I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup.
Fantastic, they are.

When my house was build, the baseboard heating tubing had to take a
bend at the shower stall. The plumber put in a bellows type of flex
unit and after a few years it started to leak. I replaced it and it
was a PITA because of the location, difficult to sweat the joints. A
few years later, it leaked again.

This time, I drilled a hole in the base of the shower enclosure and
ran a length of PEX to the other side, connecting under the stairs of
a split entry stair. Very low head space. Again, all was well for a
few years and the couplings leaked. Tightened them and all was well
or another year. This time the drip would not stop.

I bought a couple of Sharkbite couplings for 3/4" tubing. Cut a new
length of PEX as it had to be slightly longer. In the bathroom, it
was just snap/snap, then crawled through the closet and under the
stairs, snap/snap and I was done. Wish I knew about these 20 years
ago when all the trouble started.

While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a
place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

On 3/11/2013 10:57 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup.


A perfect opportunity for me to say "Thank You" for all the excellent
ideas, suggestions, and help I have received on this newsgroup.

Having done all sorts of 'do it yourself' projects for nearly 60 years,
it is always tempting to believe that past experience and time tested
techniques are the right way to solve a new problem. On many occasions,
I have learned from others here and on other newsgroups that there are
often better, newer and different ways to approach and solve problems
which I would have never, ever thought of.

Again, Thank You all.

Smarty

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:57:19 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a
place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

My local HD has a display (play with it) that demonstrates the
easiness of using SB. I have PEX, never had a need to change a
fitting (home built 1997).

Notice that SB does not work(?) with PVC pipe the last I checked. It
does work on CPVC pipe.
--
"Trust me, I'm from the government. I'm here to help."

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote
While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a
place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

I have fixed three copper pipe problems at my cabin. Every one of them was
in a very inaccessible place, was on a long run of copper that someone
nailed off every 18 inches, and it was all under a cabin with mud, and rat
turds and spider filled leaves. With the shark bites, each one took about
half an hour.

I see the new pvc equivalent for yard sprinkler pipe. Spendy stuff. But
get this: no release. No reuse, like Sharkbites. I don't think they'll
have a lot of buyers. Sharkbites ARE spendy, but not bad for the saved
labor and materials. These other things would be WAAAY spendy if they were
a one time thing.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote:
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote
While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a
place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

I have fixed three copper pipe problems at my cabin. Every one of them was
in a very inaccessible place, was on a long run of copper that someone
nailed off every 18 inches, and it was all under a cabin with mud, and rat
turds and spider filled leaves. With the shark bites, each one took about
half an hour.

I see the new pvc equivalent for yard sprinkler pipe. Spendy stuff. But
get this: no release. No reuse, like Sharkbites. I don't think they'll
have a lot of buyers. Sharkbites ARE spendy, but not bad for the saved
labor and materials. These other things would be WAAAY spendy if they were
a one time thing.

Steve

"No reuse, like Sharkbites"

I'm not sure how to interpret that phrase. Are you saying that Sharkbites
are not reusable or did you mean that the new PVC fittings are not
reusable, *unlike* Sharkbites, which are?

On Monday, March 11, 2013 9:57:19 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup.

Fantastic, they are.


The only encounter with these was an Invacare Whirlpool where they leaked. The connections were 3/8(on poly-eth)and may have been due to vibration or high-pressure...but I'm NOT going to use them because of it.

On Monday, March 11, 2013 10:57:19 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup. Fantastic, they are. When my house was build, the baseboard heating tubing had to take a bend at the shower stall. The plumber put in a bellows type of flex unit and after a few years it started to leak. I replaced it and it was a PITA because of the location, difficult to sweat the joints. A few years later, it leaked again. This time, I drilled a hole in the base of the shower enclosure and ran a length of PEX to the other side, connecting under the stairs of a split entry stair. Very low head space. Again, all was well for a few years and the couplings leaked. Tightened them and all was well or another year. This time the drip would not stop. I bought a couple of Sharkbite couplings for 3/4" tubing. Cut a new length of PEX as it had to be slightly longer. In the bathroom, it was just snap/snap, then crawled through the closet and under the stairs, snap/snap and I was done. Wish I knew about these 20 years ago when all the trouble started. While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

I used a few for a transition from cpvc to pex and they are pretty handy. The price prohibits me from using them unless the situation really calls for it. I can see how may homeowners would choose them for copper as you need to know what you are doing to sweat copper and you have to get all the water out.

On Mar 11, 11:19*pm, "Steve B" wrote:


I see the new pvc equivalent for yard sprinkler pipe. *Spendy stuff. *But
get this: *no release. *No reuse, like Sharkbites. *I don't think they'll
have a lot of buyers. *Sharkbites ARE spendy, but not bad for the saved
labor and materials. *These other things would be WAAAY spendy if they were
a one time thing.


Those are made by Rain Bird and are not intended to be used again.
However I have found a way to release the teeth from the pipe and get
a second or third use. They're good for yard sprinkler use but using
them with drip irrigation for a vegetable garden requires removing the
whole thing to re-till the soil next year.

On Monday, March 11, 2013 7:57:19 PM UTC-7, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup.

Fantastic, they are.



When my house was build, the baseboard heating tubing had to take a

bend at the shower stall. The plumber put in a bellows type of flex

unit and after a few years it started to leak. I replaced it and it

was a PITA because of the location, difficult to sweat the joints. A

few years later, it leaked again.



This time, I drilled a hole in the base of the shower enclosure and

ran a length of PEX to the other side, connecting under the stairs of

a split entry stair. Very low head space. Again, all was well for a

few years and the couplings leaked. Tightened them and all was well

or another year. This time the drip would not stop.



I bought a couple of Sharkbite couplings for 3/4" tubing. Cut a new

length of PEX as it had to be slightly longer. In the bathroom, it

was just snap/snap, then crawled through the closet and under the

stairs, snap/snap and I was done. Wish I knew about these 20 years

ago when all the trouble started.



While they are much more expensive than regular couplings, they have a

place where they save a lot of time and trouble.

You can also use C X MIP adapters and a brass 90 elbow.
I’m not sure how the price would compare with Sharkbite
but it would probably last a lot longer.

On Mar 11, 9:44 pm, Oren wrote:


Notice that SB does not work(?) with PVC pipe the last I checked. It
does work on CPVC pipe.
--


Are you certain that it does not work with PVC..???... I know that
there
are different versions of SB for different pipes, and I don't recall
that PVC was not included.....

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:20:07 -0700 (PDT), Robert
wrote:

On Mar 11, 9:44 pm, Oren wrote:


Notice that SB does not work(?) with PVC pipe the last I checked. It
does work on CPVC pipe.
--


Are you certain that it does not work with PVC..???... I know that
there
are different versions of SB for different pipes, and I don't recall
that PVC was not included.....

"...The SharkBite® fittings can only be used with pipe/tubing
certified to the following specifications:

-PEX (ASTM F876, CSA B137.5)

- Copper(ASTM B 88)

-CPVC (ASTM D 2846, CSA B137.6)

PDF:

http://www.cashacme.com/_images/pdf_downloads/products/sharkbite/SB_Install_Inst.pdf

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:41:56 -0700 (PDT), Bob_Villa
wrote:

On Monday, March 11, 2013 9:57:19 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I never heard of them until a couple of years ago on this newsgroup.

Fantastic, they are.


The only encounter with these was an Invacare Whirlpool where they leaked. The connections were 3/8(on poly-eth)and may have been due to vibration or high-pressure...but I'm NOT going to use them because of it.

They are not certified for PE tubing. Don't let your error stop you
from using them in the correct application.

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:59:17 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:


The only encounter with these was an Invacare Whirlpool where they leaked. The connections were 3/8(on poly-eth)and may have been due to vibration or high-pressure...but I'm NOT going to use them because of it.



They are not certified for PE tubing. Don't let your error stop you

from using them in the correct application.

How is it my error when it came from the factory? Maybe it is the right kind of tubing for the application and it failed.
If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:05:26 -0700 (PDT), Bob_Villa
wrote:

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:59:17 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:


The only encounter with these was an Invacare Whirlpool where they leaked. The connections were 3/8(on poly-eth)and may have been due to vibration or high-pressure...but I'm NOT going to use them because of it.



They are not certified for PE tubing. Don't let your error stop you

from using them in the correct application.

How is it my error when it came from the factory? Maybe it is the right kind of tubing for the application and it failed.
If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.


OK, then it is THEIR error, not yours. That does not mean the fitting
is bad, the tubing is not certified for use with them.

Bob_Villa wrote:
On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:59:17 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:


The only encounter with these was an Invacare Whirlpool where they
leaked. The connections were 3/8(on poly-eth)and may have been due to
vibration or high-pressure...but I'm NOT going to use them because of it.



They are not certified for PE tubing. Don't let your error stop you

from using them in the correct application.

How is it my error when it came from the factory? Maybe it is the right
kind of tubing for the application and it failed.
If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.

What's your definition of a short cut method?

Isn't a PVC toilet flange a shortcut when compared to lead and oakum?

Some of us call those kinds of things new technology.

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 9:32:50 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:


If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.



What's your definition of a short cut method?



Isn't a PVC toilet flange a shortcut when compared to lead and oakum?



Some of us call those kinds of things new technology.

That's easy...how long have PVC toilet flanges been in use? If something fails for you a couple times...do you use it again?
Possibly, they don't scale well...certain sizes may be more reliable.

Bob_Villa wrote:
On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 9:32:50 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:


If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.



What's your definition of a short cut method?



Isn't a PVC toilet flange a shortcut when compared to lead and oakum?



Some of us call those kinds of things new technology.

That's easy...how long have PVC toilet flanges been in use? If something
fails for you a couple times...do you use it again?
Possibly, they don't scale well...certain sizes may be more reliable.

Do you have stats for failures rates on Sharkbites? All I ever hear is good
reviews. What has failed for you "a couple of times"?

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 6:41:13 AM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Bob_Villa wrote:

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 9:32:50 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:





If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.







What's your definition of a short cut method?







Isn't a PVC toilet flange a shortcut when compared to lead and oakum?







Some of us call those kinds of things new technology.



That's easy...how long have PVC toilet flanges been in use? If something

fails for you a couple times...do you use it again?

Possibly, they don't scale well...certain sizes may be more reliable.



Do you have stats for failures rates on Sharkbites? All I ever hear is good

reviews. What has failed for you "a couple of times"?

Already stated.

Bob_Villa wrote:
On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 6:41:13 AM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Bob_Villa wrote:

On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 9:32:50 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:

If I run-into something I feel is a short-cut method...I don't use it.

What's your definition of a short cut method?

Isn't a PVC toilet flange a shortcut when compared to lead and oakum?

Some of us call those kinds of things new technology.

That's easy...how long have PVC toilet flanges been in use? If something

fails for you a couple times...do you use it again?

Possibly, they don't scale well...certain sizes may be more reliable.

Do you have stats for failures rates on Sharkbites? All I ever hear is good

reviews. What has failed for you "a couple of times"?

Already stated.

Oh, that's right. They failed in an application for which they are not
certified. Already stated.

If a guy tries to cross a pond on a four wheeler and sinks like a stone,
would you swear off four wheelers also?