# Plumber Need Not Apply Thread



## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

It looks like Plumbers are no longer needed. Here is a video I found to confirm it.


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## Ishmael (Dec 9, 2009)

It's so easy!!!!!!!!!


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Hmm...


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

plbgbiz said:


> Hmm...


As funny as it may seem, that is really what our trade has come down to. If it was not for at least some protection from the State, not a one of us could be in business.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Stopped by my local small time supplier, and they now have a brand new display of Sharkbite. Fitting, valves, etc.... This supplier is conveniently located, but has been forced to cater to the homeowner market, mostly due to the fact, that Professional outfits price shop, and go to the big city.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Why do I bother to use copper and solder then?


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*looks like my last few employees...*

I see guys that look like him all the time at the 
plumbing supply houses...... 

 I let a few go a long time
back that resembled this moron.
but they never dressed that good......

oh the memories...:laughing::laughing:


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Indie said:


> As funny as it may seem, that is really what our trade has come down to. If it was not for at least some protection from the State, not a one of us could be in business.


I don't worry a whole lot about shark bites use. I think for the most part the hacks and H,O,'s that are using them are the same ones that would have used PVC / CPVC etc. What bugs me though is they try to equate themselves to our day to day experience and knowledge. Sharkbite is not fool proof.
Any plumber knows or should know that O'rings get stiff and loose the ability to expand or shift with movement. They have O'rings,,, hope it don't get moved once the O'rings harden. If not seated properly they will blow out.
I would side by side my sweat work next to sharkbites any time day or nite.
The reasons I can think of to use one can be counted on one finger. Even at that I don't carry any Sharkbites. I know of a "professional" repipe that was done out of them,,,, the Ho ordered company to redo or no payment.
Needless to say, the job got redone PROFESSIONALLY. While I dont take hacks lightly, I try to do professional quality work. What else can we do?


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

One thing we can do is to document failures of Sharkbites and the resulting damage. There is power in numbers . . . if there are a lot of Sharkbite failures over a period of time, then a public education campaign can begin.

Gather proof first of failures and then start a PZ thread titled Sharkbite Failure Caused Millions in Damages. 

Who knows, maybe Sharkbites and compression fittings will become the new Polybute.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Sure they're easy and homeowner/handy hack friendly but this type of repair part has been around for quite a while. Qest compression fittings? Brass compression fittings? Did people freak out when these products came on the market? I would trust a brass compression fitting with a brass ferrule much more than a sharkbite but you do need a pair of wrenches to install them. Qest fittings can be installed on copper/pex/cpvc just like Sharkbites. I'm thinking products like these may take a few jobs away in the short term but we're going to be making money off of this junk for years to come. 






Paul


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## Catlin987987 (Nov 12, 2010)

I don't see any differance between this and Pro-Press. I have bought sharkbite in the past for the hard to reach jobs, It is nice. I do pride myself in my work and I don't use them regularly, but I do believe they have there place.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

When you come down to it time is money..... and we have a complete stock of these in our trucks...... could turn a PITA into a money maker......


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Catlin987987 said:


> I don't see any differance between this and Pro-Press. I have bought sharkbite in the past for the hard to reach jobs, It is nice. I do pride myself in my work and I don't use them regularly, but I do believe they have there place.


If you dont see any difference, you should go back to apprentice school. :yes:


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Catlin987987 said:


> I don't see any differance between this and Pro-Press. I have bought sharkbite in the past for the hard to reach jobs, It is nice. I do pride myself in my work and I don't use them regularly, but I do believe they have there place.


How did you do the work in the past before there was shark bite fittings?


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## ckoch407 (Sep 30, 2009)

Catlin987987 said:


> I don't see any differance between this and Pro-Press. I have bought sharkbite in the past for the hard to reach jobs, It is nice. I do pride myself in my work and I don't use them regularly, but I do believe they have there place.



Hmmmm.... Differences. Lets see. Well for starters you need an expensive compressing machine for propress fittings. And i dont think we will be seeing propress on the DIYchannel, or offered in the retail market in box stores and such any time soon.


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## Catlin987987 (Nov 12, 2010)

You guys are missing my point. You had shot down sharkbite because it had orings, so does propress, but with sharkbite it is easly removable. Both of these types of piping practices require no traning and a First years first day could be piping with only a little guidance. I do agree that both is taking from our trade. And to the comment of what we did before sharkbite in tight spaces, you had cut a bigger home in the wall and charged it back to the customer.


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

In that video she wasnt pushing the pipe in very far...if she thinks thats an inch, I have a footlong to show her.:thumbup:


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

Last Feb we actually had a bit of a freeze here, I went on a couple of calls, pipes froze and busted, when I looked at the problem it was sharkbites that had released from the pipe. Only thing that I can figure is that the expansion made the teeth release, and additional expansion pushed the fitting off of the pipe. I know most of you insulate pipes well, and other stuff, we plumbers in the south have a bad habit of saying it will never freeze. Then when it does the phone starts to ringing.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

easttexasplumb said:


> Last Feb we actually had a bit of a freeze here, I went on a couple of calls, pipes froze and busted, when I looked at the problem it was sharkbites that had released from the pipe. Only thing that I can figure is that the expansion made the teeth release, and additional expansion pushed the fitting off of the pipe. I know most of you insulate pipes well, and other stuff, we plumbers in the south have a bad habit of saying it will never freeze. Then when it does the phone starts to ringing.


Funny...

I've seen the exact opposite happen....:whistling2:

One thing about freezing is that it can create a force of about 40,000 PSI when that Ice expands.
Show me something that can contain that unless it can expand like PEX...

Usually the failure occurs when 2 ice plugs form and start freezing towards the middle point.

On thing for sure I use a ton of SharkBites in the winter repairing freeze damage on water lines.:thumbup:

I think the most I've used on a single job was 16 of them....:whistling2:


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## bikefitter0 (Nov 22, 2011)

i want to know, can you still use those fittings if you dont have tits ?


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

bikefitter0 said:


> i want to know, can you still use those fittings if you dont have tits ?


No !
Tits are required .


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## gtmechanic (Feb 15, 2009)

*shark bite*

first, are those people using water heater for heating purposes? it looks like they were connecting heating system to water heater. second, our trade is not about connection methods, but design and installation of plumbing systems. This is it all about, not in piping connection method. where are plumbers , who did lead wipe? lead and oakum?Imagine, if those plumbers would see no hub fittings? I still don't do PVC. so what? We still do lead and oakum on storm sewer. how many plumbers do? I see no problem with these shark bites.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

My uncle Frank was doing plumbing since the 1930s and he told me he thought PVC was going to be the devilish end of the trade, it wasn't. So, I ain't worried about it. 

I mean, c'mon, people still call me to rebuild toilets. All that Fluidmaster stuff at HD and Lowe's and a friendly "pro" to tell them how to install it, with step by step instructions on the package, but I still buy my fill valves two cases at the time. :thumbup:


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