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Quick answer
Short answer: if the shower handle only rotates, you have a Posi-Temp valve and need the 1222. If you pull the handle out to turn the water on, you need the 1225.
Side by side
| 1222 | 1225 | |
|---|---|---|
| Valve family | Posi-Temp | Standard (non-pressure-balanced) and Moentrol (pressure-balanced) |
| Handle on a shower | Rotate only | Push/pull for on/off and volume, rotate for temperature |
| Pressure balancing | Built into the cartridge | Only in Moentrol valves (Moen lists Moentrol as "Volume Control. Pressure Balanced.") |
| Volume control | No | Yes |
| Rotation (Moen 101) | 270° cycling valve | 180° hot to cold |
| Also used in | Tub/shower valves only | One-handle kitchen faucets launched before 2009 and one-handle bathroom faucets (see the 1225 page for the date conflict) |
| Hot/cold reversed fix | Remove the cartridge and rotate the whole cartridge 180° | Rotate the stem 180° |
| Service kit | 96988 (T2192 parts sheet) or 98040 (Moen 101); see the 1222 page | 92451 |
| Puller | Moen 104421 works on both (and on the 1200) | |
Common mistakes we found online
- "The 1200 is the Posi-Temp cartridge." Wrong per Moen. The 1222 "fits all Posi-Temp" valves, and the 1200 was used in everything except the Posi-Temp shower valve. Part of the confusion comes from a mislabeled tile on Moen's own 101 page (see the 1200 page).
- "Faucets made after 2009 need the 1225." Moen says the opposite for kitchens: the 1225 is in one-handle kitchen faucets launched before 2009. Newer one-handle faucets are built around the 1255.
Moentrol vs Standard: both take the 1225, but they aren't the same valve. Moen lists Moentrol as pressure-balanced and Standard as volume control only, so the pressure balancing is a feature of the Moentrol valve. The same 1225 goes in both.
Still not sure?
Pull the handle off and look. Moen's charts show the escutcheon screw layouts for Standard, Moentrol and Posi-Temp. A rotate-only valve with temperature markings on the trim may be an M-Core 2 series (1212) instead. The push/pull M-Core 3 series takes the 1213; see the Moen hub. If the shower might not be Moen at all, start with identify your shower valve brand.
Sources
Fetched and checked 2026-10-21. Part numbers change; confirm against your own valve and the maker before buying.
- Moen Solutions: Faucet Cartridges: Shower
- Moen 101: Standard Cartridges (archived copy, May 2021)
- Moen Solutions: 1222 Cartridge: Single Handle Shower - PosiTemp
- Moen Solutions: 1225 Cartridge: Moentrol Valve
- Moen Solutions: 1225 Cartridge: Standard Valve
- Moen Solutions: How to Reverse Hot and Cold for a 1222 Cartridge
- Moen Solutions: 1225 Cartridge: Kitchen Faucet
- Moen Solutions: Using a 104421 Cartridge Removal Tool
- Plumbing Sniper: Moen 1222 vs 1225 (cited only for the errors noted above)
