Are Sharkbite fittings effective?
As some of you may recall I asked a while back about running an external garden hose from my trailer. Here's a link to that topic. Link I received many great responses to my question of where to at...
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If I recall properly the Shark Bite fittings were originally designed to be used with PEX. Then it was determined that they could be used with a variety of other types of plumbing tubing such as copper.
Several years ago I was refurbishing my rental apartment and had to go to Home Depot to get various lengths of pipe and fittings to reroute the water lines. The plumber on staff turned me on to Shark Bite and I have used them ever since.
They are rated for sealed in wall installation.
They are quick and easy.
They require no special tools, solder, torches, etc.
They can be removed and replaced with a special tool.
I have since learned that some of the biggest plumbing outfits in several major metropolitan areas use them exclusively (and the brand that Lowes sells as well... Gator Bite?).
Yes, they are more expensive than conventional fittings BUT the cost is made up for in the speed of the project and the lack of the need for all the other stuff/tools needed for conventional fittings.
I ave used them to connect existing copper to new PEX, connecting copper to copper and connecting to other types of plastic tubing.
I have used them for both hot water and cold water services.
I even used them to replace the zone valves in a hot water heating system... I attached copper fittings to the valves and mended in the valves to the plumbing with the long slip connector.
They are one of the best things that have come on to the market for DIYers in a VERY long time.
Plumbing contractors like them because it cuts the time on job nearly in half.
If you make a mistake you can remove the fitting and fix the mistake without tossing the fitting.
On my apartment project I temporarily plumbed the water heater in to two units so I had hot water until I could get the second water heater installed. Once that was done I had to merely remove the shark bite fitting, put in an elbow to isolate that heater and then connect up the other one. It took all of ten minutes to reconfigure the lines and hot water was back in service in fifteen!
One of the best things about them is that they can be used in very tight spaces where you might not want to have an open flame or where a crimp tool will not fit.
I have only had the fittings leak a couple of times and when they do the water does not need to be turned off, all you do is press the fittings together more tightly and they seal right up! Copper fittings can be a pain if they leak because the line has to be drained and then the fitting has to be de-soldered (if it can be salvaged), cleaned and re-soldered...chances are that fitting is not useable again any way.
I have installed nearly a hundred of them and have been very impressed with them.
I have no personal experience with it but I have heard they are more tolerant of vibration as they do provide a slight amount of flexibility where a soldered joint is rigid and could break from continued vibration.
Several years ago I was refurbishing my rental apartment and had to go to Home Depot to get various lengths of pipe and fittings to reroute the water lines. The plumber on staff turned me on to Shark Bite and I have used them ever since.
They are rated for sealed in wall installation.
They are quick and easy.
They require no special tools, solder, torches, etc.
They can be removed and replaced with a special tool.
I have since learned that some of the biggest plumbing outfits in several major metropolitan areas use them exclusively (and the brand that Lowes sells as well... Gator Bite?).
Yes, they are more expensive than conventional fittings BUT the cost is made up for in the speed of the project and the lack of the need for all the other stuff/tools needed for conventional fittings.
I ave used them to connect existing copper to new PEX, connecting copper to copper and connecting to other types of plastic tubing.
I have used them for both hot water and cold water services.
I even used them to replace the zone valves in a hot water heating system... I attached copper fittings to the valves and mended in the valves to the plumbing with the long slip connector.
They are one of the best things that have come on to the market for DIYers in a VERY long time.
Plumbing contractors like them because it cuts the time on job nearly in half.
If you make a mistake you can remove the fitting and fix the mistake without tossing the fitting.
On my apartment project I temporarily plumbed the water heater in to two units so I had hot water until I could get the second water heater installed. Once that was done I had to merely remove the shark bite fitting, put in an elbow to isolate that heater and then connect up the other one. It took all of ten minutes to reconfigure the lines and hot water was back in service in fifteen!
One of the best things about them is that they can be used in very tight spaces where you might not want to have an open flame or where a crimp tool will not fit.
I have only had the fittings leak a couple of times and when they do the water does not need to be turned off, all you do is press the fittings together more tightly and they seal right up! Copper fittings can be a pain if they leak because the line has to be drained and then the fitting has to be de-soldered (if it can be salvaged), cleaned and re-soldered...chances are that fitting is not useable again any way.
I have installed nearly a hundred of them and have been very impressed with them.
I have no personal experience with it but I have heard they are more tolerant of vibration as they do provide a slight amount of flexibility where a soldered joint is rigid and could break from continued vibration.
