Plumbing - Sharkbite, Gatorbite reliability?

[two_bit_score]

I had some in a rental house. Changed out a water heater and jostled the pipe a little bit. they started leaking. I reseated them but eventually gve up and soldered it all back together. Another time I was working on a house with CPVC in the walls and almost nothing sticking out. It went in there and has been fine. I keep a few in the toolbox now. Been there for years. I almost never use them.

I always resolder the pipes when I need to. If you cut the pipe and install a coupler you can drop the end enough to get the water out.

I'm wondering if the leaks you experienced were because there was some offset in the pipes being joined with the sharkbite. They do require straight connections to work properly. It the pipe does not go into either end properly I can see how they could leak.

 

[Bikewanderer]

That's possible. The prior owner had also used the fittings to support the pipe, putting a funny load on them. We're only talking about a few fee of pipe, but you could be right.

 

[300UGUY]

I used them on a rental house, and at my wife's dog grooming shop. No problems at all, and I know how to solder. Especially in confined spaces, the sharkbite fittings are worth the cost.

 

[kenmac]

If you cut the pipe and install a coupler you can drop the end enough to get the water out.

Have you ever used the bread in the pipe trick to absorb the water so, you can solder on a fitting,etc ?

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't like the bread trick. It always seems too plug up the faucets when I'm done. I've found that blowing into the pipe and letting it come out again will get rid of the water, or if that doesn't work, I put a hose into to the pipe and siphon it out.

As for gator type fittings, I will use them for quick patches or to cap a line for a short period of time, but will not use them for any other reason. While any fitting has the potential to fail, I'm not comfortable with putting my name on a job done with them. What really scares me is the fittings used on PEX to slide everything together that are made out of plastic. They might last for awhile, but like all things plastic, the more moving parts you have on it, the more likely it will fail.

Eddie

 

[kenmac]

I've not had any return calls for stopped up fixtures using bread. I always remove the screens and run water to clear out any debris on any repair job. The bread is usually dissolved by the water.I don't use the plastic pex fittings ( when using pex) I use the barbrd brass fittings and crimp rings

 

[CurlyDave]

I've not had any return calls for stopped up fixtures using bread. I always remove the screens and run water to clear out any debris on any repair job. The bread is usually dissolved by the water.I don't use the plastic pex fittings ( when using pex) I use the barbrd brass fittings and crimp rings

The early brass PEX fittings had serious corrosion problems. I think it was due to using the wrong grade or type of brass, but the fittings sometimes failed very early. There were lawsuits.

I like the plastic fittings because they will not corrode. I use an expansion tool for the PEX fittings, which I think is much more reliable than a crimp ring. Essentially, if you get the expanded PEX and PEX outer ring on the fitting, nothing can go wrong. If you use a crimp ring, the tool must be periodically calibrated, and if it is found to be out of calibration there is always a question of how many bad joints did it make?

 

[TomSeller]

Old school here. Only copper in my house. If I were a professional, I would need to consider the best option, including speed of installation.

 

[newbury]

Old school here. Only copper in my house. If I were a professional, I would need to consider the best option, including speed of installation.

Nah, old school is lead pipe.

 

[TomSeller]

Nah, old school is lead pipe.

Lol. Self limiting owner pool.