On Nov 25, 7:50*am, brassplyer wrote:

I needed to replace an outside spigot, was hoping for find one that
used a compression fitting, *the guy at Home Depot was trying to sell
me on these Shark Bite pipe fittings.

Seeing that the crucial interface pieces appeared to be some kind of
PVC and an O-ring I was leery, wondering what the long term
dependability of it would be compared to time-tested compression
fittings or soldered joints. "Quick and easy" doesn't inspire trust.
Okay, it works for now, but how's it going to hold up 5, 10, 15 years
from now? You obviously don't want it degrading and springing a leak
inside a wall, perhaps undetected for an extended period while it
causes water damage.

Any experiences or opinions?

I love the things for some applications. If you're doing a largish
job the fitting cost will add up very quickly, but for smaller jobs,
particularly repairs, they're a godsend. Snip, snip, click, done.

As far as the longevity, Cash Acme has been around for a hundred years
and the fittings come with a 25 year warranty. I know warranties
always exclude anything but product replacement, but if the product is
defective a class action suit will bring almost any company to its
knees, so I doubt Cash Acme took the long warranty lightly.

There's not a lot that can go wrong with the fittings. As long as
care is taken to make clean cuts and debur the pipe inside and out,
then it's all up to the EPDM O-ring - and there's a long positive
history on those under a lot tougher conditions than residential water
temps and pressures.

As far as guarantees, there are none. Not too long ago I had to open
up a ceiling, then a tiled tub apron, to get to a sweated copper
fitting that the plumber had gotten _almost_ 100% good. It lasted for
more than three years before the leak showed up. He was a good
plumber, had used him on projects for 20 years and he wasn't rushing.
Stuff happens.

R