Info on those 'push to connect' systems

[bggas400]

hello,

I'm wondering if any of you have experience using those 'gator bite' or shark bite' push to connect systems? It seems quick and easy but how is the longevity? How long have they been on the market?

Would you or would you not use them and in which instances? For shut off valves under your sink, or for hot water baseboard lines. I think it would get pricey if needing many of them.

Thanks,
Barry

 

[havasu]

I know many swear by them, and others swear AT them. I would use them for a quick fix, but I just don't trust them as much as a solid fitting, and yes, they can get pricy if you need more than a few of them.

 

[phishfood]

I use them in situations where making a "solid" joint would be difficult or dangerous. For instance, soldering a tee into an existing copper line inside of a wall is worrisome because of the fire danger. Or in the crawlspace underneath a house with copper, where it will be hard to get rid of all the water from the lines, making it much more likely to have a leak and nearly impossible to fix a leak when you do have one.

I, too, am curious to see what the longevity of these fittings are. The first time I saw something similar to these was ~13 years ago, with the Accor stop/supply tubes. We had some problems with them, some related to installation, some due to the design of the attachment system itself. After some time, it seemed that both of those problems got resolved.

 

[SlowDrip]

Some are better than others, I have never used either of the "bite" brands that seem to be specific to certain stores, but some types are definitely more solid seeming than others. They are a quick way to convert from copper to pex under a sink or something, but I would be wary of burying them in a wall...mainly because I am a paranoid s.o.b.

 

[plumbernyc]

These been on the market for less than a decade, so far haven't heard anything negative about them. I use them for quick fixes, but not for the whole project s they're are way too expensive for that.

 

[bggas400]

Thanks for the replies. I've just put some shut offs under my kitchen sink. Hopefully they work out. I guess it wouldn't hurt to practice some sweating techniques.

 

[SlowDrip]

Shutoffs are a perfect spot to try a new system out, they are easy to get to if something goes wrong. I have some dahl quick-connects under my kitchen sink that I put in like 7 years ago, not a drop so far.

 

[bggas400]

That's great SlowDrip, Thanks. It also makes a case for using them to connect a length of hot water pipe. I'm also renovating the bath and want to remove the length of HW baseboard (connect the pipes from below) and use radiant heat.