Store-Brand Faucet Cartridges: Finding the Right Part
Glacier Bay, Pegasus, AquaSource and other store-brand faucets are among the hardest to find cartridges for. Who actually makes them, where the real part numbers are printed, and why the cartridge has to be matched on its physical specs.
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Short answer. Store-brand faucets like Glacier Bay and Pegasus (Home Depot) and AquaSource (Lowe’s) are made by various factories, so one brand name covers many different cartridges. The real part numbers are in the installation guide for your model, which has a service parts table. Without the guide, match the cartridge on its physical specs: diameter, the pattern on the bottom, the stem and the stop. Never match by brand name.
Why store brands are hard
A store brand is a retailer’s label, not a factory. Over the years the same label has been made by different suppliers, and the retailers generally do not say who. So two faucets with the same brand name, bought a few years apart, can take completely different cartridges.
Many faucet brands, store brands included, buy their ceramic cartridges from a small number of cartridge makers and badge them as their own. The cartridge inside a store-brand faucet may be a core also sold under other names. That helps once you know the physical specs, and it misleads if you go by the name on the faucet.
Step 1: find the installation guide
If you have the model number, from the box, the receipt or a tag on the supply line under the sink, find the installation guide for that model. Home Depot’s guides for its house brands include a service parts table that lists the cartridge and other replacement parts by number.
Two things to watch in those guides:
- The model number and the part numbers look different. Order by the part number, not the model.
- Two-handle faucets often have separate hot and cold parts, listed as two numbers. Note which side yours came from.
Step 2: no guide? Match on the physical specs
Most store-brand cartridges are identified by what they are, not what they are called.
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Body diameter, ideally with calipers | Single-lever cartridges that look identical can differ by a few millimeters, and that decides whether they fit |
| The bottom: seals, ports and locating pins | Same diameter cartridges can have different base patterns |
| The stem: material, splines or shape | Plastic and brass stems on the same body are different parts |
| The stop and which way it turns off | Hot and cold units on two-handle faucets are often mirror images |
| Overall length, with the part out | A check, not the decider |
The look-alike trap
Plastic quarter-turn stems from different brands look almost identical, including store-brand stems and stems from major brands. Do not settle the brand from a plastic two-handle stem alone. The handle, the trim, or a molded mark on the stem is what tells them apart.
When to send a photo
Store-brand faucets are where the manufacturer’s paper trail runs out, which is exactly where a specialist earns their keep. Photograph the cartridge next to the handle and trim, include the bottom and the stem tip, and add a diameter if you can. A specialist identifies the replacement. If you can measure it, narrow it down yourself in the CID Finder.
Related guides
- Where is the model number on my faucet?
- Finding a cartridge for a discontinued faucet
- How to replace a faucet cartridge
Common questions
Who makes Glacier Bay faucets?
Glacier Bay and Pegasus are Home Depot house brands, and AquaSource is a Lowe's house brand. The retailers source them from various factories and do not generally say which, so the same brand name can cover very different cartridges across models and years.
Where do I find the part number for a store-brand faucet cartridge?
In the installation guide for your model. Home Depot's guides for its house brands include a service parts table with part numbers. Use the model number from the box, the receipt or the supply-line tag to find the right guide.
Do store-brand cartridges fit other brands' faucets?
Sometimes the cartridge inside is the same core sold under other names, because many brands buy ceramic cartridges from the same few makers. That is why the match is made on physical specs, not the name on the faucet. Never assume a fit from a brand name alone.
Are the hot and cold cartridges the same on a two-handle store-brand faucet?
Often not. Home Depot's own guides list separate hot and cold part numbers for several two-handle house-brand faucets. Note which side each came from.
I have no model number. Can it still be identified?
Yes. Store-brand cartridges are matched on diameter, the pattern on the bottom, the stem and the stop. A photo of the cartridge next to the handle, plus a measurement, is usually enough for a specialist to identify it.