On Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 9:20:13 AM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 7:46:36 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tue, 8 Jun 2021 16:03:31 -0700 (PDT), Marilyn Manson
wrote:

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 6:19:19 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tue, 8 Jun 2021 13:05:35 -0700 (PDT), Marilyn Manson
wrote:

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 2:33:43 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sun, 06 Jun 2021 20:47:52 -0400, Nil posted for all of us to digest...

I need to replace a water shut-off valve below my kitchen sink. I see
that valves come made to fit on either 1/2" or 5/8" pipe. When I
measure the copper intake pipe with my (not very accurate) caliper it
measures .66, which is a little over 5/8". I think I read somewhere
that "1/2 inch" refers to the inside diameter, and that the outside
diameter is closer to 5/8. True? No?

So, what do I have, 1/2" or 5/8" copper pipe? I'm thinking 1/2" because
it's more common, and if it were 5/8" the outside diameter might be
greater than .66".

Also, Home Depot has valves with Shark Bite connectors which don't
require compression fittings. Are those things reliable?
1/2" No, IMO I don't like them. Do you store stuff in the cabinet? Does it
ever slam against the pipes? Others may disagree.


The question was not whether or not you like them, the question was "Are those
things reliable?" The answer to that is Yes, otherwise they wouldn't be approved
for behind the wall use by the Uniform Plumbing Code, the International Plumbing
Code and the National Plumbing Code of Canada.

In addition, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
listing states that the product €œcan be utilized in underground applications and
as manufactured joints without access panels.€�

That's good enough for me.

Separate question: Are you OK with stuff banging against compression fittings but
not push-to-fit fittings? If so, are you aware that SharkBite fittings are designed to
rotate on the pipe while a compression fitting is fixed? Given the option, I'd rather
have SharkBite fittings get knocked around than compression fittings. At least they
are smart enough to get out of the way. ;-)
Sharkbites are good as long as you expect to have an O ring last. If
you have ever seen one get hard and brittle, think about that inside a
wall.

Forgot to mention: Not all O-rings are created equal.

It is still an O ring. You better be sure there are no burrs on the
pipe. These things remind me of Polybutylene pipe. That was all the
rage, legal, easy to use and fast to install, until it started
failing.
Forgot to ask: What is your actual personal opinion of using SharkBite
fittings inside a wall (or underground)?

I wouldn't use them at all. I know how to sweat pipe.
Pretty much agree. I would only use a SB for a tough location, where
soldering was too difficult or risky. So far I haven't encountered that scenario.

That's basically where I am at and where I have used them.

I recently did some reno work in bathroom that involved removing the sink. It turned
out that the 30+ YO compression shut-offs didn't hold. I have a couple of SharkBite
caps, so I turned off the main, removed the old compression shutoffs, popped
on the caps and turned the main back on. 10 minutes worth of work.

I bought new compression shutoffs but for the life of me I could not get them
to stop leaking. I tried 3 and they all leaked. 2 SharkBite shutoffs later and
I was good to go. Shutoffs are too close to a finished wall to sweat.