No strong opinion, but I hardly use them. Nor does my plumber. Most likely it's just because we're used to the old school tried and true methods. However, I will say that if you need to cap a pipe that will not stop leaking water, it's worth paying a few extra bucks for a Shark Bite cap.
I use them for special jobs that risk a fire when I am making a repair. I also use them when doing jobs to cap off a pipe when I cut it so I do not have to loose time when I am doing a repair waiting for the water to run out so I can solder.
These are used a lot now in radiant heat systems. Although Pex tubing and their fittings are also used a lot.
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I have found I am moving away from copper with exception of doing boilers. But These are great products and have not had any issues with failure as of yet.
Thanks for your reply. It's reassuring to know your experience with them has been a good one. SharkBites definitely save a lot of time and that's the primary reason I use them.
Thanks for your post. I appreciate everyone's feedback because it helps DIYers determine what to do when they encounter minor plumbing problems. I've been using the SharkBite shut-off valves quite a bit with good results.
we use them all the time on all my kitchen demo's to cap off kitchen lines until the plumber does the trim out. I have a buddy of mine that uses the ones on water heater replacments and likes those as well
I use them for hard to reach locations where it would be difficult or dangerous to solder. When they first hit the supply house, I swore I'd never use them but I have yet to see one leak........ yet! I still take pride in soldering in my water heaters and boilers though.
Thanks for your feedback, sounds like you've been using them for awhile without any issues. I like how you added the "yet". Hopefully we'll never get to that point but time determines these things.
Always say yet. I have used them for hot water baseboard connections and all sorts of repairs. I do not use them for standard type plumbing, but for repairs and time they are great invention. Hopefully they will go down in price as they become more prevalent in the industry.
I actually don't have a ton of experience with PEX but what little I do have I like a lot. Here in Pittsburgh we have so much old copper to deal with and I think PEX is a great alternative. Especially when having to run new plumbing for hot and cold water lines. What are your thoughts on PEX.
I use Pex more and more every time I do any plumbing work. However you must be sure to use the correct type for the project your working on. There are different types and temp ranges. Some allow oxygen to enter some do not. Choosing the wrong type may not show up right away, but the performance of this product can diminish or the function of the application can fail. So be sure your using the correct stuff. Other then that, its a great product.
Thanks Woodbridge and Tom for your input. PEX seems to be the future of plumbing for new projects. But I'm glad we can still buy all the old stuff, too.
These are used a lot now in radiant heat systems. Although Pex tubing and their fittings are also used a lot. ...»
I have found I am moving away from copper with exception of doing boilers. But These are great products and have not had any issues with failure as of yet.
Thanks for your reply. It's reassuring to know your experience with them has been a good one. SharkBites definitely save a lot of time and that's the primary reason I use them.
Thanks for your post. I appreciate everyone's feedback because it helps DIYers determine what to do when they encounter minor plumbing problems. I've been using the SharkBite shut-off valves quite a bit with good results.
Thanks for your response, sounds like you're having good experiences with them. Makes me feel confident the product will work as promised.
Thanks for your feedback, sounds like you've been using them for awhile without any issues. I like how you added the "yet". Hopefully we'll never get to that point but time determines these things.
Thanks for your reply.
to fix a leaky pipe.... great invention...a little expensive but saves a lot of time.
Thanks for your comment. I really do like these for small plumbing repairs.
Shark Bite. And what do you think about Pex?
I actually don't have a ton of experience with PEX but what little I do have I like a lot. Here in Pittsburgh we have so much old copper to deal with and I think PEX is a great alternative. Especially when having to run new plumbing for hot and cold water lines. What are your thoughts on PEX.