Not that this is probably top of mind when installing that kind of thing, but another issue with copper these days is its resale value. My in-laws old place was empty while they were trying to sell it, and someone broke into the crawl space and cut out all the copper piping. They had to re-plumb the entire place. :shake:

That is happening all over the place, with the value of scrap copper. They're stealing AC units outside of homes too.

I should throw up a list of my latest projects someday.

The more projects I tackle, the less of a real "handy man" i feel like.

Decided to pimp out the windows and siding project....2 weeks I think.

Rich Trethewy approves. :thumb:

Very good info.

I agree regarding pex. I probably have a couple hundy wrapped up into stocked fittings, copper tube, flux, & solder but I'm content to let that stuff rot if I can do pex in less than half the labor and 0% of the problems. I spent 6 hours on a solder job in phisherman's house last summer that would have taken me 10 minutes with pex today. It also looks like a blind geriatric rigged it but at least it's watertight. Never again.

following along those lines you should try the push fit fittings (I think they are called "Gator Bite" or something like that) with the pex line. They install in literally one second and you can actually remove and re-use them using only a cheap plastic tool. The fittings are a bit pricey but they are much easier and quicker than the crimp fittings.

Yeah, that's what I thought and then I had one fail. Never again.

I wouldn't use those press fit fittings for anything. They are bad news and have absolutely not data or long term testing with the use of PEX. I would never put them in my house. :shake:

Ummm, lets see. Dont jerk off with shampoo!

I use the shark bite fittings all the time in commercial applications and they are the best thing since sliced bread. I can join copper to pex or copper to copper.... you get the point. I have not had one fail in the 2 yrs I have been using them. I also have a co-worker that has a house in Raymore that is done all in pex. He loves it.

I was lucky. The first one I ever tried failed. I'm not a slow learner. Fortunately it was on a job helping out a cousin for free and most the water went into his crawlspace. So I wasn't on the hook for the cleanup.

This is good to know. Plumbing always gives me fits.

As I'm sure you know, one is not a very large sample of data to form an informed opinion. I can not speak to the long-term durability of them but, to this date and as far as I know, all that I have installed are functioning perfectly.

Out of curiosity, how long was it working before it failed? More like an hour or more like a year?

Of course it isn't a large sample but when it's your first one? I base a lot of my decisions on personal experience and the rest I'll leave up to consumer reports and the wisdom of those in my circle. When the first of anything I buy fails I'll probably find alternatives in the future - such as my Gateway laptop and these sharkbite fittings. Besides, the crimp fittings work just fine for me now that I've invested in a crimper and they're less than half the cost.

Oh - and the fitting performed fine for about 10 days.

i've yet to have a sharkbite fitting fail either. handy when you've got to transition from pex to copper. sometimes on cpvc that that little plastic stiffener needs to come out to let the cpvc go all the way in. the only time i've ever seen one leak was on cpvc and the pipe didn't fully insert.