good you have  some tool skills back ground thats  half the  battle.

That brand seams to not want to share its how tos.

Any how is it possible to get a couple angled  views of the cartridge.

Another option is to  disconect or turn of sink water and remove the  whole tap from under the sink and take it to bunnings plumbing section and they hopefully can show you how and put the right spare in your hands at the same time.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @bak4more,

Your Rococo mixer appears to be a different setup than what I would be familiar with. We have Mondella Rococo Shower Mixer, which I suspect might be your model. Perhaps the square body can be unscrewed to allow access to your locking ring? That four-pronged, what appears to be a locking ring, does seem like there's a specific tool for it.

I don't think we are going to be able to come up with a solution since this appears to be a non-standard fixing until Mondella re-opens after the break. Give me 30 minutes and I'll run out to a store to have a look at a unit so I can work out how to remove the cartridge.

Mitchell

[MitchellMc]

Hi again @bak4more,

I'm sorry, but my mission appears to have failed us. On inspection of the Mondella Rococo and, in fact, the entire range of Mondella mixers, they all employ a flat-sided retaining nut (which is the standard) that is easily accessed by simply unscrewing a cover flange. I'll include an image below of the Rococo shower mixer.

So, I guess the next step is to confirm this is actually a Rococo. Please note that the Rococo also has a large square backing flange that your tap doesn't appear to include either. I presume you've established the brand Mondella as it is written on the handle?

Is there a seam around 10-20mm from the top of the chrome body which could be a section of it which is unscrewed to give you access to the sides of the retaining nut?

Mitchell

[redracer01]

Hi @bak4more 

Would it be possible for you to take a picture of the shower mixer from an angle instead of from the top? I'm just curious about the profile of the locking ring. Is it flat or does it have any feature on it that will allow a tool to anchor onto it? There also appears to be a gap between the ring, is there a threaded groove inside the body of the mixer? If there is, the odds are that the locking ring will require a special tool to remove it.

Looking at the photo you posted it appears that it is the only thing holding the ceramic cartridge in place. Once that ring has been removed you should be able to get access to the cartridge.

Red

[bak4more]

Good afternoon @MitchellMc

Thanks for going the extra mile. I can confirm there is a large square backing flange which measures 110x110x10. (My son removed it when he had a crack at it after doing work experience as a plumber last year.)

You got me questioning if indeed it's a Rococo when I was pretty sure it was. So I went back & had a look at the builder's Handover Manual. No joy, there's no listing for tapware that I can see (which is strange) & they used their own reference for other bathroom fixtures. However, all the tapware & bathroom accessories match the square profile range of Mondella. I note, Rococo is exclusively designed for Bunnings & supplied by Kinetic Sourcing Group Pty Ltd (KSG). And Bunnings is by far the closest building supplier to my location.

Can I please trouble you to check the backing flange is the same size? I'm wondering if the design has changed a little in 10 years or this shower mixer is a KSG variant or chinese clone. *Mondella isn't written on the handle. Do you know if it was from the start of the product range?

I might need to try the parent company of the building company. They don't operate in Qld any longer from what I can tell.

[MitchellMc]

As far as I can recall, the name Mondella has always been printed on the handle of their taps @bak4more. The styling of the Rococo is similar to many other brands that have adapted their own version of this square profile tap. 

If the scale of their fairly basic drawing is correct, the backing plate is around 117mm.

We're still keen to see a side-on view of the tap body to see if there are any seams that would indicate you can remove a cover to access the nut.

Mitchell