Sharkbite fittings

[Drain Medic]

Ok, i dont install any of these, but i do have a question about them. I do all the drain work for the local little league.

Got a call today for water leaking from the toilet. So i check it out, flush the toilet acouple times. Its not the toilet. Turn the sink on and both shut offs are off. Turn both shut offs back on and i found the leak.

The leak was coming from a 2ft section of pex that had 2 sharkbite fittings at both ends of it that were fitted to copper on the other ends of the sharkbites. I dont know to much about Pex or the sharkbites, i have seen the sharkbites before but never on Pex line. Are the sharkbites made to fit over the Pex??? The line was leaking where the plastic fitting on the sharkbite connected to the Pex line. It was leaking from both connections on both ends of the Pex. It wasnt leaking where the sharkbites connected to the copper.

Just looking for some input.

[glkearns]

I have recently used pex/sharkbite combination on a TEMPORARY kitchen sink relocation on a whole house remodel where the Owner + family 4 all together stayed in the house during construction, and I had 0 problems in a 6 month or so timespan. Here's my take on Sharkbite+pex.

1 there is an insert that slips inside of the pex before the sharkbite can slide over the pex
2 the pex needs to be fully inserted or it will leak
3. the inserts do not need to be on there for copper, but then again there are far better ways of joining copper.

Overall I would say that the sharkbites are excellent for temporary. I use them for quick cap off's during remodels and I use them on stub outs. No leaks on anything that I have used the sharkbites on, except for 1 Sharkbite on pex that fooled me into thinking that it was fully inserted when it wasn't.


Greg

[Drain Medic]

Ya ive seen that plastic insert in them. I just wasnt sure if you could use the fittings on Pex because of the outside of the Pex being maybe smoother?

[PLUMBER RICK]

greg medic:D as the other greg:D mentioned. there is a plastic insert for pex tubing. all the sharkbites come with them installed on both sides.

i would probably cut off the pex to make a fresh connection and install 2 new pex couplings.

or of course you can solder a mip on the copper and go directly with a stainless water flex to the fixture.

rick.

[Drain Medic]

greg medic:D as the other greg:D mentioned. there is a plastic insert for pex tubing. all the sharkbites come with them installed on both sides.

i would probably cut off the pex to make a fresh connection and install 2 new pex couplings.

or of course you can solder a mip on the copper and go directly with a stainless water flex to the fixture.

rick.


Ya thats what i really couldnt understand was that it was in a wide open area, why not just cut and solder 2 couplings and copper instead of the Pex and sharkbites? Time and money maybe??? Again i dont use the stuff, im framiliar with it, ive seen the plastic inserts inside, just wasnt sure if you could use it on Pex or not.

[mtnman1100]

Pex, copper, CPVC and wirsbo in any combination, right Rick?

[Drain Medic]

Pex, copper, CPVC and wirsbo in any combination, right Rick?


Good to know, thanks for the info guys.

[NHMaster3015]

Here's a problem you can run into with sharkbites. If you don't chamfer the pipe ends the sharp edge can and will cut the o ring in the sharkbite

[aero1]

as with anything new time will tell just what kind of legacy these little jems will leave. as said before insertion and taking care not to damage o ring very important and yes use insert. down south 99.8% of water line repairs we do our under houses and a lot of the crawl spaces are neither cozy or roomy and occasionally you run into friends ie black widows copper heads rattlesnake, and we have a hi rate of copper failure as well so a quick fix can sometimes make for happy plumbers. but as for in house use iam still very very weary.

[westcoastplumber]

I would just cut and solder. It will be slower, but it will last longer the sticking 2 sharkbites back in there.

Rehau pex is the best pex in my mind, but the tools are expensive, not sure if you are set up to do it.

they have a 25 year warranty, take them back and get 2 new ones.

[All Clear Sewer]

Sharkbites are a mechanical joint and will fail.

I used one on some black polly and I`m waiting on the call at 3:00am to tell me that their house is flooding :rolleyes:

[ToUtahNow]

Sharkbites are a mechanical joint and will fail.

I used one on some black polly and I`m waiting on the call at 3:00am to tell me that their house is flooding :rolleyes:

Now you sound like a presidential candidate. The only problem with your conclusion is much of the critical industrial lines are plumbed with similar joints. Like everything else only time will tell how they perform.

Mark

[gear junkie]

We have a project installing storm drainage lines and there's a lot of unexpected utility lines we're hitting. Electrical, water, sewer, fiber optic(that wasn't cheap), everything. Anyway, some of the water lines have been repaired before with a slip compression coupling that have been leak free since the 1980's. These aren't small 1/2" lines, they're 1-2" and some are under gravel roads, no leaks. If these can last 20+ years , I can't see why a sharkbite can't.

[All Clear Sewer]

rubber O ring ;)

[gear junkie]

Slip compression coupling- nothing but rubber and friction keeping it together. At least a sharkbite uses ss teeth to hold it together.

[All Clear Sewer]

O rings rot in no time at all ;)

[PLUMBER RICK]

Sharkbites are a mechanical joint and will fail.

I used one on some black polly and I`m waiting on the call at 3:00am to tell me that their house is flooding :rolleyes:


i don't believe that poly is a rated sharkbite material?

i hope you kept the plastic inner stiffner installed.

rick.

[All Clear Sewer]

Yep and they said it would work too ;)

[ToUtahNow]

Yep and they said it would work too ;)

This is what SharkBite fittings are listed and approved for:

Instant push-fit connection for increased ease of use. Certified to 200 psi and 200°F (93°C). Fits OD controlled copper, CPVC, or PEX pipe. Body composed of solid DZR brass.

http://www.cashacme.com/prod_sharkbite.php

When you say "they" if you are referring to the guys at the supply house I am fairly certain they will not be sitting with you when you mediate with the Plaintiff.

It's like what that nice Irish boy said "it's not who answers the phone at 3AM but what they do about it".

Mark

[PLUMBER RICK]

Yep and they said it would work too ;)

it might temporally work, but it's not rated for this material. if the material changes due to temperature, i think that will be the issue.

of course the stainless teeth will grip like crazy, it's the o-ring that will drip.

there are mechanical fittings used all the time on hdpe/ poly gas systems. similar to a sharkbite design. these are rated for the poly gas pipe.

i would never take the chance on a fitting that is not designed/ rated for the product.

hope fully it's only a temporary fix for the night.:eek::eek:

rick.

[NHMaster3015]

And since we have no faith in "O" rings, how bout them pro press fittings.?

[PLUMBER RICK]

And since we have no faith in "O" rings, how bout them pro press fittings.?

i've been using them for 3-4 years. so far, so good.

they've been in europe for over 20 years now.

the o-ring is crimped so tight, that there is very little exposed to the water.

look how long victaulic has been around.

a 4'' crimp in 5 seconds beats a 20 minute prep and solder job. and that's assuming there is no water dripping while you're working.

rick.

[NHMaster3015]

[quote=PLUMBER RICK;132056]i've been using them for 3-4 years. so far, so good.

they've been in europe for over 20 years now.

the o-ring is crimped so tight, that there is very little exposed to the water.

look how long victaulic has been around.

a 4'' crimp in 5 seconds beats a 20 minute prep and solder job. and that's assuming there is no water dripping while you're working.

Very good. I somtimes wonder why as plumbers we generally feel that the products we install should last forever. It's a noble thought indeed, but when you think about it, not too many products have an infinant life span.

[PLUMBER RICK]

next time you're at a supply house that carries propress fittings/ viega, compare a 90 to a solder 90.

the propress is a long radius and type k+

the copper/ solder is a tight turn and looks like type m. especially on 1/2'' -1''

return lines / and pumps are where all the pin holes tend to show up.

all my installations are easily traced on my computer and i've yet to have to fix one. of course it's only been a few years, so time will tell.

but i can tell you, in buildings that were constantly having 3/4'' return issues. the pin holes are gone for now.

in rare cases, i've installed a sharkbite 90 and coupling for a repair. all ok.

rick.

[MPMGinAL]

As much as i hat to admit it i have use alot of sharkbite fittings over the past couple of years. I luckily, have had very few if any problems. I am now researching getting a propress as i feel that it is a much better joint. Actually, there is really no comparison. I have gone behind other plumbers and had to fix SB fittings, but only because the joint was stressed. There can be no stress on the joint at all. Several other manufacturers have tried to create a SB ie. elkhart, jones stephens, watts, etc. To me the quality is not there. Cash Acme is better. As rick mentioned pressing is not new technology, niether is push fit connectors. They have been used in the automotve industry for alot of years.