Sharkbite / Pex Plumbing (repair), pictures.
I'm working on yet another older RV that has the 3/8th inch gray plastic plumbing that was standard build in the 70's and 80's I'm assuming. Anyway, put water to this good old camper for the first time and had two plumbing leaks and dripping faucet. I don't own the crimping tool needed to repair the pipes, nor do know where to even get it.
Quick trip to my favorite hardware store, McLendons (they are the best, way better than any big box hardware store) and I'm set up with this material they call Sharkbite. How cool, it's the exact inside and outside diameter as what I have in my camper. And you just snap the fittings together.
I know modern homes use this now in 1/2 inch size instead of copper plumbing, but I just wanted to share that 3/8 inch works wonderful with older RV's.
This is what the pipe looks like. For residential use I think people use blue and red to signify hot and cold lines. It comes in 6' sticks or longer.
This picture shows what the old connection looks like (the gray end) and the new connection, Brass. The little orange c-tool is used to release the grip if you need to take apart the connection after you inserted the pipe into the brass. I thought once you plugged things together, that was it, no going back, but they easily come apart if you use that little tool.
My city water hookup (and back flow valve) were leaking where it connected to the gray pipe, so I replaced that entire section of pipe with the Sharkbite pipe and brass coupler. Super easy fix.
The cold water line to the faucet was leaking, and the plastic was cracked, so I cut it off close and installed the new Sharkbite brass coupler to the faucet and then inserted the original gray camper plumbing into it. Sealed tight as drum. I'm happy to put those plumbing issues behind.
And McLendons even had the entire valve assembly for the inside of the "Valley" brand kitchen faucet in the truck camper I'm fixing up, so the kitchen faucet doesn't drip any more. The old faucet was chrome plated brass, good quality, so I didn't want to replace it with a cheap RV plastic one or expensive residential. $16 for the new valve assembly.
Now I suppose some will tell me this is how they make RV's now with this stuff, but my 53 Angelus trailer, my 2003 Forest River and my 1987 Alpine all use different types of plumbing. Hans
Quick trip to my favorite hardware store, McLendons (they are the best, way better than any big box hardware store) and I'm set up with this material they call Sharkbite. How cool, it's the exact inside and outside diameter as what I have in my camper. And you just snap the fittings together.
I know modern homes use this now in 1/2 inch size instead of copper plumbing, but I just wanted to share that 3/8 inch works wonderful with older RV's.
This is what the pipe looks like. For residential use I think people use blue and red to signify hot and cold lines. It comes in 6' sticks or longer.
This picture shows what the old connection looks like (the gray end) and the new connection, Brass. The little orange c-tool is used to release the grip if you need to take apart the connection after you inserted the pipe into the brass. I thought once you plugged things together, that was it, no going back, but they easily come apart if you use that little tool.
My city water hookup (and back flow valve) were leaking where it connected to the gray pipe, so I replaced that entire section of pipe with the Sharkbite pipe and brass coupler. Super easy fix.
The cold water line to the faucet was leaking, and the plastic was cracked, so I cut it off close and installed the new Sharkbite brass coupler to the faucet and then inserted the original gray camper plumbing into it. Sealed tight as drum. I'm happy to put those plumbing issues behind.
And McLendons even had the entire valve assembly for the inside of the "Valley" brand kitchen faucet in the truck camper I'm fixing up, so the kitchen faucet doesn't drip any more. The old faucet was chrome plated brass, good quality, so I didn't want to replace it with a cheap RV plastic one or expensive residential. $16 for the new valve assembly.
Now I suppose some will tell me this is how they make RV's now with this stuff, but my 53 Angelus trailer, my 2003 Forest River and my 1987 Alpine all use different types of plumbing. Hans
