Help with sharkbite install far enough?

[jeffnc]

And who said anything about doing work behind walls in this thread?


He did!

My point was this. Journeyman says they should not be put inside walls. That's not true, but even if it was, why even bring it up in a thread where the application is clearly not behind walls? What's up with an agenda where we're criticizing a product for an application it's not even being used for? Not to mention that it's not even a valid criticism.

 

[CT18]

Regardless, this is a valid option for the homeowner to use. It is a permanent solution in spite of you saying it is not.

Shell/Dupont said the same thing about gen 1 crimp fittings 40 or so years ago. I am not saying that will happen with Sharkbite or Pro Press for that matter. Solder is tried and true others are not. I have been saying for a few years now if Sharkbites ever fail like first gen crimp it will be an insurance catastrophe.

 

[jeffnc]

I have seen copper pipe corrode and also spring leaks due to acidic water. I've seen sweated joints fail. I've never seen a Sharkbite connection fail. Proof? No, but it's also not exactly proof that copper is foolproof and Sharkbite sucks.

 

[frodo]

whole lotta dononuttins speaking up like they nosum'n
and it is making me giggle at the stupidity level

 

[jeffnc]

Very professional, thank you for your valuable input.

 

[frodo]

shark bite fittings use a rubber gasket to seal the pipe
here in the USA we have chlorine in our water supply,
chlorine breaks down rubber, that is a scientific fact
the fact that shark bite is relatively new on the plumbing market and is not time tested along with the rubber gasket concerns many professional plumbers,
copper on the other hand has been time tested and has held up in buildings for over 60 years
are there copper fitting leaks? yes their are, the fitting leaks are due to faulty installation not the fitting itself

 

[jeffnc]

Yes, that is the same argument on both sides. If a copper fitting fails, the copper guys says it's due to a faulty installation, and if the Sharkbite fitting fails, it's due to the nature of the fitting itself. If a Sharkbite fitting fails, the Sharkbite guy says it's due to a faulty installation, and if the copper fitting fails, it's due to the nature of the fitting itself. We've heard all this ad nauseum.

I've seen plenty of copper fittings and pipe fail due to acidity in the water. I've also seen high zinc content PEX fittings corrode and fail due to dezincification. Presenting just one side of this argument makes anyone sound like a lawyer, and uneducated about both sides of the issue.

Somewhat misleading to say that chlorine breaks down rubber, when Sharkbite fittings are made with EPDM which is not a real rubber. It is not natural rubber, it is not isoprene, it is not nitrile, all of which have poorer chlorine resistance than EPDM.

 

[Jenjabba]

Yes it's gas, Ill take that into consideration. It's under a stair case. Tight spot. Thanks for input. I don't need a decade, just a few years or sell the damn house. I'm not soldering because it's a TIGHT space. Thanks again. Good suggestions

 

[journeyman]

If you slider copper properly it will be a long time before it fails problem is not everyone knows how to do it right

 

[mb123]

Jenjabba, Is your water heater a gas water heater?
if it is, pex should not be used within 18'' of the water heater, the heat will make the pex brittle over time

Is it's a power vent gas water heater there's no issue using PEX

 

[WyrTwister]

Look for burrs on the copper . Polish it with something like this ;

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...8BiODHxS2V3zyElXvsE--7vg4NyIoZ1BoCe4QQAvD_BwE

Harbor Freight sells one cheaper .

Or use a roll of emery cloth .

We replaced the water main at our house with PEX , but I soldered a 3/4" female connector to the pipe , under the house and used threaded PEX fittings at both end . The ones with the copper crimp ring .

Wyr
God bless

 

[sawsaw]

Look for burrs on the copper . Polish it with something like this ;

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...8BiODHxS2V3zyElXvsE--7vg4NyIoZ1BoCe4QQAvD_BwE

Harbor Freight sells one cheaper .

Or use a roll of emery cloth .

We replaced the water main at our house with PEX , but I soldered a 3/4" female connector to the pipe , under the house and used threaded PEX fittings at both end . The ones with the copper crimp ring .

Wyr
God bless

 

[sawsaw]

Your link brought me to a listing of fans.

 

[WyrTwister]

Sorry , I did a copy from their web page .

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...8BiODHxS2V3zyElXvsE--7vg4NyIoZ1BoCe4QQAvD_BwE

Here is a pic .

Best of luck ,
Wyr
God bless

 

[WyrTwister]

 

[journeyman]

Apparently this guy dont get it if you can't put a sharkbite on properly then that's a good indication to not use it and call a plumber because you dont have a clue what ur doing this forum is not to bitch and complain you asked for advise you got it so figure it out

 

[mdk0420]

I love shark bites, and they have been tested for over a decade and haven't shown to fail anymore then soldering does. On top of that there are less mistakes that can happen since its as easy as pushing on. The downside to shark bites are the very high prices. Even a couple of shark bites would justify buying all of your own soldering equipment and just buying the sweat fittings for a 1/10th of the price. Simple 3/4 coublings cost nearly $8 at home depot, while the normal coupling cost around .90 cents. I bought a pretty good torch with mapp gas, 1lb of solder and a med size container of flux for around $90. If your doing a really small job you could probably get away with the $20 kit at walmart that comes with a little bit of everything that you need.

I would never knock on sharkbites because they are extremely convenient, but I also avoid them simply because of the price. How much was this sharkbite kit? It might be worth returning it and just buying a cheap torch kit. Learning is easy. I practiced on a couple of fittings that i pulled apart from the water lines I'm working on and you learn very quickly where that sweet spot is for applying solder.

 

[journeyman]

Yep bad plumbers teaching bad plumbing to new plumbers yall do what ya want its dumb

 

[TomFOhio]

Realistically this sounds more like some plumbers are concerned that Sharkbite is taking some of their business. There was a need in the market that Sharkbite filled. Most people will still call a plumber for something like this. Many will get ripped off, some will not. Regardless, this is a valid option for the homeowner to use. It is a permanent solution in spite of you saying it is not. Sharkbite meets all codes for permanent use including sealed up in walls. I have used it many times myself (in addition to being able to sweat pipes) and have never had a single issue.

PlumbGate, by the sound of your name you are probably a plumber and wouldn't have any problems soldering or using sharkbites. But I don't think we are to worried about these taking away from our business. The original poster must not of wanted to call a plumber or does not know how to solder copper
pipe and does not know how to put on the sharkbite fittings correctly without having a leak. So I feel the trade is still safe. Just my opinion......

 

[chiraldude]

All I can say is that soldering old copper can be a real pain. I recently worked on a bathroom with 50 year old pipes. To get non leaking joints I had to pre tin the old copper. That means:
Sand, flux, solder, wipe, sand, flux, solder, wipe, repeat until shiny all the way around.
Sharkbites would have made the job 15 min instead of 2 hours.