Thank you !! I put a shark bite coupling in a Quest line that was already installed in our home that had pin hole leak, starting dripping, believe I did few of these mistakes, gonna go back and reinstall with new fitting, Thanks for info !!!
Thanks! I had a slow drip after a shut off Valve, I had to saw the pipe and didn’t make a 90° cut, got a pipe cutter and the Debur tool and viola! No more leak
I used a total of 6 shark bite fittings for my water heater and they do just fine. Part pex piping and the other copper. Just make sure you cut the pipe the right way and that it's clean. Haven't had a leak since I installed them.
one major problem of sharkbite connection is the pipe can turn after pushed into the connector, if the other end is a quarter turn stop valve, then you may be turning the pipe instead of the stop valve.
When I turn off a stop valve I always hold the valve with one hand and turn the valve handle with the other. It is pretty easy to tell if the handle is pointing to the supply line or 90 degrees from it.
You can buy EPDM O-Rings to replace warn out ones. I get some silicone based lubricant and soak the O-ring in that for a bit, then use an oring removal tool and remove the old o-ring and replace it with a freshly lubricated new one. It works great for me.
How many years/decades can a Sharkbite fitting be expected to last? I've read conflicting opinions; some people say they use them only as temporary solutions. If it were only a fitting between two pipes not subject to mechanical stresses, I assume it could last for decades without leaking. But when it's part of a shutoff valve, the operation of closing or opening the valve will cause some force on it. And if it's a shutoff valve located below a sink, it would be at risk of being bumped. Would either of these scenarios cause enough mechanical stress to be significant? How gentle must the residents be on these, to have confidence they will last for decades without trouble? Also, how confident can we be that Sharkbite will still be in business manufacturing replacements decades from now?
I've put Sharkbite fittings in my plumbing and many have worked leak free for more than 5 years; including a sharkbite valve that I installed as my main shutoff valve.
SharkBite fittings carry a 25 year warranty from manufacturing defects. Any plumbing fitting, SharkBite or others, always has the potential to fail if not properly installed. Soldered copper or PEX clamps can fail too. Here's the SharkBite FAQ page that has more answers: www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resources/faq/push-to-connect-fittings-faq
>upgradeyourhomediy : A careful reading of the 25 year warranty reveals loopholes, since it's only for manufacturing defects... in other words, they have an incentive to blame a leak on improper installation or abuse. How will you prove it was due to a manufacturing defect? It would help to hear from DIYers who have filed warranty claims, about their experiences with the warranty service. To file a warranty claim, you can't remove the Sharkbite fitting from the pipe. You instead need to cut the pipe so that a section of the pipe is still inserted in the fitting you send to them for evaluation. That means you won't be able to fix a leak by simply replacing the Sharkbite fitting; you'd also need to replace the cut-out section of pipe. The coverage on damage caused by a leak is limited to 10 years AND requires proof that the installation was performed by a licensed professional plumber. That's bad news for DIYers. It's also a warning to be careful when hiring a restoration contractor after major damage (fire, flood, etc). It's important to verify the kind of fittings they will install, verify that they will hire a licensed professional plumber to install them, and obtain documentation that can prove a licensed professional plumber did the installation. In my limited experience (a single restoration company after an asbestos abatement company demolished my condo's kitchen) the company uses unlicensed handymen for plumbing and electrical work, and due to their meager plumbing skills they can only do easy solutions (like Sharkbite), not necessarily the best long term solutions.
Viega propress has a 50 year warranty, copper soldered could last 100+ years. Shark bites id use them if you need to shut the water off but other than that it's more reliable to hard pipe it, if using PEX a crimp fitting is more reliable. Like anything though you can make a ghetto repair like taping a waste line with electrical tape and it could hold for many years.
>joeb5829 : The Viega warranty doesn't cover damage, it covers only the repair or replacement of the Viega part. Also, the 50 year period is for fittings, and for Viega valves it's only 5 years.
unfortunately making these mistakes means you didn't even bother reading and abiding by the direction that are very clear from Sharkbite.... maybe best to let someone else do the work...... just saying.... I'm not a contractor, but am building my own home as an owner - builder... it is important to follow directions.....
Don't sand copper pipe when using shark bite fittings, or if you must use something really fine grit. Better yet just avoid the stupid things all together.
Proper plumber's cloth is a wildly unhelpful bit of info, WHAT GRIT???? For Buna N O'Rings you should go as fine as you have patience for. A polished mirror surface is not too fine. no one will do it but it's a great surface against which to seal. I use a woodworking hand plane (small block plane) to put the chamfer on the end. If I were doing a whole house or as a vocation, I'd buy the specialty tool. Depth of fit ? I just measure the inside of the fitting.
Unfortunately even if you do everything correctly these things are going to fail/leak at some point because the O-ring rubber is going to break down. I certainly would not close any connections in a wall where you have to tear stuff out to fix the leak 😒 For this reason I would steer people away from using them.
Thank you !! I put a shark bite coupling in a Quest line that was already installed in our home that had pin hole leak, starting dripping, believe I did few of these mistakes, gonna go back and reinstall with new fitting, Thanks for info !!!
I used a total of 6 shark bite fittings for my water heater and they do just fine. Part pex piping and the other copper. Just make sure you cut the pipe the right way and that it's clean. Haven't had a leak since I installed them.
Thank you !! I put a shark bite coupling in a Quest line that was already installed in our home that had pin hole leak, starting dripping, believe I did few of these mistakes, gonna go back and reinstall with new fitting, Thanks for info !!!
Great video. Saved the day yesterday.
I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Thanks! I had a slow drip after a shut off Valve, I had to saw the pipe and didn’t make a 90° cut, got a pipe cutter and the Debur tool and viola! No more leak
Great to hear the tips worked for you!
I used a total of 6 shark bite fittings for my water heater and they do just fine. Part pex piping and the other copper. Just make sure you cut the pipe the right way and that it's clean. Haven't had a leak since I installed them.
Good tips. Thanks
Glad that mistakes I've made could help you out
THANKS FOR THE TIPS
I'm glad you found the video helpful.
one major problem of sharkbite connection is the pipe can turn after pushed into the connector, if the other end is a quarter turn stop valve, then you may be turning the pipe instead of the stop valve.
When I turn off a stop valve I always hold the valve with one hand and turn the valve handle with the other. It is pretty easy to tell if the handle is pointing to the supply line or 90 degrees from it.
You can buy EPDM O-Rings to replace warn out ones. I get some silicone based lubricant and soak the O-ring in that for a bit, then use an oring removal tool and remove the old o-ring and replace it with a freshly lubricated new one. It works great for me.
Thanks for sharing what works for you. I am sure others will find it helpful.
How many years/decades can a Sharkbite fitting be expected to last? I've read conflicting opinions; some people say they use them only as temporary solutions.
If it were only a fitting between two pipes not subject to mechanical stresses, I assume it could last for decades without leaking. But when it's part of a shutoff valve, the operation of closing or opening the valve will cause some force on it. And if it's a shutoff valve located below a sink, it would be at risk of being bumped. Would either of these scenarios cause enough mechanical stress to be significant? How gentle must the residents be on these, to have confidence they will last for decades without trouble?
Also, how confident can we be that Sharkbite will still be in business manufacturing replacements decades from now?
I've put Sharkbite fittings in my plumbing and many have worked leak free for more than 5 years; including a sharkbite valve that I installed as my main shutoff valve.
SharkBite fittings carry a 25 year warranty from manufacturing defects. Any plumbing fitting, SharkBite or others, always has the potential to fail if not properly installed. Soldered copper or PEX clamps can fail too. Here's the SharkBite FAQ page that has more answers: www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resources/faq/push-to-connect-fittings-faq
>upgradeyourhomediy : A careful reading of the 25 year warranty reveals loopholes, since it's only for manufacturing defects... in other words, they have an incentive to blame a leak on improper installation or abuse. How will you prove it was due to a manufacturing defect? It would help to hear from DIYers who have filed warranty claims, about their experiences with the warranty service.
To file a warranty claim, you can't remove the Sharkbite fitting from the pipe. You instead need to cut the pipe so that a section of the pipe is still inserted in the fitting you send to them for evaluation. That means you won't be able to fix a leak by simply replacing the Sharkbite fitting; you'd also need to replace the cut-out section of pipe.
The coverage on damage caused by a leak is limited to 10 years AND requires proof that the installation was performed by a licensed professional plumber. That's bad news for DIYers.
It's also a warning to be careful when hiring a restoration contractor after major damage (fire, flood, etc). It's important to verify the kind of fittings they will install, verify that they will hire a licensed professional plumber to install them, and obtain documentation that can prove a licensed professional plumber did the installation. In my limited experience (a single restoration company after an asbestos abatement company demolished my condo's kitchen) the company uses unlicensed handymen for plumbing and electrical work, and due to their meager plumbing skills they can only do easy solutions (like Sharkbite), not necessarily the best long term solutions.
Viega propress has a 50 year warranty, copper soldered could last 100+ years. Shark bites id use them if you need to shut the water off but other than that it's more reliable to hard pipe it, if using PEX a crimp fitting is more reliable. Like anything though you can make a ghetto repair like taping a waste line with electrical tape and it could hold for many years.
>joeb5829 : The Viega warranty doesn't cover damage, it covers only the repair or replacement of the Viega part. Also, the 50 year period is for fittings, and for Viega valves it's only 5 years.
Speaker volume barely audible
unfortunately making these mistakes means you didn't even bother reading and abiding by the direction that are very clear from Sharkbite.... maybe best to let someone else do the work...... just saying.... I'm not a contractor, but am building my own home as an owner - builder... it is important to follow directions.....
I just don’t trust these connectors. Pex crimps or soldering copper is what gets me to sleep at night.
Don't sand copper pipe when using shark bite fittings, or if you must use something really fine grit. Better yet just avoid the stupid things all together.
Proper plumber's cloth is a wildly unhelpful bit of info, WHAT GRIT???? For Buna N O'Rings you should go as fine as you have patience for. A polished mirror surface is not too fine. no one will do it but it's a great surface against which to seal.
I use a woodworking hand plane (small block plane) to put the chamfer on the end. If I were doing a whole house or as a vocation, I'd buy the specialty tool.
Depth of fit ? I just measure the inside of the fitting.
do it, not talk a lot like that....working on that.....not talk like that.....
Unfortunately even if you do everything correctly these things are going to fail/leak at some point because the O-ring rubber is going to break down. I certainly would not close any connections in a wall where you have to tear stuff out to fix the leak 😒
For this reason I would steer people away from using them.
No doubt u are a plumber mad cause you're losing work from DIYers. I have sharkbite going on 7 years no leaks so your statement is falss
@@robertthomas6043
Nope not a plumber just a guy with a leaking shark bite
Thank you !! I put a shark bite coupling in a Quest line that was already installed in our home that had pin hole leak, starting dripping, believe I did few of these mistakes, gonna go back and reinstall with new fitting, Thanks for info !!!
I'm glad you found the video helpful.
I used a total of 6 shark bite fittings for my water heater and they do just fine. Part pex piping and the other copper. Just make sure you cut the pipe the right way and that it's clean. Haven't had a leak since I installed them.