Plumbing, yeah I know nothing about it.
Had the Cabin plumbing completely redone a year and a half ago.
Ditched the tank for point of use tankless and went all PEX and they used shark bite fittings. Was supposed to be designed in a fashion that I just shut off the water main, then open up all the faucets and outdoor spigots and all the water would back flow, and add antifreeze to the traps and was supposed to be all good for winter.

Old system was a hodgepodge of copper, PVC, and pex with a Schrader valve on the main to blow it out for the winter.

Well, turns out the new system did not work as planned a bunch of the fittings started leaking the main shut off valve split because the water did not fully leave the system.
So called the company that did the install and they sent someone out.
The fella arrived and I told him what I was told about the setup and he just shook his head.
Company is taking care of it and fixing it all and replacing all the shark bite fittings with PEX fittings. Also adding a Schrader port so I can blow out the lines.

Always thought those Shark Bite things were supposed to be legit.

sucks, I've used them and the only leak I had was where I didn't get it seated properly on the pipe, be it copper or pex. Wonder if the pipes didn't have a straight cut and didn't seat properly in the fitting.

Is this a what’s your deal?

Yeah. I have a plumber friend who told me Sharkbite fittings are not good for pressurized systems. We went with the Pex system. I bought the professional crimping tool. It came with a gauge to check the crimp integrity. Haven't had any problems after many years. We are using Pex in our Tennessee house.

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
Is this a what’s your deal?

Not really. Just a question. I always heard shark bites were the bees knees for plumbing connections.
Now they want to switch them all out.
They are handling the screw up very well so not really a what’s your deal as I am not too pissed.

The freezing pushed the shark bites off the piping, that’s why the PEX crimp rings is better in my opinion.

And you should always winterize your system.

I was always taught that shark-bite fittings were for temporary use and not intended to replace permanent fittings …. And never to be used where you can’t access them such as in walls

There’s no fitting that’s safe from freezing.

quote:

Originally posted by cgode:
I was always taught that shark-bite fittings were for temporary use and not intended to replace permanent fittings …. And never to be used where you can’t access them such as in walls

I used Shark Bite in a few places in my house and have had zero problems with them. A guy I golf with is a plumber and he told me try them but don't cover them up with a wall or ceiling. My buddy never talked like they were temporary. Maybe I should touch base with him on that temporary status you bring up.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
The freezing pushed the shark bites off the piping, that’s why the PEX crimp rings is better in my opinion.

And you should always winterize your system.

I did the way I was instructed by the installer guess he screwed up on the install.
Had a blow out valve on the old system. Fella removed that and said one was no longer needed. Just open up all the faucets, spigots, and pour some antifreeze in the traps and I would be good to go because he installed a new spigot at the lowest backflow point. Guess that did not work so well.

I don't trust them, and don't see the point. The crimp pex fittings are cheap and really easy...why take a chance on an expensive quick-connect fitting when you can just crimp it and be done? An added bonus of the crimp fittings is that you can see the engagements surfaces and inspect your fittings..with the shark bites everything is up inside and you can't see if something is wrong.

We're renovating a house that my in-laws bought. My FIL re-did a bunch of plumbing in the basement with shark-bites. A week later a bunch of them were leaking. It's totally possible he did it wrong, but I wasn't messing with it. I replaced every connection he did with crimp fittings and we've had zero problems since.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:

quote:

Originally posted by cgode:
I was always taught that shark-bite fittings were for temporary use and not intended to replace permanent fittings …. And never to be used where you can’t access them such as in walls

I used Shark Bite in a few places in my house and have had zero problems with them. A guy I golf with is a plumber and he told me try them but don't cover them up with a wall or ceiling. My buddy never talked like they were temporary. Maybe I should touch base with him on that temporary status you bring up.

I worked for a plumber for years on the side as a “helper” and he only used them as a temporary thing in emergencies until we had the materials and time to do a permanent repair. It’s probably a personal decision amongst the pros…I did see some used by other contractors but they were sometimes integral in the reason we were there to fix a leak…..to each his own I guess

I would not use sharkbite or any push-to-connect system in 'new' install. If you are running the lines, you can use cheaper fittings that will perform the same or better. PEX is significantly cheaper & just as easy/fast to install if you already have it apart. I do have sharkbites on my kitchen faucet that have 'temporarily' been there for 13 years. The copper was straight to the faucet - no adapter, no valve. 2 Sharkbite to male-threaded valves were faster & more likely to actually work the 1st time than learning how to solder when I'd just moved in.

I also would not use sharkbite-type in a system that will be subjected to depressurization & temperature swings - that's a recipe for the 'bite' loosening on the pipe & having an oh shit moment when you turn the water back on.

I do keep a few 1/2 & 3/4 plugs on hand for oh shit moments. Had a hose bib without a shutoff valve in front of it crack because I left the hose hooked up. Spring came & it started gushing. Turned the water off, cut the 1/2" copper in a convenient spot, slapped a sharkbite plug on & headed for Menards to get what I needed. No ass chewing for having the water off for hours. I think it was <5 minutes to stop the leak & probably 15 when I sweated the PEX adapter to the copper & connected the PEX to the already installed new bib.

I had to redo the plumbing in my boat and I used pex and sharkbite fittings. That’s 3 heads a galley and 2-3 other spots and the only leaks were from my doing and once corrected all has been god for 4yrs. The fitting are expensive.

I have used both, the shark and the crimp.
When using the shark I took special care to de-burr the edges and make sure the pipe/tube was clean. Did some with copper tube and used steel wool to clean the outside thoroughly.

There is an O ring inside that does most (all?) of the sealing. If that gets damaged during install its life is shortened. To make it last I do a careful, detailed job during assembly.

I have never heard anyone say they were supposed to be temporary.

The crimp fittings have worked well for me and I like them. Were I to re-do a house I would probably use them instead of copper.

I used shark bites in 2017 when I did the plumbing for my kitchen and so far they have held up well with zero leaks. You definitely have to ensure you seat the pipe properly or they will leak.

I have used them for years but we don't have an issue with cold weather/freezing.