Chatted with a plumber at Home Depot who said I should stop using sharkbite fittings for my basement reno

My buddy laughed when I showed him my plan and said sharkbites are for emergencies only. Now I'm wondering if I should redo the three joints I already put in last week. What's the real lifespan on these things hidden behind drywall?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_luna10d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah so the thing about sharkbites is they work fine for years under sinks or in crawlspaces where you can actually see them. But man, behind drywall that stuff makes me nervous. I mean the rubber o-ring inside those things is just sitting there waiting to dry out or get a little debris stuck under it and then you have a slow leak that you wont find until the drywall is all bubbled up and moldy. My dad used them in a wall years ago and it held for maybe 5 years then started weeping at the connection point. Idk if I'd risk it either, especially if you already have the tools and skills for crimp rings or pro press.

danielmartinez10d ago

People act like sharkbites are a ticking time bomb. I've got three in my basement that have been there for over 8 years now, no issues at all. @the_luna's story about their dad's fitting leaking after 5 years could have been just a bad install or a cheap knockoff, not the actual brand. Half the time these horror stories come from people who didn't push the fitting on all the way or had a burr on the pipe cut. If you prepped the pipe right and got it seated fully, those things are pretty damn reliable. Plus sharkbite has been making these things for like 20 years now and they've only gotten better. I'd be way more worried about a bad crimp job or a press fitting that didn't engage than a sharkbite that clicked into place properly.