Delta Shower Cartridge Replacement: Which Cartridge and How

Delta shower cartridge replacement starts with the valve series, because a MultiChoice 13/14 valve takes RP46074, a pre-2006 Monitor 1300/1400 takes RP19804, and a 17 Series takes RP32104 or RP46463.

Which Delta shower cartridge do I need for my valve?

Match the cartridge to the valve series, not the trim style, because Delta’s shower cartridges do not interchange. Single-function valves (one handle that sets temperature) take RP46074 or RP19804. Dual-function valves (a volume lever plus a temperature knob) take RP32104 or RP46463. Ceramic MultiChoice models with -CER in the model number take RP74236.

Two dates on Delta’s pages need care. The RP32104 listing is titled “04/2006 and earlier” while its fit note says 1700/1800 valves “produced before March 2007.” If your 17 Series went in between those dates, pull the old cartridge and compare it before ordering. Delta’s support reps also confirm on the RP46074 page that a 1999 Monitor 13 Series valve takes RP19804, not RP46074.

Moen owners face the same lookalike trap, covered in Moen 1225 vs 1222 cartridge, and our guide to shower cartridge replacement across brands covers other makers.

How do you tell a 1300/1400 Delta shower cartridge from a 13/14 MultiChoice one?

Look at the lower housing. Delta’s cartridge summary sheet, printed in the 13/14 owner’s manual, shows the older Monitor 1300/1400 cartridge with a shorter lower housing in white with a blue or off-white section, and the MultiChoice 13/14 cartridge with a longer lower housing in grey and off-white. Shorter means RP19804. Longer means RP46074.

The date alone can mislead. The same sheet shows non-MultiChoice 1300/1400 cartridges shipping in July 2006 and later, still taking RP19804. An August 2014 running change gave MultiChoice cartridges a new limit stop, but both versions take RP46074.

• Measure it: Delta lists RP46074 at 4-7/16 in tall and RP19804 at 4-1/8 in, a 5/16 in difference you can check with a tape.
• Check the valve: a MultiChoice universal rough-in (the R10000 family) with single-function T14 trim takes RP46074, per Delta’s rep.
• Check the controls: two controls on one escutcheon point to the 17 Series and its dual-function cartridges.

If the valve body is not a Delta at all, our guide to shower valve types explains how to identify pressure-balance, thermostatic and two-handle compression valves.

How do you remove a Delta shower cartridge, step by step?

For a MultiChoice 13/14 valve, Delta’s sequence is short: water off, handle and trim off, bonnet nut off, then turn the handle about 1/4 turn counterclockwise past the stop while lifting the cartridge out. The steps below follow the 13/14 owner’s manual (107528 Rev. B). Tools: a Phillips screwdriver or Allen key for the handle, a flat screwdriver for built-in stops, pliers and a rag, a pencil, a thermometer and a plastic cup.

1. Shut off the water. If the valve has built-in stops, turn each one clockwise with a flat screwdriver. Otherwise close the main and open a lower faucet to drain the line.
2. Remove the handle. If it has a plug button, pry it out, then loosen the screw or set screw and pull the handle straight off.
3. Remove the trim. Slide off the sleeve, back out the escutcheon screws, and set aside the O-ring spacer that sits behind the bonnet nut.
4. Record the setup. Photograph the rotational limit stop on the cap and the words “hot side.” Delta says the cartridge must go back in the same position.
5. Unscrew the bonnet nut. Delta has it hand-tightened at install, so use pliers over a rag only if scale has locked it.
6. Lift the cartridge. Put the handle back on the stem and rotate counterclockwise about 1/4 turn after the stop is contacted, then lift. Do not pry with a screwdriver.
7. Decide on seats and springs. Delta’s manual lists RP4993 for spout or showerhead drips, and its seats-and-springs steps begin by separating the cartridge cap from the housing with a 90 degree counterclockwise turn.
8. Install the new cartridge. Turn it so “hot side” reads on the left for a normal install, or on the right for back-to-back or reverse installs. Seat the tubes and O-rings in the body holes and engage the keys in the slots.
9. Refit the bonnet nut. Thread it on and hand tighten securely, as Delta specifies.
10. Reassemble the trim, set the limit stop (next sections), then restore water and check for leaks.

Before the new cartridge goes in, Delta’s install section suggests flushing debris by running the supplies for 30 seconds with the bonnet off. Have a bucket ready.

How is a 17 Series or older RP19804 Delta shower cartridge different to replace?

The older cartridges add steps. Delta’s RP19804 replacement sheet (34459) has you pencil-mark the rotational limit stop against the brass stop, pull the stop off, and find the raised stop on the cap marked “hot side.” That raised stop must sit on the hot inlet side, which is the left on a normal install, so cold water flows first.

1. Mark and pull the limit stop so the new cartridge can copy the setting.
2. Slide the outside sleeve off. If needed, slide the sleeve O-ring toward you until it stops at the raised brass section, never over it.
3. Unscrew the brass bonnet, then refit the handle on the brass stem and rotate counterclockwise while lifting the cartridge out of the two notches.
4. Remove the black retention plug from the stem of the new RP19804 before the handle goes on.
5. Flush for one minute at full mix, then 30 seconds through the showerhead, per the sheet.

On a 1700 Series valve, Delta’s sheet (33782) has you remove sleeve, bonnet and cartridge, then seat the key in the brass body’s slot. For back-to-back installs you pull the cap, rotate it 180 degrees, and face the “HOT SIDE” marking right. If the volume handle spins a full 360 degrees afterward, Delta says the cartridge keys missed their keyways or were sheared. Before reseating the cap, check plumbers grease for cartridge o-rings so the rotated key seats smoothly without degrading the seals.

How do you set the limit stop after a Delta shower cartridge replacement?

Run the shower until cold is as cold and hot as hot as they get, turn the handle to full hot, and hold a thermometer in a plastic tumbler in the stream. Delta’s manuals cap the hottest flow at 120 degrees F, or lower if local plumbing code requires it. Then adjust the stop, which works differently on each cartridge.

Push a 13/14 pull-and-turn stop fully back into its seat when done, and never take it apart. On disc-style stops, a disc left unseated can cause scalding, per the same manual. The 1700 sheet says to snug the temperature knob screw only until the wobble stops.

Recheck in winter, since Delta notes colder incoming water shifts the outlet temperature. Delta puts a comfortable shower at 90 to 110 degrees F. Model plumbing codes generally require shower valves with pressure-balance or thermostatic protection and an adjustable maximum, so check your local code for the exact limit.

How do you test whether the cartridge or the seats and springs failed?

Use Delta’s shake test. With the water off and the handle at full mix, pull the cartridge and shake it hard side to side. A rattle means the pressure-balance spool still moves and the cartridge can go back in. No rattle means replace it. A drip from the spout or showerhead points first to RP4993 seats and springs.

• Drip with the valve off: replace seats and springs (RP4993 on 13/14 and 1300/1400; RP28603 seats, springs and quad seal on the 1700 Series). If lower O-rings look flattened, Delta lists RP14414 for 13/14 cartridges.
• Drip persists: replace the cartridge with the part from the table above.
• Temperature will not hold: the 13/14 manual says to replace the housing assembly with RP46074.
• Only a trickle comes out: the 1700 manual notes both hot and cold supplies must be pressurized. A half-open stop starves a pressure-balance valve.
• Cold water must flow first: if hot arrives first, the cartridge went in backward. Pull it and rotate it so “hot side” faces the hot inlet.

Delta’s manuals say homes with lime, rust or sand in the water need periodic cartridge inspection. If the leak is at the showerhead threads or the tub spout instead, see how to fix a leaky shower faucet.

What does a Delta shower cartridge cost, and does the warranty cover it?

On deltafaucet.com in October 2026, RP46074 listed at $94.68, RP19804 at $99.48, and both 17 Series cartridges at $123.20, each marked down from a higher list price. The RP4993 seats and springs kit was $8.08. Under Delta’s limited warranty, the original homeowner may get a defective cartridge free.

The warranty text in Delta’s 13/14 manual covers parts and finishes for as long as the original consumer purchaser owns the home where the faucet was first installed. Commercial buyers get 10 years for apartments and condos and 5 years for other uses. Labor is excluded. Delta also excludes damage from reasonable wear and tear, freezing water and misuse, so a cartridge simply worn out by years of grit may not qualify.

To claim, call 1-800-345-DELTA (3358) with the model number and date of purchase. Delta requires the original receipt unless the product was registered, and covers only faucets made after January 1, 1995. If you bought the house with the shower in it, you are not the original purchaser.