# sharkbite fittings , do they last?



## Spike7

put a screw in a new copper line in a bathroom i`m remodeling .
couldn`t sweat it on , . it was 7 at night , i couldn`t get the pipe dry enough to sweat on a new section 
so i ran to the depot and got 2 sharkbite fittings 

can these stay in the wall?
do they last , or will they break down , or start to leak
it is the hot water line.

plumber just told me they have used them in walls they close up
maybe i`m just being a dinasaur ,and scared of the new stuff .
but need to know


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## Cole82

They last until the O ring fails.

Cole


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## Aaron Berk

I buried a 3/4" sharkbite in concrete 3yrs ago.
I used it to transition from copper to pex.
It was in a utility shed, and so far so good.

But I still worry about it every time I hear the word sharkbite.


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## svronthmve

Been using sharkbites basically since they came out.....

They are not my go to thing, but have their uses.

I've had no failures so far or call backs......


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## donerightwyo

I've got an old building of apartments. It is 120 ft long with access to a belly crawl space only on one end. When I bought it, everything below the floor was pretty well froze up. It was pretty old copper, some of it maybe was soft copper to. Shark bites worked like a charm because of the accessibility issues. Problem is I since have had two major leaks that I didn't know about until the water bill came. We have terrible water that will wash out the copper, so maybe it's not the shark bites fault? I think there great for temporary fixes, I will be working on getting rid of all of them on this place.


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## svronthmve

Lived in a municipality where the water was hard on copper. My supply line was laid in soft copper and there was a bend in the line where it cane up into the house under the slab. The water ate through the copper in the area of the bend. Caused a small leak which went undetected for (however?) long. When the ground was finally saturated, (which just happened to be while we were away for 3 weeks), we returned home and found the finished basement full of water....

.......$64,000 in renovations / repairs later.....

Wasn't a sharkbite in the system.


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## jnaas2

Ive replaced galvinized line that developed holes in the 90 because of to high of a velocity flow water ate thru the fitting


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## svronthmve

jnaas2 said:


> Ive replaced galvinized line that developed holes in the 90 because of to high of a velocity flow water ate thru the fitting


Over time, galvanized rusts from the inside out. Have had that happen in a couple of my customer's homes that were plumbed back in the 30's.


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## jnaas2

It was 2 years old, you could look inside the fitting and see the grove that the water cut in the fitting


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## J L

Sharkbites can be concealed in the wall, although I don't think that's smart.

I like them for temporary stuff until my plumber can get there. For instance, I was installing a kitchen sink base this week and rather than cut oversized holes out around the shut off valves for the water lines that came up through the bottom of the cabinet, I shut off the water to the house, cut them off, and installed sharkbite caps until my plumber gets there to install the sink.


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## Inner10

jnaas2 said:


> It was 2 years old, you could look inside the fitting and see the grove that the water cut in the fitting


That's why I don't drink water...just look what it does to pipes.:laughing:


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## tedanderson

My philosophy:

If they sell it in Home Depot, it must be OK to install.


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## jnaas2

Tedanderson
I hope that was a joke, just because the sell it doesnt mean its legal. I normally keep My mouth shut when I am at big box stores, but I was there one day and the so called pro in the electrical department told a customer to use a octagon blue box to install a cieling fan. I had to chime in and explain to both of them that the box wasnt rated for a ceiling fan and what could happen if it was used


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## tedanderson

I'm sorry. Let me re-phrase that.

If they sell it in Home Depot AND the guy behind the demonstration counter recommends it, then it must be OK to install.


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## jnaas2

I could go with that if he or she knows what they are talking about, I know some guys that are licensed in the trades that work part time at the big box stores that know the codes. So I would ask for there qualifications before following there advice


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## Cole82

jnaas2 said:


> Tedanderson
> I hope that was a joke, just because the sell it doesnt mean its legal. I normally keep My mouth shut when I am at big box stores, but I was there one day and the so called pro in the electrical department told a customer to use a octagon blue box to install a cieling fan. I had to chime in and explain to both of them that the box wasnt rated for a ceiling fan and what could happen if it was used


Your talking about a nail up box and retro fit wing box correct?

They do make blue plastic boxes for ceiling fans.:thumbsup:


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## jnaas2

I know they make blue boxes for fans, the box he was showing him just had the 2 nails


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## KillerToiletSpider

tedanderson said:


> I'm sorry. Let me re-phrase that.
> 
> If they sell it in Home Depot AND the guy behind the demonstration counter recommends it, then it must be OK to install.


The Home Despair by me sells PEX pipe and fittings and romex, neither of which are code approved in this area.


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## schaefercs

I carry two sharkbite 1/2" caps in my bucket at all times along with the removal tool. They work great in kitchens and bathrooms until we can get the cabinets in and install new shutoffs. I've used them probably 30+ times and haven't had a problem with leaks.


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## Rich D.

I only use sharkbites when i cant get the line dry enough to solder due to a leaking valve. But there has to be access to the fitting, like in a basement or in a drop ceiling.

My philosophy is that there the same as viega pro press fittings. And everyone loves them, no?

Same o-ring. 

Sharkbites are impossible to get off in reality without the tool. Only thing that will fail is the o-ring. Try not to use them on hot water lines, it will dry out the o-ring


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## UALocal1Plumber

I'm doing a Sandy reconstruction in a home with a lot of sharkbites that a handy man hacked in near the kitchen. With all the walls open to ventilate.... guess what? 20 leaks on the line, 20 shark bites. 


We're repiping the croton to play it safe.

Keith


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## Rich D.

UALocal1Plumber said:


> I'm doing a Sandy reconstruction in a home with a lot of sharkbites that a handy man hacked in near the kitchen. With all the walls open to ventilate.... guess what? 20 leaks on the line, 20 shark bites.
> 
> We're repiping the croton to play it safe.
> 
> Keith


Probly an installation error if all are leaking.


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## madmax718

I wouldn't use shark bites in any interior walls- Not saying its inferior either.

many plumbers still don't do Pex- they don't trust plastic over copper. 

Also during demo in sandy, many pipes were already damaged due to home owners and volunteer groups who simply put a sledgehammer to the wall, not paying attention to what is behind it. Vent pipes destroyed, cast iron pipes, cracked..


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