I just hired a plumber to replace an old frozen gate valve to the main water supply shut-off in my house today. I had asked him for a Watts ball valve, but he used a Boston ball valve. I am not familiar with this brand. Is it any good?
Then he was planning to leave the old gate valve on the pipe and install the ball valve over it. I said no. I want the gate valve gone. I was charged $35 more for this. Why? His reason didn’t make sense and I just wanted to get it done.
Then when installed and water turned on, it was leaking at the bottom so he cut the top solder pipe and drained it again and then resolders the bottom where it was leaking. Then he just adds a shark bite to the top of the pipe instead of resoldering it. Is that safe for a main water supply shutoff inside my house behind a finished wall? I said to him that the plumber from his company told me last year that they are only for temp jobs, not for the long haul. But this guy said it works and holds just as good as solder but I don’t feel comfortable.
Anyone here help me out with advice please. Also I noticed somone posted that these shark bites contain some cancer causing chemical. Do I want this on my main water supply pipe to my whole house? I already suffer from multiple chronic health problems; I don’t need anymore. I live in Kansas, and noticed California enforces that homeowners be told about this issue. But obviously not Kansas. Help please. Thanks!
Lead is most likely the chemical you are describing. Yes it can cause cancer. Buy lead free parts if you are worried about lead exposure. There are fittings that have very low levels of lead in them, they are labeled “lead free” and cost a little more money. Filter your drinking water with an reverse osmosis filter to remove all the lead and other particles in it. Likely your drinking water is flowing through some metal containing lead or other cancer causing chemicals. You can have your water tested for purity.
I’ve seen very few shark bite fittings that leak if installed correctly. These fittings should remain accessible (all valves need to be accessible).
Make them solder all fittings if that’s what they agreed to doing.
Sharkbite’s can be a temporary fitting as they are easy to remove or they can be left as permanent in our jurisdiction. Check with your building dept as local codes may vary in your area.
Hello, we use sharkbite fittings only where they are accessible, not in the wall - please verify that with the local code enforcement. Also, we believe that there is nothing better than a good old school soldering job or crimping fittings if PEX material is used to do the repair. The shark bite fitting has a rubber O ring to do the seal which will fail more often than a solder joint or PEX pipe/fitting joint. However, sometimes it is not possible to do the solder job due to water coming out of the pipe. This is when sharkbites comes in handy, but not when it is installed inside the wall.
Using a sharkbite on poly water line is fine. As long as it is installed correctly you shouldn’t have any problems with it. I would use in my own home. I have used plenty of them and haven’t had any problems. If trying to use them with copper lines, you must pull out the inserts that come inside the sharkbite. Since you don’t need inserts on copper lines when it comes to couplings, if you don’t pull out the white inserts it will cause it to leak. As far as the chemicals i really don’t know anything about that.
I have used sharkbite fittings in only temp. or emergency situations. Not saying that they wouldn’t last, but I prefer to solder joints myself. If you need a water main repair in Massachusetts contact us @ James N. Zaharias Mechanical 339-293-2451.
Never would I use shark bite even for a temporary fix. If this is the type of work they are going to perform you may as well do it yourself.
I wonder what plumbing test for a master plumber or even a class A journeyman has the Canada install one of these fittings?
They are out there and the general public suffers because of lack of proper training of the so called plumbers
When faced with a defective gate / globe valve I will remove the old valve and install a full port ball valve such as an Apollo
