Anyone try and or use this stuff? One of the big-box stores is now selling their stuff. Hey, sell something that fails and potentially promotes your subcontractor service business. Sweet!
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Great question.
I dont know. My supplier (not the big box, Weinstein a division of Hajoca) says the stuff is moving real well and having no issues that they have heard of.
They say the contractors are only buying for certain specific locations due to the price but the product seems to be working well. (avoiding torch where they have to adapt to Copper from other stuff)
Regardless, I will continue to carry CPVC cement, PEX crimp tools, B Tank and soldering kit with me for the next few years till it is tested but good.
My sub uses it and loves it. No problems to date.
I use it and love it. Great for a quick repair when you don't want to/can't get a torch at it. I did a couple of laundry room relocations and it's certainly cheaper than a plumber for such a small job and less aggravating for me than soldering since my soldering skills are suspect.
Expensive but the labor/time savings make up for it. I put together a kit of common size elbows, connections and end caps...about $300 worth that I keep in my van.
-Norm
Use the advanced search. There have been at at least 2 threads on this in the last 60 days.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Bill, every time I've tried to search this site for no matter what the subject was, I got the exact same results--all about sweating copper. I just figured the the search engine was purposely broken, or just too much liking that topic to be of any use to me.
You didn't follow the INSTRUCTIONS.I said ADVANCED SEARCH. It is at the top on the lift side. Right above the Show Discussion selection box..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Instrustions? I had instructions to read? I could never get the hang of RTFM. :)
How about RTinstructionsMF?
He's right, advanced search is the way to go.
I am all in favor of sharkbites - for reno work.
Have saved me quite a bit of time already - replace a frostproof sillcock in a goofy location, etc.Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
It's only new in the USA.
The stuff works, and it works well.
I wouldn't use it for a whole house, but it is great for small jobs that would be difficult or impossible with traditional soldering... like the water heater replacement where you don't want to wait for the drip to stop... or in a confined area with a torch... or if you wanna DIY and you can't solder to save your life.
Unlike the Ridgid Pro Press, no special tooling is required... and Shark Bite will join copper, pex and CPVC mix and match in the same fitting.
Unlike compression fittings, Shark Bite can be buried in a wall. It can be disassembled with a simple tool.
Only major drawback is that it is made in Taiwan.
"I wouldn't use it for a whole house, but it is great for small jobs that would be difficult or impossible with traditional soldering"Are you saying this because of the cost of doing a whole house, or because you think it less "workmanlike"?
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Cost.
Unless the pricing is better at a supply house, I don't see the potential time savings with Shark Bite balancing out with soldering new work.
Pro Press, on the other hand, is *lots* faster than soldering once the pipe gets over about 1.5".
I recently added a water softner in my house and noticed that the Home Despot has dropped the pre-soldered fittings in favor of the sharkbite. I used them on my radiant floor system during the kitchen remodel and had a great experience so I was about to grab a bunch.
Then I noticed the price....A $1.69 traditional copper fitting is $9.69 for the sharkbite. I was working in an open area, so I went with the old standby. I would use them in a tight fit, but you need to go pex for them to be cost effective in a whole-house application. Even then, I would question my inspector if it would be accepted buried in the walls.
...that's not a mistake, it's rustic
The approval numbers are on the packaging, if memory is correct.
Those pre soldered fittings always created the nagging doubt that the solder was plumbing safe because they were made in China, even more now with all of the recalls.
That is a good point about China. All I know was that it was fun to walk the aisles with my brother, who is a plumber in NYC. He gave me the union mantra about the dangers of PEX and the pre-soldered fittings. He's going to have a cow when I tell him that these are readily accessible....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
I've never priced out a PEX job, but I know the fittings are expensive.
I would be hesitant to use it in my own house because copper has a proven track record and PEX really doesn't. My own personal experiences with plastic over time is not good.
I guess in a disposable society, cheaper is better, right?
Well, unlike my Union-minded brother, I think PEX is a proven item. Keep it out of the sun (easy to do inside the walls and basement of your house) and keep nails away (okay, you're on your own with that). My concern with the sharkbites is that if the pipe/hose is moved (disturbed, pushed, whatever...) and kinks, the sharkbite connection can open....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
I don't see how a Shark Bite connection could ever open.
The fittings are designed like the Chinese fingers toy- the harder you pull on the tubing, the harder it grips. I suspect the tubing would fail before the joint failed (tubing pulled out of the fitting).
I have only seen them on the shelf at HD.But I beleive that they seal with a rubber o-ring.While it might not release I could see concern that is the connection is disturbed in anyway after a number of years that the o-ring might not seal again..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Good point on the O ring. There is an inner collar that is supposed to stabilize the tubing. I would hope that it is a synthetic material and not plain old rubber.
I know the Pro Press stuff is supposed to be guaranted for 50 years... but then what? That is a crimp connection with an O ring that make the seal. I worked in a building where a s h i t load of those things were used, and all I could think about was what happens if it doesn't make 50 years?
I suppose the same discussion could be had about PEX crimp style connections and PEX tubing that may become brittle over time... not to mention the site assembled manifolds held together with long screws and more O rings... :)
I guess the reality is that none of it may be as durable as a soldered copper joint.
assuming the joint was prepped and soldered correctly. :)
Yeah, I have popped a few joints in the floor when turning fitting....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
Yes, I like them for certain applications, they will rotate on the pipe and need proper support. They are a little high priced but are quick to use, and justify the cost.
Cash Acme is the SharkBite brand maker. Other companies have decided to get in on the marketing of pushfit type connectors, Watts and Legend are both long time fitting makers and now have a line of pushfit connectors. This new trend will become a long lived standard in the plumbing industry.
Used one yesterday to get me out of a bind. Had to transition from old gray Qest to 1/2" copper. Confined space wasn't "crimper friendly".
Seemed to fit the bill nicely.
The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
I used them on a job about two months ago. Quick - justified the expense of the fittings for the labor savings.
Don't leave them around the kids - they will use them as an expensive erector set. I think my two year old could rough in his little clubhouse with them
The copper spinning in the fitting was a little scary, but that's how they work. i have a job hooking up some pex to copper next week -- Sharkbites all the way.
Dave Otto -- Otto Construction -- PA
Just used one last week under the kitchen sink - saved me from having to cut a bigger hole in the cabinet back & made plumbing with a broken rib much easier :-)
Hey . Did you manage to find one that worked ? I know you were having problems with the sizing.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Hey, Did you manage to find one that worked ? I know you were having problems with the sizing
*****I never did find a fitting that would work. Apparently they had used a really long pre-made Pex faucet supply line & put a saddle valve into it. I would up getting a little carried away & replaced every single thing from the wall to the faucet. :-)
Bobbi
Just finished a new laundry room and used them with pex. Copper is going to disappear fast with these things. They're very easy to use and are absolutely leakproof as long as your cuts in copper or pex are square and smooth. Watts is now offering a line of these sharkbite type fittings in some sort of plastic. Saw them at Lowes and they're half the price, but don't look as nice as the Sharkbites. Sharkbite is too pricey to do a whole house, but great for small jobs or repairs.
I agree with all. Used them a few months ago on a kitchen that had pipes and #### all over the place. Worked great. I'm pricing them into jobs now.
We have found a nice application for these fittings. We use them on our pressure test set-ups and they work like a dream. When your done there is a tool you can use to release the tension on the fitting and pull it right back off the pipe, ready for the next job.