remodelling and used Sharkbite/equivalent push fit but should I keep them??

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MTcummins

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I would typically agree that this is simply old vs new school school arguments. I am generally new school, however, and I hate these things.

I think that in 10-20 years these things will have been proven (a failure) and removed from the market, possibly banned in the code.

Lots of people thought Polybutylene was a good idea 30 years ago... it had lots of seemingly good qualities. Ooops, billions of dollars later... I hear duct tape has lots of good applications in drain pipes...

But who knows, maybe they'll turn out ok. Regardless, I'll stick with good ole copper sweat and proper pex fittings (I do all new work in pex, hence the new school thing). If you want to risk it, go for it. Just remember the joy of the 80s and 90s where millions of homes had tto rip out the new easy plumbing at huge cost, if they were lucky enough to not have terrible failures first. Is that definitely going to happen? Of course not. Is it possible, I think so, and there are plenty of others out there who are pretty wary about these things. And they're not all old school plumbers, though probably a good portion of them are :)
 

Dlarrivee

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I use copper wherever possible, nobody can argue against it. I'd prefer to see a new chunk of copper amongst a house full of it already, than a little chunk of pex, just because it is the new thing.
 

lexiconby

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california packaging indicates that if plumbers use this product, they must disclose this to customers that the product contains materials known in the state of california to cause cancer and birth defects. also, sharkbite is not rated for PSI greater than 200 and temperatures exceeding 180F in the line. that satisfies most uses if not all but a properly soldered Type-L copper should be able to handle 600psi+ and can handle temperatures beyond boiling. the biggest risk for copper is if domestic water supply change their formula and increase acidity (i.e. lowering PH) which could either eat away the copper or create issues with old leaded joints to cause a leech-out
 

Dlarrivee

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california packaging indicates that if plumbers use this product, they must disclose this to customers that the product contains materials known in the state of california to cause cancer and birth defects.

And so does breathing the air in LA...
 

David Palmer

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brass fittings dont have that o-ring though. I am not worried about the fitting moving. I've seen brass fittings that move yet don't leak at all. It's that o-ring that's got me thinking. can water really deteriorate an oring? I mean it happens on a hose in the back yard but it's also exposed to sun, movement, etc


Just like with anything, if it isn't installed correctly, it will leak. Years ago, when the Brass push fitting was exclusive to Cash Acme, the O-rings did not come pre-greased and were very prone to kinking when installed. Now days they come pre-greased, far more Chemical Resistant and with the sleeve NOT factory installed. The push fittings offered by Watts, Gatorbite and Sharkbite are a million times better then the ones the first entered the market years ago.
 

David Palmer

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I would typically agree that this is simply old vs new school school arguments. I am generally new school, however, and I hate these things.

I think that in 10-20 years these things will have been proven (a failure) and removed from the market, possibly banned in the code.

Lots of people thought Polybutylene was a good idea 30 years ago... it had lots of seemingly good qualities. Ooops, billions of dollars later... I hear duct tape has lots of good applications in drain pipes...

But who knows, maybe they'll turn out ok. Regardless, I'll stick with good ole copper sweat and proper pex fittings (I do all new work in pex, hence the new school thing). If you want to risk it, go for it. Just remember the joy of the 80s and 90s where millions of homes had tto rip out the new easy plumbing at huge cost, if they were lucky enough to not have terrible failures first. Is that definitely going to happen? Of course not. Is it possible, I think so, and there are plenty of others out there who are pretty wary about these things. And they're not all old school plumbers, though probably a good portion of them are :)


Sure, I run into my fair share of Village idiots that argue against anything that's not acquainted with their far superior trade experience. But yeah, I absolutely agree soldered > anything else, but I also have had my ass saved on more then one occasion thanks to a push fitting. You can't solder in a pipe that won't stop running and therein lies the beauty of the push fitting,imo.
 

David Palmer

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california packaging indicates that if plumbers use this product, they must disclose this to customers that the product contains materials known in the state of california to cause cancer and birth defects.


AKA LEAD. The same warning can be tacked to any none AB 1953 Compliant Brass fitting, whether it be a Ball Valve or Scald guard. That isn't exclusive to brass pushing fittings, but if it's an issue (as it is with me), you can always use permanent Copper Push fittings and or AB 1953 Compliant fittings..
 
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