On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:37:12 -0800 (PST), JIMMIE
wrote:

On Jan 15, 10:26Â*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:38:07 -0800 (PST), JIMMIE



wrote:
On Jan 15, 9:23Â*pm, "Smarty" wrote:
I am wondering whether there are any reasons to NOT use Sharkbite
push-fit plumbing fittings other than their relatively high cost?

Rather than sweat soldering, they seem like a really attractive and
very fast way to install copper plumbing without use of a torch or
solder. I am especially curious to know if they are holding up well,
and are as good as they appear on paper.

Any opinions would be most appreciated.

Smarty

Compared to sweated fittings they are bulky and expensive and ease of
installation may range from not that much easier to a real PITA
compared to sweating copper.

Tell me a situation where a sharkbite is a PITA compared to sweating
copper. Â* Â* Â*

I only have 2 in my house in a spot where I didn't feel like sweating
a couple of joints because they were hard to get to & surrounded by
flammables. Â* Â* Haven't leaked yet- 3yrs or so.

They *are* expensive, they *are* bulky. Â* Â*But harder than sweating? I
don't see it.

Jim

Just didn't have room to fit them in as we both agree they are bulky.
You must think sweating Cu pipe is more difficult than I do. Fact is I
kind of enjoy doing it.

Jimmie
Try doing it above and behind a roughly 8"X14" heating duct3 inches
from a2X4 .The duct is4 inches from the concrete wall that the 2X4
wall framing is set against. The only possible options were a
Sharkbite type connection or soft drawn copper tube - and the
sharkbite was a lot easier and neater installation.

I don't mind sweating copper pipe either, when you can reach it, but
it would have required dropping the entire forced air heating duct
system and re-installing it - which would have required removing
another whole wall as well.