This was discussed here several years ago but I wondered if anyone has more recent experience with Snake Bite plumbing fittings. I have to do some plu mbing in the basement on a copper pipe line. I've had little luck trying to solder fittings over the years so I was looking for the compression ring t ype of fittings that you slip on and tighten the nut to seal the join. I fo und that the new thing is the insert-and-lock type of fitting. Home Depot h as two brands, Snake Bite and Cash Acme Shark Bite.
Searching this group, there was a discussion about five years ago where mos t users thought Snake Bite was a good product that worked well and saved ti me, although they were more expensive than the soldered joints. Has anyone had more recent experience with either brand?
HD calls them Shark Bites, Lowes calls them Gator Bites but they are the same type of fittings.
I've used a few on my outside faucet connections about 8 years ago and it's still holding strong. I was hesitant to use them in an enclosed area such as behind a wall, thus used them along the joists in my basement which I can gain access with drop ceiling.
I haven't heard anything bad about them since their debut. I wouldn't hesitate to use them more extensively if I need them again.
I had a problem with one of the baseboard lines where it has a couple of bends and an expansion joint prone to leaking. Tough place to solder too. I took out a copper section about 6 feet long, snaked in a piece of PEX and two sharkbites. Been good for 5 years now.
re recent experience with Snake Bite plumbing fittings. I have to do some p lumbing in the basement on a copper pipe line. I've had little luck trying to solder fittings over the years so I was looking for the compression ring type of fittings that you slip on and tighten the nut to seal the join. I found that the new thing is the insert-and-lock type of fitting. Home Depot has two brands, Snake Bite and Cash Acme Shark Bite.
ost users thought Snake Bite was a good product that worked well and saved time, although they were more expensive than the soldered joints. Has anyon e had more recent experience with either brand?
What is your definition of "more recent experience"? Are you looking for reviews from someone who has just used them as opposed to *updated* reviews from people that used them many years ago?
Seems to me that the reviews related to longevity would be what you want.
The hose spigot at the front of my house is at street pressure. The hose spigot for the backyard was after the pressure reducer. Many years ago (more than 5) I tapped into the 1/2" copper at the front of the house with a SharkBite T, ran Pex across the basement ceiling and used a SharkPipe elb ow to tie into the pipe for the rear spigot. That brought street pressure to t he backyard spigot. I also used a SharkBite cap to cap off the stub left over when I cut the original pipe to the back yard spigot.
I have had zero issues with any of the connections. Other than the expense of SharkBites, I wouldn't hesitate to use them. My opinion is this: Use SharkBites where sweating would be difficult or dangerous or when you want to transition from copper to Pex.
I also keep a couple of SharkBite caps with my plumbing supplies for use in an emergency. I actually used one last year when a pipe developed a leak late in the evening. I turned off the water, cut out the leaky fitting , capped the pipe and turned the water back on so we had water for the night. I think it took me about 10 minutes.
First off, they are SHARK BITE, not "snake bite". (A snake bite requires a medical doctor).
When I was doing plumbing work, I ran into a home where someone put a shark bite connector inside a wall, and it was placed real tight against a piece of 2x4. Apparently expansion and contraction from hot and cold caused the fitting to release inside the wall, and cause a major flood in the home. While the fitting was improperly placed, which caused the flood, I have not seen any other problems with them. But I stopped doing plumbing work before they became popular, so I did not run into many of them. I personally would not use them in my home, except for a temporary patch. I believe in doing things right and I like solid connections that can not come apart. (Not to mention the high cost of the Shark Bites).
ost users thought Snake Bite was a good product that worked well and saved time, although they were more expensive than the soldered joints. Has anyon e had more recent experience with either brand?
I have this fitting on one of my outside faucets and it has worked quite well and it's been on that faucet a good 10 years.
Just finished a complete bathroom remodel two weeks ago and my contractor used them for the under sink and toilet shutoffs. That's my only experience with them indoors and it's too soon to give a rating on those.
I used Shark Bite nearly three years ago to replace a failed water heater for a friend. It's still working just fine. No issues, and, no leaks. Wasn't difficult to attach the fittings either to the old copper pipe or the PEX pipe. I'd use the stuff again if I needed to replace pipe and/or a unit attached to some.
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