kenw 293 Posted May 25, 2011 Anyway, my 12 year old electric water heater moved on to another plane last night, and I had to replace it. Not any real big deal, but I discovered sharkbite plumbing fittings. Friggin' magic. I had to relocate and replace a shutoff valve, and use some flex hose for the water, and these things are great. Push them on... that's it. No sweating, no twisting, no nuttin'. Just push them on over the pipe, and they're secure. No leaks, no drama, and they come right off if I want them to. They work on copper, PVC, and flexible line. Very cool stuff. Sharkbite Fittings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anselmo 87 Posted May 25, 2011 Never heard of them but I'll try them out. Good job. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Babaganoosh 192 Posted May 25, 2011 I wouldn't use them on any pipes that are in walls though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DirtyDigz 1,812 Posted May 25, 2011 Very interesting. Hope that special o-ring in the fitting doesn't degrade over time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ray Ray 3,566 Posted May 25, 2011 I wouldn't use them on any pipes that are in walls though. I wouldn't either but it's totally legal and up to code. My co-workers use it but only for quick jobs or if it's in a tough spot to sweat it in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bry@n 195 Posted May 25, 2011 They are great. I used them for my sprinkler piping. No issues in the last 3 years and I have had to open em up a few times. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dpas1973 0 Posted May 25, 2011 they are expensive though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cavalier1979 0 Posted May 25, 2011 I just replaced a water last week too with shark bites and they are bad a** Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malsua 1,422 Posted May 25, 2011 After losing some pipes to freezing a half a dozen years ago, we did some research and found PEX. I will never again use copper pipe for water. I own both styles of crimping tools now. I could install the pluming in an entire house with Pex in an afternoon. The best part...the lines can hard freeze...and are fine again when they thaw. Clearly not something you want to do constantly, but once in a while isn't a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djg0770 481 Posted May 25, 2011 I'm going to 2nd the PEX as well. Used it in the shore house with a manablock system (a central water distribution manifold). Fantastic. Pipes are color coded as well so there's no guessing whether something is the hot or cold line. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anselmo 87 Posted May 26, 2011 After losing some pipes to freezing a half a dozen years ago, we did some research and found PEX. I will never again use copper pipe for water. I own both styles of crimping tools now. I could install the pluming in an entire house with Pex in an afternoon. The best part...the lines can hard freeze...and are fine again when they thaw. Clearly not something you want to do constantly, but once in a while isn't a problem. With the price of copper you won't be the only one not using it. Holy crap the prices are crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shocker 150 Posted May 27, 2011 Isn't the jury still out on whether PEX leeches chemicals into potable water supplies? Especially hot water? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackDaWack 2,895 Posted May 27, 2011 Isn't the jury still out on whether PEX leeches chemicals into potable water supplies? Especially hot water? I was just reading up on this... PEX does not leech, nor does any other plastic piping... Many of the studies were done under advisement from copper companies...believe it or not and the results were heavily skewed. It seemed that these plastic pipes pvc pex and alike were absorbing lead and then releasing it.. PEX and pvc are plastic and dont contain lead or anything else that leeches into water on a significant level. Plastic pipes do however contain chemicals that are released from sunlight in the form of gas, which should not be an issue in a house. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 4 Posted May 29, 2011 About 3 years ago we rebuilt my brothers bathroom with pex and its still going strong. Recently we replaced his hot water heater with a hot water on demand system and used pex for that too. It is some great stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites