What Size Allen Wrench Is Needed For Moen Faucets?

Moen is a very popular appliance brand. In fact, if you have multiple bathrooms, the odds are pretty high you have some sort of Moen appliance in there. The company is known for its variety, especially when it comes to its faucets. And while these faucets usually function properly, you may need to tighten them from time to time. But what size Allen wrench do you need for a Moen faucet?

In most cases, you should use a 7/64 Allen wrench, or a 2.5 mm hex wrench on your Moen faucets. This size Allen wrench should work for most faucet and shower sizes. Remember, Allen wrenches and hex wrenches are the same tool with interchangeable names. If you find the bolt stripped or impossible to loosen with a hex wrench, try pliers first, then a power drill.

If you notice a drip or mild leak coming from your Moen kitchen faucet, you might wonder what your options are. The good news is that in most cases you don’t need to call a plumber. The majority of the time you just need to do some tightening.

There is a good chance this will involve an Allen wrench. An Allen wrench set comes with several keys, and in this article we will discuss Allen wrenches versus hex wrenches and what size you need to fix your faucet.

You might notice that some installation guides call for a hex wrench instead of an Allen wrench. Don’t worry, you don’t need to head out to the home improvement store and buy even more tools. A hex wrench set and Allen wrench set are the same. These names are used interchangeably.

“Hex” refers to the shape of the wrench keys. They are all hexagon in shape, hence the word “hex.” Allen refers to the Connecticut manufacturing company that created a type of hex key that became wildly popular. Now that you know these two wrenches are the same, it’s time to find out which one you need for your Moen faucets.

Now that you know you need a 7/64 Allen (or hex) wrench, you might wonder what that number means. It is quite simple; the number is actually a fraction. It refers to the number of inches in the size of the wrench. Allen wrenches usually use the imperial system, so they come in inch sizes.

If you happen to have a metric hex kit, then you won’t find a 7/64 wrench. Hex kits often use metric measurements. Allen wrenches, since they were invented in the United States, typically use the imperial system. If you have an imperial Allen wrench, you need a 7/64 wrench. If you have a metric hex wrench, then a 2.5 mm hex wrench is what you need for your Moen faucet.

If you try one of these two types of wrenches and neither fit, don’t panic. In reality, while most Moen faucets use this size, there is always a chance the particular model, or even the bolt in question, uses a different size. Check with the manufacturer, or try the next size up or down if you are worried. The good news is, you should have the right size in your kit somewhere.

In most cases, the 7/64 Allen wrench should work perfectly on most Moen faucets. But in some cases, you might find yourself unable to unscrew the bolt with your Allen wrench. Sometimes, due to moisture and rust, the bolt can become stuck. This might make it difficult or even impossible for you to loosen it with an Allen wrench (aka hex wrench).

In other cases you might have stripped the bolt. This also makes it basically impossible to unscrew a Moen bolt with a hex wrench. Luckily, while this is inconvenient, there are still several options. Before you call in a professional, see if one of the below methods helps loosen the bolt on your Moen faucet.

If you can’t seem to get the bolt on your Moen faucet to move, you might need to use a power drill to get rid of the old bolt and replace it with a new one. Before you use a drill, make sure you have the replacement bolt ready. You don’t want to drill into the old bolt without a replacement ready.

Use your power drill and a proper screw extractor bit. Make sure you use the right size. If you go too thick on the size, you can damage the Moen equipment. This is the last thing you want. Once you get the old bolt out, you can use your trusty 7/64 (or 2.5 mm) Allen wrench to install and tighten your new bolt