Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Sharkbite fittings... The truth?

251K views 55 replies 22 participants last post by  ProWallGuy 
#1 ·
Sharkbite fittings....I have a few plumbers who swear by them but most hate them. The ones that hate them never really seem to give any valid reasons as to why they hate them (besides they leak). I cant imagine that the engineers who designed this product and the prices we pay for them would bring us to the simple answer of... they leak.... One of my plumbers told me most plumbers hate them for the very simple reason that they have the potential of putting plumbers out of business.. and the worst part about them is HOME DEPOT SELLS THEM!!!! I feel there is alot more to plumbing then fittings so i can not see the sharkbite system putting you guys out of business. They have glueless pvc fittings for waste lines to but they are also expensive and rarely used. If a homeowner is brave enough to throw a waste line together then they are brave enough to give pvc cement a whirl.. and if they are brave enough to throw a waste line in themselves then what is so hard about gluen some cpvc together for the tubeing??? Point is i really dont think the sharbite fittings will be putting plumbers out of business and i dont think a plumber should say they are horrible and leak because he fears them... So with that said.. what is the truth about these fittings??? Does anyone hate them and have a valid reason for it... besides.. THEY LEAK!!! haha
 
#6 ·
Why would any of us feel threatened by them? The cost difference between auqa pex fittings and sharkbites is outrageous. Sharkbites are good when you have to cap off stub outs or you cant get the water off of you so you shark-bite in a valve. I wouldnt use them to plumb an entire house, the price would be too high. The only thing that threatens our trade is DIYers that dont have a liscence and do work for cheap. Sharkbites do not.
 
#9 ·
OH NO!! I did not know what you were talking about till I saw a pix of one. I HATE THEM!! Not that I am afraid of losing work to DIY'ers, but I had a couple of bad experiences with them turning lose. If you dont get them right, yes, they do leak and I had one that blew off when I turned the pressure on. You want them, you use them. I dont want them There are more secure ways of connecting pipe together than that crap. Go ahead, install one. Then I will laugh my ass off when I see a post

"How to repair water damaged floors and walls?"
Hi, I am new to this forum and I have a problem. I used one of those sharkbite fittings and went to bed. I got up the next morning to find that it came apart during the night. What do I do? Can I sue them for damages?

I will wait, got plenty of time!
 
#11 ·
Recipe for a leak.

Take one o-ring, add water, add chlorine, let stands for a few years, remove, when o-ring leaves a black film on your finger then it is ready.

Even the Red Korky Flapper that claim to be chemical resistant, are only warrantied for 5 years. Wonder why they even say chemical resistant.
 
#27 ·
Nick1123 vbmenu_register("postmenu_472391", true);
Registered User
Trade: General Contractor

Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 9


you only need to fallow the rules if there is someone there to enforce them... do code officers snoop around your yard??? if not i would really not worry about it... and if they do come just play stupid... the stupid homeowner approach works everytime....


Bet that 90 year old can spell follow......
 
#28 ·
Sharkbite and Quest--yes or no???

Sharkbites are certified for use on Cu, CPVC and Pex...but not the old Quest, the old grey stuff that had a class action some years ago. BUT, some have said that the Sharkbites WILL work as a good converter between Quest and say, steel threading.

I'm hoping I can have an answer on this soon...because manufactured homes in my area (out in the boonies) all seem to be fitted with Quest...I've never worked with it and no one where I live supplies it in great quantities.

Thanks for any heads up/info.
 
#29 ·
some have said that the Sharkbites WILL work as a good converter between Quest and say, steel threading.
Ok you lost me, what do you mean a converter between quest and steel threading.

Who said this?

I'm hoping I can have an answer on this soon...because manufactured homes in my area (out in the boonies) all seem to be fitted with Quest...I've never worked with it and no one where I live supplies it in great quantities.
Your answer is call a plumber, before you flood out a homeowners house. See bold highlight in your post.
 
#30 ·
I just don't think I would trust sharkbites anywhere buried in a wall. That being said, we give the sharkbite caps to our kitchen and bath installers so that they can remove shut offs and disassemble the rooms before the plumbers get there. This saves us loads of wasted time running around just soldering on caps so the job doesn't get bogged down. We don't really trust installers to solder their own caps on, and a plumber has to be out within a day or two to do all the plumbing once the tear out is done. So I do think they have their place, just a very limited place.
 
#35 ·
Brock said:
My question is why have a plumber at all on a cabinet job? You are allowed to do a fixture change without a plumbing license. I wouldn't hire a cabinet guy that couldn't hook up a sink at the end of the job. To me it's would be like calling a tow truck because you don't know how to change your flat tire.
If you hire a cabinet guy to install a sink, you deserve whatever you get. It won't be right and it won't be pretty. I'm the guy who gets to do the plumbing right and $20,000 damage isn't that uncommon. Those new cabinets aren't nearly so pretty with that water-damaged look. Were I an insurance company, I'd have a clause about amateur-installed plumbing. There'd be a lot of folks looking for a place to live.

Here, you don't put plumbing fixtures in without a license.
 
#38 ·
If you hire a cabinet guy to install a sink, you deserve whatever you get. It won't be right and it won't be pretty. I'm the guy who gets to do the plumbing right and $20,000 damage isn't that uncommon. Those new cabinets aren't nearly so pretty with that water-damaged look. Were I an insurance company, I'd have a clause about amateur-installed plumbing. There'd be a lot of folks looking for a place to live.

Here, you don't put plumbing fixtures in without a license.
We have several in house plumbers, and if we get in a time crunch and let one of the installers that we trust trim out the fixtures, one of us usually pops in to at least check it before the job wraps.
 
#39 ·
they leak!
sorry :shutup:

Hey, those push-fit fittings are great for emergency temporary repairs but yeah those rubber seals wont last. Over time they will LEAK :whistling
 
#42 ·
China will have it sent here in a jiffy.

America has a Walmart mentality,,,we think faster,cheaper==better and Shark-bites are cheaper because the dope in Home Wacko says "yeah you can save the money you would have spent to call a plumber and do it yerself in a few minutes. I'll tell you what to look for in a Homer D and thats the door. Please give me a good group of tradesmen( I mean the craftsman who gives a dollars worth for a dollar,,now that's a bargain):notworthy and a hardware store any day.
 
#43 ·
America has a Walmart mentality,,,we think faster,cheaper==better and Shark-bites are cheaper because the dope in Home Wacko says "yeah you can save the money you would have spent to call a plumber and do it yerself in a few minutes. I'll tell you what to look for in a Homer D and thats the door. Please give me a good group of tradesmen( I mean the craftsman who gives a dollars worth for a dollar,,now that's a bargain):notworthy and a hardware store any day.
Wow, come back to the plumbing forum anytime!

Side note...read the thread on your $2200 conundrum, I agree with Mike, use it as a tool.

Good chance the HO would want to negotiate anyway, this probably worked out in your favor...$2,200 in your favor.
 
#44 ·
The reason most of us plumbers are not too keen of sharkbites is because after many years of endless crap flooding the market we can usually spot more crap. All you diy guys and remodelers just love them because it makes it so much easier and faster for you to hack the plumbing before the inspector catches up with you.

I love the "remodel" guys. Sell a kitchen or bath remodel and then cheap the job out for a few extra bucks by doing the plumbing yourself. It's even worse than the diy guy because you are taking money for doing your hack work and you have no license or permit to do it. I will give anyone in my area fair warning that If I catch you I will make sure you are prosecuted. Plumbing without a license is a FELONY in my state and many others. How'd you like to explain to the wife why you'll be spending 6 months in jail and your bank account will be 10 grand lighter?
 
#47 · (Edited)
The reason most of us plumbers are not too keen of sharkbites is because after many years of endless crap flooding the market we can usually spot more crap. All you diy guys and remodelers just love them because it makes it so much easier and faster for you to hack the plumbing before the inspector catches up with you.

I love the "remodel" guys. Sell a kitchen or bath remodel and then cheap the job out for a few extra bucks by doing the plumbing yourself. It's even worse than the diy guy because you are taking money for doing your hack work and you have no license or permit to do it. I will give anyone in my area fair warning that If I catch you I will make sure you are prosecuted. Plumbing without a license is a FELONY in my state and many others. How'd you like to explain to the wife why you'll be spending 6 months in jail and your bank account will be 10 grand lighter?
In NYC it is perfectly legal for a licensed contractor to Install Sinks, toilets and tubs. Pretty much anything outside the walls. To think all contractors are not skilled enough to install a sink or toilet is as narrow minded as thinking all republicans and democrats think and act in lock step.
The truth is I can and have installed sinks and toilets with superb results as well as having to call my licensed plumber because of a leak in a new installation by one of his employees. Not often but it has happened.
You should also know where to draw the line and a sink or toilet is about it for me. I would never attempt to install a tub or rough a bathroom or kitchen.
I am sure there are tradesmen, other than carpenters who are perfectly capable of hanging a door, trimming a room Etc.
The bottom line: Know your or your employees limitations and DO NOT overstep them.
 
#46 ·
I don't get overly impressed with " Approved" With enough money you can get the code commitee to approve just about anything. Like AAV's Like just about everyone else in the industry the code commitee is nothing more than a bunch of self serving money grubbing whores. Witness the IPC
 
#48 ·
In NYC it is perfectly legal for a licensed contractor to Install Sinks, toilets and tubs. Pretty much anything outside the walls.

Show me where it says that.
You can not alter or repair any part of the plumbing system without a license. That includes moving water lines and changing fixture stop valves, moving drainage lines or altering them in any way.

Why are all you remodel guys so freeking cheap? For god's sake why not charge a few extra bucks and have the work done by a licensed professional. Then there is no issue. I have absolutly no respect for you guys. In my eyes you are all bottom feeders, bringing the trades to lower and lower standards every time you do a job. I suppose I could cut out the carpenter and install the cabinets myself, but guess what? I'm not that cheap. I'd rather pay a professional to do a professional job than save a couple bucks doing something I'm not that familiar with. If you guys really need the beer money that bad you need to get union jobs.
 
#49 ·
In NYC it is perfectly legal for a licensed contractor to Install Sinks, toilets and tubs. Pretty much anything outside the walls.

Show me where it says that.
You can not alter or repair any part of the plumbing system without a license. That includes moving water lines and changing fixture stop valves, moving drainage lines or altering them in any way.

Why are all you remodel guys so freeking cheap? For god's sake why not charge a few extra bucks and have the work done by a licensed professional. Then there is no issue. I have absolutly no respect for you guys. In my eyes you are all bottom feeders, bringing the trades to lower and lower standards every time you do a job. I suppose I could cut out the carpenter and install the cabinets myself, but guess what? I'm not that cheap. I'd rather pay a professional to do a professional job than save a couple bucks doing something I'm not that familiar with. If you guys really need the beer money that bad you need to get unio


First of all my NYC license allows me to replace and install plumbing fixtures. Are you insinuating I am lying? Hopefully you can understand that I have absolutely nothing to gain by lying.
Second, Where does the name calling come in (cheap, Bottom feeders)?
Did you read my whole post? For god sakes I mentioned being skilled enough to install a sink and toilet. It seems to me that a plumber who is knowledgable in all areas of the trade would not be concerned or intimidated by a contractor who now and again, in a pinch will install a sink or toliet, nothing else.There are so so many aspects of plumbing that I would never attempt (once again read my whole post before commenting / insulting). I am currently in contract with my plumber for over $40,000.00 worth of work, including several toilets and sinks.
Now, Let us not lose sight of the fact that I mentioned that my plumbing skill level is exhausted at a basic sink and toilet installation.
May I sugest to you that you slow down, take a breath, read a whole post before responding and think before you reply. Otherwise you can come off sounding un intelligent, Petty, and jealous.
 
#50 ·
Believe me, I read the whole post.

1st Show me the law that says you can install sinks and toilets in NY. Scan it and post it or steer me to it cause I can't find it. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

2nd Not jealous or intimidated. Irritated. In a pinch. What pinch? The, I'm too cheap to want to pay a plumber a couple hundred bucks pinch. Why not do your own surgery "In a Pinch" The only reason you don't tackle bigger jobs is because you have not yet got the confidence but it's only a matter of time. I work with a lot of contractors and NONE of them will touch anything to do with the plumbing, HVAC or Electrical. Because they have respect for the trades. They have integrity. They are not bottom feeders. Keep on watching This Old House. Trethewy will show you how to install central air.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top