Sharkbite Fittings

[RbrtAWhyt]

Anyone have any thoughts on Sharkbite fittings?

http://www.sharkbiteplumbing.com/?gclid=CN2E2qLxy6YCFcG77Qodch6BHA

I want to move a couple of pvc water lines in my basement and was thinking about using these with pex lines. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Johnny chaos]

I used them to go from my existing copper to Pex when I remodeled our bathroom. They are AMAZING!!! super simple and really effective.

 

[rwhite692]

They work very well, however since they are quite expensive, I really wouldn't use them unless I was in a situation where I really needed the speed / convenience (such as in an emergency type of repair).

PVC is so easy to work with, and way cheaper than PEX and fittings....Why not just re-route your lines using PVC?

 

[steven083008]

I used those for my washing machine supply lines and haven't had a problem at all out of them. They are expensive, but easy to use and have held securely.

 

[Fastback]

Yup, I put em in my radiant heat system.


Order them from Pexsupply.com and save a bunch, thats what I did [spam/]

 

[AllAboutTools]

Sharkbites are so simple...even a caveman can do it.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

They work very well, however since they are quite expensive, I really wouldn't use them unless I was in a situation where I really needed the speed / convenience (such as in an emergency type of repair).

PVC is so easy to work with, and way cheaper than PEX and fittings....Why not just re-route your lines using PVC?

I want to go through several floor joists that are 16" on center. Th PVC isn't flexable enough...

 

[exjeeper]

My son says they sell a ton of them at the Home Depot where he worked...

 

[tcianci]

We had a situation on a job the other day where in the process of installing a new shower valve, the plumber disturbed a faulty elbow that was about halfway under the bath tub and it started to leak. You could see the bad fitting but barely reach it from the access we had in the wet wall. He had a Rockwell sonicrafter in his kit. With the length of his arm and the sonicrafter, he managed to cut the bad fitting off while I hit the road to grab a Sharkbite fitting. Well the nearest place was a Lowes and they have a similar fitting called a Gatorbite. I was surprised to find that the plumber had not heard of these things. Anyway I got back to the job, showed the plumber how they worked and attached a branch to one side of the elbow and he got into that little access with his arm and shoulder and twisted the thing home. Then he finished soldering up the rest of the install. It worked like a champ! It turns out that the bad fitting had about 1/16 inch engagement and was just barely hanging on so as soon as it was disturbed, it leaked. There was no way we were going to get into that space to solder a new fitting on or even crimp some pex in there. We got out of having to open up a ceiling or floor to access the offending connection.

 

[197044RT]

I have used them too with success in some situations. In my area though, as of two years ago, they did not meet plumbing code.

 

[robsled]

I didn't know Sharkbite worked on PVC. Thought it was copper, PEX and CPVC only.

 

[shopnut]

Pricey, but worth it. Keep a couple of the release collars (tools) handy for quick piping changes.

 

[Homoudont]

I've used them.. great for the home owner who hates to do plumbing.

 

[54FordPanel]

I normally solder joints on, but they are great in those instances when you can't get the water to stop dripping enough to solder.
Also for spots where you don't have enough room to solder.

 

[rickairmedic]

I normally solder joints on, but they are great in those instances when you can't get the water to stop dripping enough to solder.
Also for spots where you don't have enough room to solder.

Ancient Chinese Plumbers secret . When you cant get thew line to stop dripping run back to the kitchen for a slice of White Bread . Pull off some bread make a ball and stuff it as deep in the pipe as you can . This will make a short term dam to hold the water back while you solder it up . Once done with the repair turn the water back on and go to a Bathtub and run the water till the bread comes out . The last part is important the bread will clogg up aerators on any other faucette in the house .


To the OP Sharkbites are great when you need them .


Rick

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Thanks for the info everyone! I think for the three or four fittings I need, they will do the trick.

 

[59 wagon man]

i hate them and won't allow my guys to use them on the job . i wonder how there track record will be in 10 to 15 yrs when the problems start popping up

 

[scott_one]

I used them a couple times in my home. They are real easy to use and they worked great!

 

[Aklass]

My Dad is a plumber/HVAC guy, and he says they are **** because in the long run they will slip and come off.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

i hate them and won't allow my guys to use them on the job . i wonder how there track record will be in 10 to 15 yrs when the problems start popping up

Is there any reason to hate them other than the fear of their unknown long-term performance?

 

[texmln]

I used them to plumb an entire bathroom with a shower in the metal building on our ranch two years ago and they are working great. I figured if I had a problem then a barn full of farm stuff would be the only things getting wet. So far, so good. One caution though... I tried the cheaper copper sharkbite/gatorbite fittings they sell in bulk contractor packs. About 20% of those leaked. Stick with the more expensive brass versions. I had no problems with those.

About ten years ago I used some Copper Bond to fix the copper hot water supply line from the water heater in my attic even though I had several people tell me that I was an idiot for not using solder. Since the line was easy to access in my walk-in attic I gave it a try anyway. That Copper Bond has been working just fine ever since.

 

[danski0224]

In some areas, they are not approved.

I would not use them in a situation where they will be buried in a wall cavity without an access door.

These types of fittings won't come off of the pipe/tubing if they are pulled on without using the release tool. In addition, the fittings do not lock onto the pipe- they will spin.

For temporary and emergency applications, they work great.

 

[Vicegrip]

i hate them and won't allow my guys to use them on the job . i wonder how there track record will be in 10 to 15 yrs when the problems start popping up

I wonder too. The seal is made from a materal that i have seen go bad over time with chlorinated water exposure. Rubbery flexible stuff can only end up getting not flexible with time. We know copper and 95/5 lasts. For me it is use them if you need to but go copper and torch if you can.

 

[gunner3773]

A plumber in my area told me that those Sharkbites are supposed to be good for 30 years.

 

[54FordPanel]

Ancient Chinese Plumbers secret . When you cant get thew line to stop dripping run back to the kitchen for a slice of White Bread . Pull off some bread make a ball and stuff it as deep in the pipe as you can . This will make a short term dam to hold the water back while you solder it up . Once done with the repair turn the water back on and go to a Bathtub and run the water till the bread comes out . The last part is important the bread will clogg up aerators on any other faucette in the house .


To the OP Sharkbites are great when you need them .


Rick

Thanks for the tip, but I knew about the bread thing. It works good on little drips, but I've had main water shut offs that were next to useless, and only choked down the water, and didn't shut it off.
On those, the bread trick is doesn't work as well, and Sharkbites are on & done.

 

[rodm1]

As a rule temp use only

 

[volvo]

..
Something diferent... Solderless Copper Bonding

Video
http://www.solderlesscopperbonding.com/pg/section.html?secpath=01.01.&pgid=7

Site
http://www.solderlesscopperbonding.com/pg/index.html

 

[AlbertaGuy]

Althugh I am not a plumber I do work in a shop with 16 or so of them and our company policy is NO sharkbites. Apparently we are not the only shop too. Seems like there have been a number of claims locally of the fittings not holding and resulting water damage. Again, no personal experience but the journeymen I know won't use them. I'm just sayin'...

 

[toolmiser]

We were doing a kitchen/bath remodel a couple years ago-a total gut job, and the plumber turned me on to them. We did the demo, and had him do the replacment. They worked great for temporarily capping a line and allowing the water to go back on. Originally the house didn't have any shutoffs other than the main. I think every homeowner should have a couple in a couple sizes for emergencies!

 

[Fastback]

Ya just gotta ask yourselves, why would plumbers like a design that removes the need for plumbers...

Just sayin.

 

[ishiboo]

I try and be on the bleeding edge, I think PEX with proper crimp rings/brass fittings/etc. is the way to plumb. The Sharkbites have always made me wonder, but a failure in any of the places I'd use them (basement) would not be the end of the world, and I've seen new houses with copper pipes which leaked a couple months after the build, PVC drains leak, etc.

I'm working on a new first floor laundry, and I purchased my first CSST and a termination plate for the dryer. I was pretty shocked to find all that seals the CSST to the brass fitting is a single rubber (actually I'm sure a composite with nitrile/etc, perhaps zero natural rubber at all) washer. Makes me wonder - are we living life on the edge with these washers, or is their material just above and beyond what we think of when we think of your typical washer?

Code tends to live far beyond the bleeding edge in the eye of safety, and while there was a big push for PEX acceptance once copper got so high, there was no big reason to leave black iron pipe other than installation convenience, which I'm all for. (Yes, there were reasons to switch, but not a huge push.) Are we being too careful?

I'm sure at some point, having running water in your house was asking for a leak, and having explosive gas piped through all the rooms of your house probably seemed like a HUGE risk for the early pioneers

 

[rieferman]

I was just about to start a topic on these, but decided I ought to search first. So, bump.

I wonder about the distrust of a product like this one too. We had a spot last week where we couldn't get the water to slow down (not even with the bread trick) so the joint just wouldn't hold. Shark bite, and 30 seconds later, we're working again. Now, when I finish plumbing the kitchen, I'll solder (mostly for cost reasons) but given the certifications the product has received and the state of engineering in this day and age, I'm wondering where the worry is in this case. Not trying to be argumentative, honestly wondering if a properly installed fitting will be a problem.

 

[Jazz]

I'm planning on using them to "T" into some lines to add a wash sink to my garage. I only need a couple of them so the expense seems worth it.

 

[scoutkid]

The absolute BEST place I have used them is on the vacuum breaker on my sprinkler system - you know, the one where you can't screw down the isolation valve on both sides, and you HAVE to solder the whole upsidedown U in place?

I found that my renters hadn't got all the water out last year and come spring the 1" supply line was split. I grabbed 3, 1" sharkbites, cut both uprights on the U, cut out the hunk of split pipe, cut a patch length and dropped that puppy back on. 10 minutes and done.

It worked great all summer, and if I need to replace the vacuum breaker it's a 10 min job!

 

[Tom2]

I used them when I hooked up my new water heater about 2.5 years ago. Made it real easy. Just more expensive. No issues with them so far..

I probably just wouldn't want to use one inside a wall where theres no access. If I get a drip in my basement from my fittings, not such a huge deal if I catch it early.

 

[Travis E.]

I thought about using sharklbites or the crimp on fittings with copper and PEX while re-plumbing our house last year. After alot of consideration I decided to do the whole house in copper and sweat all fittings because in my gut I just could not put a fitting like that behind my walls.
About the same time I finished our house I recieved a call from my brother in law that broke a pipe in the wall. I go over there to find PEX and glued fittings. We cut open the wall to see that the pipe was not properly supported and broke while he was instaling a new faucet. We picked up a couple of shark bites from HD and he was back in business in a few minutes. It did not leak the first day so I patched the drywall the following day. I still think about it sometimes while my copper never crosses my mind.
I would probably use them outside of the walls at my own home in a emergency.

 

[59 wagon man]

i went on a call the other day and the guy had snapped his hose off the copper stubbing out fron the wall cut it square like the guy at home depot told him and put the sharkbite on .only problem was there wasn't enough copper for the sharkbite to grab onto. though i couldn't get the pipe completely seated in the fitting i was able to get it about 90% of the depth of the socket and solder it without burning the paint on the wall .no leaks and i'll guarantee that joint for life

only other problem i see is the space they require won't always work and i don't believe they work on pvc. if it is pvc it's very simple cut it square use primer not cleaner the blue colored glue is pretty good stuff and they do sell clear and purple primers. twist and hold the joint together for around 20 secs .best to let it dry a little and if you got good strong pressure an hour or so as a minimum

whole thing about it is no product is perfect for everytime , everyplace

 

[cjcrazy8]

I am a pm in the HVAC industry and have always appreciated the look of well laid out copper. I am giving pex a try in the firestation. I bought a bunch of the sharkbite unions because I am doing the replacement in phases. I use the sharkbite as a temp connection between old and new and I am only doing it in exposed locations. even though I am running pex, I am building copper manifolds at each fixture, and have one main hot and cold manifold on each floor. So if I need to work on the kitchen sink, I go down to the basement and turn off the valve labeled "kitchen sink."

 

[rieferman]

I am only doing it in exposed locations

I've seen that sentiment a bunch of times in this thread.. And again, I wonder why? The product is rated for concealed use.. I would imagine that any level of field failures would be a liability nightmare for the company producing the product, for the board certifying them for such use, and for any retailers selling the product.. So, my natural inclination (in this day and age) would be to trust the product based on their labeling. Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering why everyone distrusts the product - is it because the product is bad, or because any "new" product will be distrusted until it proves itself for 50 years?

 

[Frank The Plumber]

What is the actual sealing mechanism within a shark bite, would it be an O ring, would it be a compressed wedge of pliable gasket material like a dresser coupling / fitting. I have not seen these around here. If it is an o ring, the average o ring is not lasting very long in new faucets and such applications. They may be called a ford pack fitting around here, made of brass with a thread on one end.