Moen (company)
Encyclopedia
Moen is a product line of faucets and other fixtures started by inventor Alfred M. Moen
that is now part of the Fortune Brands Home & Security
company. The Moen division is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio
. Moen was originally part of Ravenna Metal Products of Seattle, Washington
. In 1956, it became part of Stanadyne, Inc., which was in turn acquired by Forstmann-Little & Company in 1988 and then purchased by the consumer-products holding company Fortune Brands
. Fortune Brands then spun off is related product lines to form the Fortune Brands Home & Security company on October 3, 2011.
, lavatory, and bathtub/shower faucets are of the single-handle design, and almost all have used the same basic water-controlling cartridge since the 1960s. Known as the Moen 1225, it is a plastic (older versions were brass) cylinder approximately 4 inches long by 3/4 inches in diameter. As the "engine" in most Moen single-handle faucets, it has undergone at least two revisions since its inception though newer versions remain compatible with older faucets. Pulling up the stem of the cartridge opens the water supply; rotating toward the left opens the hot water passages while rotating to the right opens the cold water passages (using the standard North American convention of the hot water control on the left).
Later Moen bathtub/shower controls with single handles use a larger cartridge with a pressure balancing mechanism which compensates for sudden pressure changes in either the hot or cold water supply (as caused by a toilet being flushed while someone is showering). The design goal is to maintain the temperature of the shower for safety and comfort reasons, even if the volume of water is reduced. The cartridge is known as the 1222. The operation is similar to the 1225 (above) though the cartridge is approximately 1 inch in diameter to allow space for the pressure balancing mechanism.
Alfred M. Moen
Alfred M. Moen was an American inventor and founder of Moen, Inc. He invented the single-handed mixing faucet.-Background:Al Moen was born in Seattle, Washington...
that is now part of the Fortune Brands Home & Security
Fortune Brands Home & Security
Fortune Brands Home & Security is a maker of home fixtures and hardware. The company's product lines include Master Lock, MasterBrand cabinets, Moen faucets, Simonton windows and Therma-Tru entry door systems...
company. The Moen division is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio
North Olmsted, Ohio
-Business:Moen Incorporated, a fixture and faucet company, is headquartered in North Olmsted. CommutAir, a regional airline, has its operations center in North Olmsted....
. Moen was originally part of Ravenna Metal Products of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. In 1956, it became part of Stanadyne, Inc., which was in turn acquired by Forstmann-Little & Company in 1988 and then purchased by the consumer-products holding company Fortune Brands
Fortune Brands
Fortune Brands was a holding company founded in 1969 as American Brands and later renamed in 1997 and split apart in 2011. The corporate headquarters was in Deerfield, Illinois in the United States. The company historically had a significant diversity of product offerings...
. Fortune Brands then spun off is related product lines to form the Fortune Brands Home & Security company on October 3, 2011.
Faucet design
Most Moen kitchenKitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, lavatory, and bathtub/shower faucets are of the single-handle design, and almost all have used the same basic water-controlling cartridge since the 1960s. Known as the Moen 1225, it is a plastic (older versions were brass) cylinder approximately 4 inches long by 3/4 inches in diameter. As the "engine" in most Moen single-handle faucets, it has undergone at least two revisions since its inception though newer versions remain compatible with older faucets. Pulling up the stem of the cartridge opens the water supply; rotating toward the left opens the hot water passages while rotating to the right opens the cold water passages (using the standard North American convention of the hot water control on the left).
Later Moen bathtub/shower controls with single handles use a larger cartridge with a pressure balancing mechanism which compensates for sudden pressure changes in either the hot or cold water supply (as caused by a toilet being flushed while someone is showering). The design goal is to maintain the temperature of the shower for safety and comfort reasons, even if the volume of water is reduced. The cartridge is known as the 1222. The operation is similar to the 1225 (above) though the cartridge is approximately 1 inch in diameter to allow space for the pressure balancing mechanism.