Ive been a commercial plumber since '95. Whenever I'm fitting together anything involving rubber or neoprene, i like to wet all surfaces with soapy water. ..even nohub bands. ..slip nuts, I've never installed these kinds of fittings here in this video, but i would certainly soap them up before making them up. The soapy water makes all the mating surfaces nice and slippery so nothing binds up or gets pinched then it gets tacky as it dries. Anything that ends up inside the pipe rinses right out with ease. Soapy water in a spray bottle is an invaluable asset for any plumber to maintain. It's not just for checking for leaks or when making up rubber connections. Its good for remodels, before soldering around combustible materials, spray down area. Before cutting into wall or pipe, spray area to keep dust to a minimum. The soap makes it spread better, stay wet longer. I use 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of dawn per bottle. That way, when it gets low, if im not near my supply of soap, I can just add water to what's left and its still soapy enough... Its handy when cutting rubber too.
@Floyd Albright but corn oil won't dry clean and it won't spray out of a simple spray bottle like soapy water does. ..and it doesn't double as a substance that can be used to check for leaks. ..and you can't add water to corn oil when the bottle gets low and there's no more corn oil.. lol But it might work well tyseal gaskets and ductile iron gaskets..
Yes the ball valve works in either direction, but pay attention to where the handle may be as it swings 90 degrees from on to off. Otherwise you may find it hits another pipe, another valve, the wall, etc
I agree,i think he may have turned it around,the nub on the valve is the stop.the way he had it to open it you turn that one clockwise hitting the wall.good catch.
Not to be too picky. There are gate ball valves I use in the basement the include a drain port. That has to be positioned to allow the down stream plumbing to drain after the gate valve is off.
It would be great if they made wheel style handles for ball valves. The handles are easy enough to remove and replace. I suppose you could cut a straight handle down so it's shorter when you have no other option due to space constraints.
@@virtuallyrealistic Any contamination will cause the gate to not seat fully. Then the seat erodes. As long as you're going to sweat one of those monsters on, you might as well use a ball valve. He was spending a lot of money to avoid sweating a valve on but even using an extra $25 on materials to practice with, it still wouldn't equal anywhere near the cost of that crimping tool. That is, if you bought, for practice, an extra 1/2" pipe ($20), a ball valve ($12), 8 couplings (97¢ each), solder, and flux, torch and tank, you're only into it about an extra $60. And you have something to start your campfire with.
I bought the Milwaukee 12 volt system, never looked back, if you ever hired a plumber $1000.- $1500 does not go far, most of the plumbing I do is under kitchen sinks, bathroom vanities, crawl spaces, one point to remember the press fittings are one use only, think twice, press once. One thing I will mention if you used a press cap at the end, that is maybe the most expensive press fittings, you could have likely put on another ball valve for just a dollar or two more and had a water heater shut off valve, maybe the cap is shark bite and you can reuse it, I enjoy your videos. When I replace a valve in a tight run like that I cut the valve, which releases the water inside and reduces the mass to heat up, heat and remove the collar left on pipe, wipe off solder, clean pipe, sometimes that half inch of pipe you save, saves a lot of work
I encourage you to keep up with your instruccions, your videos or whatever you call them. You happen to be a great communicator!!!, therefore we are able to understand and review everything you tell us...!!
I am an old school (retired) HVAC technician that has always sweat copper pipe. About 2 years ago I used Pex to install at tankless water heater in my camping trailer and shark bite to run a new water line in the basement of my condo. Although I have had no problems with either. I’m still skittish about these new fangled things. Any more DIY projects I have, I’ll go back to my old ways. The cost of the press fitting crimping tool is enough to prevent me from even trying these fittings. However, your video was certainly educational. Thank you.
None of them have been out there or had the track record or history of sweating copper. Everything new is better than sliced bread until the failures start stacking up. I still remember the 'cheap' PVC from the '70's, aluminum wire, and the CPVC stuff ('90's-'00's) that would fall apart if you touch it. And they got that cheap ABS pipe with a sandwiched layer of foam that turns into spaghetti with hot water. Only reason to deviate from what works is to cut time or money.
It doesn't save money it just makes people more confident to do repairs. For a plumber that knows exactly what to look for in solder joints that's fine. For people who don't that can cut a pipe deburr clean and press on a SB it is much easier
@@chevy16001 For production building work it absolutely saves money (time) if you look at how long it takes to plumb a whole house or building. For a home owner, it's a waste, unless you hire a pro plumber.
I owned six rental units with very old plumbing for about 25 years. Each time an existing globe valve would fail I would replace it with a ball valve (with a drain). I love them. They are very easy to open and close (1/4 turn) and very easy to see if they are closed or open from across a room. My father taught me how to sweat copper pipes when I was a kid, so that's never been an issue for me. Also, I only own close quarters pipe cutters. Once I found them I never bought another set of the regular kind. I use the CQ ones for everything with no trouble.
I'm an old school DIYer and I would solder all the connections. Even if you have to buy a torch, the cost is a small fraction of other methods and this method has been used successfully for years. To me it's the gold standard.
If you are going to burn the house down, then you should not be doing any plumbing work and stick to your day job where you won't hurt anyone or yourself.
That crimp tool looks like a nice quality tool. I have a Milwaukee Force Logic but I like the fact that you can use the fittings without shelling out $2000. There are some places where soldering isn’t safe. No hot work permit and no sprinkler heads going off but for $175. Nice!
I have a big, old soldering iron that I use in such cases when I cannot use a flame torch. I've even used soldering coppers in the past with my heater outside. A big 4 lb copper can do 3 or 4 joints before cooling.
I used threaded ball valve with thread-to-solder coupling. Makes it easier to replace the ball valve. Also don't want to spend $190 (tax included) for a crimp tool. Nice video!
One other tip, instead of using a Sharkbite Cap in general, I like to use a Sharkbite coupling with a short piece of pex with a plug crimped in. Then when ready to run more pipe, simply remove the PEX and continue with PEX or copper. I've used Sharkbites professionally for 15-20 years (since Cash Acme 2st came out with them), never had a problem.
@@scota.3898 The plastic bit is only applicable for pex. The pressure bearing part is brass and the seal is an o ring. Crimp fittings use the same type o ring.
I bought the same tool .Great video explaining the operation of the tool. Mixing in shrak bite couplings is the best option in tight spaces the shark bite fittings allows 360 turning of the pipe a win win
I am not a plumber but needed a water line to a fridge with water and an ice maker in the door, the fridge is in an extension part of the house that is exposed to subfreezing temps. The plumber wanted $2000 to run 13 feet of pipe and valves to the fridge. I did it myself for less than $50, I put in the pipe, shutoff valves, and a place to drain off the water outside so the exposed pipe doesn't freeze, all using shark bite fittings and ball valves. did this over a year ago and still no leaks or frozen pipes. As a truck driver, I did well.
Something tells me personally I will lean towards solder joints longterm but also interested in getting some experience with these press fittings as I have seen so many making the shift.
The shark bite fittings are great for me, as I didn't need to use the torch to fix my leak. Which coincidentally was while trying to fix an outside hose valve! I should of watched your video first. I am so not a plumber, but these make it where I can fix things myself. Thank you
Good video for the most part. However, press type fittings (including Sharkbite) are ok for external pipe connections that can be monitored regularly. Personally, I would never use press fittings inside of walls (yes, I know people do it all of the time). I have seen way too many press fittings leak, even when installed by so-called "professionals." Also sweating (soldering) copper pipe is fairly cheap and easy. Just make sure the pipes and fittings are cleaned and deburred. Use Flux on the pipe and fitting, and apply heat to the opposite side of the solder contact. This will draw the solder into the gaps between the pipes and fittings, properly sealing the connection for many years. Soldering copper pipe takes some practice, but it is a lot cheaper than spending $175 on a crimping tool that you may only use once or twice. Hey, we can't have too many tools though, can we?....lol. Finally, ball valves are great. They are much more durable and convenient (also more expensive) than globe/gate valves. Just don't buy thin metal, cheaply made ball valves, and they will last (almost) forever. When buying ball valves always look for "full-port" ball valves, so you don't lose water volume. What is the point of having a 3/4" pipe if the ball valve only has a 1/2" hole?" Also, water-knock can be an issue with ball valves on an often-used connection (like a garden hose). This is because the opening and closing of the ball valve is instant, and not gradual like with a gate/globe valve. However, this can be overcome by closing the ball valve slowly. This is just my 2 cents on the subject. Hopefully this helps all of those DIYers out there. 👍👍
For sure its going to help guys like me who own a home and depend on videos and detailed instructions from guys like you. Well I have to use sharkbite as my shutoff is in-between walls and 12 inches below the basement ceiling. Thanks once again.
@@jayak3768 Those things leak all the time, all the pipes at my work are installed by long term Journeymen plumbers and I see them leaking all the time, slow drips with visible corrosion from where it is leaking.
@@zekehu7701 I WOULD NEVER USE A PUSH FITTING VALVE ON THE MAIN SHUT OFF. Your insurance company is gonna love you. There's ALWAYS a way to do it correctly.
You are correct. Best to check your jurisdiction. Some ONLY allow a rising stem or gate valve on the main shut off to avoid water hammer or shock from abrupt shut off. The gate valve makes this impossible.
Way Better Than Shark Bite for a permanent repair. I try to only use pro press when i can. Haven't had many issues after thousands of connections. The issues where usually due to installer error. Great product overall. First time i have seen a manual version in use. Thanks for the demo!
I use shark bite. Have it on my laundry room for my cold and hot water lines inside wall with an access panel. Have been there for 8 years. No leak, no problem. Great video!!
@@MariuszChr propress fittings are less likely to leak if pressed with a press gun which are expensive and the pipe is properly cleaned and reamed and installed by a professional. Shark bites are usually installed by homeowners,handymen,and shitty plumbers and tend to leak from poor installation. The only time I use shark bites are for isolating and testing leaks on manifolds or temporary repairs. I prefer to solder if I can cuz it's an art to create beautiful joints. Pressing joints saves time which saves money.
I had the boiler replaced at home and the contractor used this style of compression fittings. They did have to sweat a couple of the connections but 99% were done with cordless crimp tool. I think the time it took them to sweat the couple fittings was longer than the time to crimp the others. Also, with this system there is no flame so way safer from a fire hazard standpoint, especially in tight areas near any framing.
Have used sharkbites several years on numerous project's. Extremely satisfied with ease of installation. No special tools required. Have used on both copper and plastic type pipes. Never a leak Very convenient for DYI in remote,, tight, or potentially flammable locations. Concur with comments concerning cost of snakebite but considering savings in purchase of and required knowledge in using more sophisticated tools still preferable for average user.
Same here, I have an old leaky main right now that I am cutting out and using sharkbite, 15 minutes start to finish. Cue all the regular plumbers coming in and shitting on sharkbite and pex.
WOW!!! THANKS, FOR ALL OF YOUR GREAT, DEMO VIDEOS!!! I JUST GOT MY IWISS CRIMP TOOL, TOO!! ....I'LL BE INSTALLING A REPLACEMENT "TANKLESS WATER HEATER", AS SOON AS IT ARRIVES!!.... (MAYBE IN ANOTHER WEEK).
I'm a plumber and I use pro press and mega press frequently, you did a good job ,but I would have pre fitted it where all I had to do was 2 presses on the wall to eliminate fatigue. It's much easier to sub assemble on a bench or floor then to do a bunch of crimps on a wall, also most jurisdictions require a minimum of 3/4 feed lines to water heaters
I prefer to Silver Solder Copper lines that are hidden. Pipes that are exposed, pipes around a hot water unit for example it's neater and better looking to use a press tool.
I’m pretty sure All Jurisdictions require 3/4 pipe into and out. Most codes call for a 3/4 supply no more than 3 fixtures. You have someone in your comments saying code should be 3/4 supply line. Mobile homes don’t have all the same codes as most building codes. I’m really not sure why mobile homes get away with undersized water piping and undersized drain pipes. But they do!!!!
I use a similar tool from Vevor and I have used MLCP fittings. For the weekend DIY warrior they are a great tool ...my cost was about £70 ($95), definitely worth it...👍🏻
I'm a chief engineer as many situations come up- for copper piping I only go with old school- sweat fittings it's a solid seal as the solder bonds to both sides of the pipe ( male and female) no slipping no chance of coming loose. In some situations I can see saving time with these press fittings, but in time I can see them leaking. Plus all round fittings and supplies are just so much cheaper. Just my thought....
Job security. I can’t understand sharkbites passing plumbing code when the "bite" part is metal into copper. Electrolysis will eventually eat one or the other dissimilar metals.
Never had a problem with sharkbite's. I'm a builder, 40 yrs, and when these came out it's a super easy repair. Quick and clean and most of all no fire and no expensive tools. Another advantage is going from metal to pvc to pex etc with ease.
@@RadioRich100 Normally when someone says 'I'm a builder' = 'quickest, cheapest method'. Once these builders finish the last home and are out of the 'warranty period' they file bankruptcy or dissolve the shell company or LLC....and start all over. Once people start having flooded homes they're long gone. Seen it before.
I use pro-press from 1" to 3" large Ridgid corded tool. Heavy, but surprisingly well-balanced and easier to get into spaces than it looks. Works great, primarily for commercial, because it's permanent. Only way to remove is to cut, lose some length of cc oppper. One tip, There's a built-in stop. Just push onto pipe until it stops, unless using a slip repair coupling. The 11/16 for 1/2" is just for planning/measurements.
I used SharkBite four times and they have all worked perfectly. I terminated a .25” copper tube and I have three shutoff, quarter turn valves under the sink. No leaking with any of them. I can see and access all the valves (they’re not behind a wall).
Pro. 30 years +. North East upstate NY. Never had a shark Bite or equivalent fail, or freeze off. Scores copper good in a freeze, never plows or moves on PEXa. Love them for leak fix when sweat will never work.
If you are unable to shut the water off completely, (small dribble) these fittings and press will work great, unlike solder. I have one of these presses and it is well worth the money.
I have a property maintenance company; we use sharkbit all the time "10+ years now", benefits of sharkbit over Brazing or press fittings g is you don't loss pipe length due to removal/replace. Sharkbit is 100% removable, replaceable and reliable.
When doing some updating on my daughters home I used shark bite fittings in 21 places as well as shark bite ball valves on all sinks and faucets. I know that the shark bite fittings were pricey, but I had time constraints involved. To spend $175 on that crimping tool would be cost effective only if I were going to be doing a lot more plumbing. I know how to sweat the copper, but the shark bites were so quick. My daughter has lived in her home now over 10 years with no leak issues. And I’ve had to sweat a copper line only once in the last 10 years. So, for me I have to say I loved using the shark bites.
@@mikecase9365 I have had 1 inch elbows and couplings on my incoming well water line for 11 years now. When I 1st use them I had one blow off, but only because I didn't understand I would encounter 2 points of resistance during insertion. 1st on the stainless steel teeth and then again at the o ring. Properly deburred pipe inserted to fully seated depth will have zero issues.
The propress and Sharkbite fittings or Valves I find best to use when you want to avoid Burning anything, a large home with any water in the line when you need a fast repair done anywhere, and when using sharkbites I always look to see if the O rings are greased properly to avoid a dry connection! Love that you made sure the copper was well cleaned before installing the propress to Prevent leaks! As a 20 yr plumber I prefer Propress over sharkbite When really needed! Besides that I try to solder anything I can
Im a diyer and I bought the milwaukee press tool and the pex expansion tool. It just make sense. Having sweat (3) 2 bath 1 kitchen apartments it no way in ever sweating copper again! Its a pain in the but.
Hey Scott, I had a house in California which had tubing in the slab. Cheap. The hot water tubing started leaking (of course, maybe a topic for a future video.) Not wanting to jackhammer the slab, I bypassed. My then future (now ex) wife was impressed that I was using a utility knife to cut two slots across all of the walls to re-pipe lol. That job was not fun! I used red Pex and the rings and fittings needed a plier similar to what you have there. It's huge! I still have it. It was 3/4" because I sure wasn't getting more than one plier, and the bits weren't changeable like yours. Man, I had to drill 1" holes in all of the studs and put in steel plates to prevent future people from drilling into the Pex. Did drywall repair, painting, texturing and I surprised myself that it was impossible to tell the difference when I was done. I think that was why she married me, but she divorced me because I couldn't get a job lol. Easy come easy go maybe? Don't know. 😁 The point of this comment is to convey what a pain it is to get those huge clamping pliers into walls or any tight spaces. It worked and I saved having a plumber come out and charge thousands of dollars, so you sweat the stuff you have to do but please repeat to yourself, think of what I'm saving. Of course, not everyone will succeed, so mileage will vary. Anyway, awesome video!! Ken
I would recommend "round off" the edge of pipe with a sand cloth so you're less likely to damage o ring, and dipping either pipe or fitting into a cup of water also makes it easier to push on
I was hesitate using sharkbites at first but I'm a believer now. Installed several with no failures for about 5 yrs. It is the sharkbite brand that I use. No experience with other similar brands. These were invented in Australia. I still can't figure out how they work so darn good!
Since technology advanced and plumbers got Fancy with these super gadgets to make soldering obsolete soldering is still the number one solution for a leak-free copper pipe. End of story
I never press or solder valves. I always also use threaded or compression fitting valves. Just better for any future repair because nothing lasts forever.
I tried a Sharkbite elbow on a pipe with a (very) little bit of solder on it. It wouldn't bite on the pipe. Then I installed a plastic Nibco(?) fitting on the same pipe, and it worked flawlessly. Several months later, I sweat a copper elbow, sleeping better now. I struggle to sweat valves, so I could justify renting one of those crimping tools.
Shark bite fittings are great ,those press fittings are hard to use and are not reusable if make a mistake,sharkbites cane used over and over again.i keep some fittings and pipe on hand for emergency repairs. I live in a trailer with the old polybutalane pipe so I get a lot of leaks👍
For a water heater overflow I think sharkbite is perfect. You can remove the sharkbite and put back when you swap out the water heater. If you solder or propress, you may need new piping every time you get a new water heater.
I know I’m a year late but I think it was a great instructional video. I’m not a shark bite user, it’s great for homeowners but as a pro , we sweat and press. My only feed back on pressing is that every failure I’ve found was someone 1. Didn’t clean the pipe well 2. The fitting wasn’t pushed in all the way 3. If you are using a battery pro press machine , the battery wasn’t charged all the way . Press fittings have been a time saver and a liability saver versus using a torch. Press valves are especially helpful in the places that you can’t turn the water fully off or there is a lot of drain down.
I don't have a lot of plumbing projects, as a home owner, I like Sharkbite very much. Never had anything fail or leak on me. But this is a great video and let's me see that the press fitting option might be a good choice in the future..
I had no idea these fitting existed. I use SharkBites, because I am terrified of soldering-afraid I'll start a fire 🔥🔥🔥. I think I'd like to give these crimp fittings a try...tho, I am kinda a very new fan of PEX and the SharkBite EVOPex fittings...
Shark bite fittings will also allow the valve or fitting to rotate which you may not want. I would use a crimped coupling to extend the valve away from the wall, then solder a ball valve, because the soldered valve can then be easily replaced if necessary. It’s also a good idea to place a pressure gauge upstream and downstream of your water regulator so that you know how well the regulator is functioning and when it is failing. It will also tell you if your street pressure is too high in which case you might want to use 2 regulators. One of which would be a “step down” regulator. . This would only be necessary if the street pressure exceeds 150 psig. Normally house pressure would be set at about 55 or 60 psig. The higher the street pressure, the shorter the life of the regulator because it must work much harder to maintain house pressure.
Or install a valve-switched bypass for the PRV with a gauge downstream of both. That way, it's just 1 gauge and you're prepped to change out the PRV when needed.
I use a variety and it depends on what it is that may make the job easier. I'll use shark bite fittings on certain applications, and solder on others. I'm kind of liking the crimp fit a little more due to an area on a main water line that just wouldn't clear all the water out. Crimp fittings work well for that because soldering would have been a pain. So, the variety is great for the different scenarios you would encounter.
Next time you sweat a pipe that just will not quit dribbling water go get a piece of bread break off a piece roll it into a ball and stuff it into the leaky pipe when the water quits dripping go ahead and solder the joint. It works and the bread breaks down and flushes out the nearest outlet.
I installed a main shutoff with a shark bite bulb valve with out shutting off the water and not even a cup of water was spilled. On the fly. 6years later still solid.
👍👍using the nibco press fitting is much simpler and quicker than sweeting copper pipes. I used the shark bite fittings on my hot water heater and It worked very well. I will switch to the nibco press fitting.🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾
We used sharkbite fittings to install my new water heater 15 years ago. They never leaked in the 15 years they were on. I decided to put new ones on when the water heater failed this year, because I'm sure that o-ring will eventually deteriorate in the sharkbite fitting.
I have a ProPress and it’s completely secure. That’s why all the pro’s are switching over. I still solder sometimes but only on a weekend when the supply houses are closed. Crimp fittings aren’t widely available at the DIY stores. Home Depot doesn’t have them at all but Lowe’s has a very limited stock in some stores. But... you’ll never spend $2000 on a torch and a torch makes equally good joints. Mine comes in handy if there’s no time for a hot work permit, sprinkler heads or the water won’t completely shut off. Last week I couldn’t get the water completely off in an apartment complex and there was a leak. I cut the pipe, shoved a press ball valve on there, crimped it and was able to fix the leak at a leisurely pace 🤣
@@chachacheng9380 The beautiful thing is you don’t have to change. If you do it for a living and find something just as secure that cuts your time in half it’s a no brainer.
I work as property maintenance for 10 years at the same place. We have many maintenance techs fix leaks with sharkbite fittings. As the years go by, more and more leaks seem to pop up. All due to Shark bites started leaking. We have plumbers come out fix them properly. They all say the same thing. The see slot if Shark bites leak after 3-5 years due to hiw bad the hard water in our area is. I seen pro press and it worth investing in the tools. Simple to do and use. Plus saves alot of time then soldering. Recommend saving up for it if you do properly maintenance maintenance. It a live save. We can fix our pipes and not have to pay over price plumber to come out, and do job in 30mins or less with pro press fittings.
When it comes to a main water inlet, my biggest problem was dealing with the city water department. The street valve is unique and the city was the only ones allowed to turn it off or on. Took a day off work and called the water department to shut off the water. Three hours later a young kid showed up and couldn't get the street valve closed and had to call a supervisor to help him. At this point, I didn't care if the ball valve cost me $50. I just wanted that valve in the warm house installed and working. Of course this was all happening on a January day and the temperature was 14 degrees outside. I sweated the new ball valve on and again had to call the water department again to have them come out to turn the water back on (another 2 hour wait). All in all, spent an entire day changing out one valve.
Nice detailed video👏 I encourage you to try soldering, it's much easier than you think, especially if you use flux containing tin.😁 Good job on the tool review, I will consider purchasing the crimp tool.
For sure, I will be spending a bit more time learning how to solder over the next year. I actually think once I get a little practice from a cost and robustness standpoint solder would be my preferred method.
I rarely use Sharkbites, but thank God they exist. A Sharkbite coupling just saved me a lot of pain this week. I try to put them in a place in the line where they will be trapped in place, and never use them to cap a live water line. Not permanently, anyway. I'll probably increase my stock of them in the future. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Cheers.
I am a fading PEX fan . My difficulty is how a PEX connection will spin . For example a ball valve will always face down and move when trying to operate the valve . I work in apartment and nursing home environments . I run into a variety of plumbing styles depending on the age of the pipe I'm working on . I am moving towards using a crimper for PEX , or compression fittings when working with older lines . A common problem has been swelled lines from a winter freeze . The 1/2 copper will need cut at a point where there is no swelling . At that point I lean to PEX and quick connects . PEX has made it easy for me to make a continuous run & avoid in the wall connections . I find that I am choosing material (copper or PEX) and fitting depending on what I am working on and the environment that I am in.
I have used the battery operated crimpers and they are indeed very quick and efficient, but they are very expensive. I have been looking at these manual crimpers on eBay for a while, but have been hesitant. Thanks. I will be more inclined to buy one now
I bought this tool for a whole house re-pipe following a deep freeze that burst many of the copper pipes. Fortunately, the water main was shut off and the house was vacant. All of the plumbing was in the unfinished basement. Several of the 70 year old copper solder joints blew apart as did the single shark bite connector that was used to repair a horizontal pipe. The 1" copper main blew open in the middle of a horizontal section of the pipe as did one of the 1/2" pipes. The main shutoff valve was also leaking a solder joint. I own a Milwaukee ProPex expansion tool and chose Pex A for the repipe. But I wanted something other than Sharkbites to transition to the copper pipes I wasn't replacing. My experience was similar to the video but I couldn't get it to work between some of the floor joists because there wasn't enough room to open the jaws. It is also difficult to get the tool properly aligned on the fitting because it is relatively heavy and you need both hands to get the clamp to close. All told, I'm pleased with the way the tool worked. I replaced the main shutoff valve without incident and kept a section of the verticle copper pipe because this is a 70 year old house and the electric panel is grounded to the water main. You can't do this with a Sharkbite because there is no continuity due to the plastic liner. But if I ever do another re-pipe, I'm buying the Milwaukee power press tool.
Shark bites are great, can be used to connect two different types of pipe no problems. Used them when I upgraded my waterheater. Limited space so SB's were the way to go.
I concur. Why have a large expensive specialized tool hanging around after you are done with the renovations? Sharkbite valves also rotate after installation, useful for making your flexible connections look neat and straight.
Yes, once in winter temperature was very cold outdoor, I got copper pipe broken behind the indoor valve (closed) even though I had drained water out then closed the outdoor valve. It was not good for my basement. I repaired it as the same way you said. Outdoor valve (existing)-- copper pipe (existing in concrete) -- SB coupler - Flex pipe (new) -- new T valve (sharkBite) -- Flex pipe (new) -- SB coupler (new) -- SB valve (new) -- existing copper pipe. By this configuration, before winter, I can respectively close the indoor valve, open outdoor valve, open T valve and drain completely water out (vacuum or air compressor). Finally close outdoor and T valves. No more thermal conduction to my indoor valve :-)
I replaced several very old non-working shut off valves in my two bathrooms and kitchen with push to connect within the past 8 years with no issues. Also installed 2 "slip push to connect" valves for 2 old gate valves that were frozen. My brother's main 3/4 " shut valve was damaged but still worked. To fix the problem we shut off the main valve and then installed a push to connect slip value. The slip valve requires you to remove 2" of copper piping. Turned on the main valve and no issues and this job was performed 5 years ago. When I installed my dish washer I installed a double push to connect on the hot water line for the dishwasher and faucet.
