# Used a sharkbite and it bit me in the a**



## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

The only time I ever use a sharkbite is when I need to temporarily cap off a line for a remodel. I was actually encouraged by the GC to use them on their projects. 

Capped of two lines that were coming out of the floor. While I was waiting on the GC to pick out a urinal, the framer was working on getting some of the new bathroom walls built. Apparently he caught his shoe on one of the shark bites and pulled it off the line. The floor below was a finished basement (all except for the ceiling.) Luckily he caught it pretty quick and got the water off without too much damage. 

Morale of the story, I learned my lesson... no more sharkbites.:bangin:


----------



## AKdaplumba (Jan 12, 2010)

Your punishment is 10 lashes!


----------



## pilot light (Apr 21, 2012)

That will learn ya!:laughing:


----------



## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

pilot light said:


> That will learn ya!:laughing:


 He escaped???


----------



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

I highly doubt hitting it with your boot would knock off a sharkbite unless it was not pushed in all the way....


----------



## PunkRockPlumber (Mar 26, 2012)

Clumsy framers.


----------



## UN1TED-WE-PLUMB (Oct 3, 2012)

OldSchool said:


> I highly doubt hitting it with your boot would knock off a sharkbite unless it was not pushed in all the way....




Agreed. ... Unless his boot lifted on the locking ring and then pulled it off that way. 

About all they're good for is temporary caps


----------



## chuckscott (Oct 20, 2010)

UN1TED-WE-PLUMB said:


> Agreed. ... Unless his boot lifted on the locking ring and then pulled it off that way.
> 
> *About all they're good for is temporary caps*


 I only carry 3/4 and 1/2 caps, 2 each on my truck. only use them for capping off leaks at night until I can have time to repair correctly. customers seem to like the idea of having use of water in rest of house, go figure..


----------



## chuckscott (Oct 20, 2010)

chuckscott said:


> *I only carry 3/4 and 1/2 caps, 2 each on my truck.* only use them for capping off leaks at night until I can have time to repair correctly. customers seem to like the idea of having use of water in rest of house, go figure..


sharkbite caps that is..


----------



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

chuckscott said:


> I only carry 3/4 and 1/2 caps, 2 each on my truck. only use them for capping off leaks at night until I can have time to repair correctly. customers seem to like the idea of having use of water in rest of house, go figure..


Next time use a coupling instead and get the water running in the entire house


----------



## chuckscott (Oct 20, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> Next time use a coupling instead and get the water running in the entire house


If I did that they would have a false sense of security and not call me back.


----------



## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

I finally got the full story from the framer today. 

The pipes were coming out of the floor and he stepped on the pipe which wasn't secured very well from below. The line was running inside of a joist space and turned a 90 to go through the floor. When he stepped on the line the floor released the shark bite and out came the water. :boat:

The water shut off in this particular office building is pretty tough to find I think it took him a few minutes to get the water off.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

plumberkc said:


> I finally got the full story from the framer today.
> 
> The pipes were coming out of the floor and he stepped on the pipe which wasn't secured very well from below. The line was running inside of a joist space and turned a 90 to go through the floor. When he stepped on the line the floor released the shark bite and out came the water. :boat:
> 
> The water shut off in this particular office building is pretty tough to find I think it took him a few minutes to get the water off.


If he stepped on it that hard it just a easily could have broken below. Even sweating the cap on isn't going to prevent stupidity.


----------



## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

The Hackbite in question is NOT Guilty 

cant fix stupid


----------



## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

plumberkc said:


> I finally got the full story from the framer today.
> 
> The pipes were coming out of the floor and he stepped on the pipe which wasn't secured very well from below. The line was running inside of a joist space and turned a 90 to go through the floor. *When he stepped on the line the* *floor released the shark bite* and out came the water. :boat:
> 
> The water shut off in this particular office building is pretty tough to find I think it took him a few minutes to get the water off.


 






Then use these next time: even you can't get them off....:laughing:


----------



## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

I wouldn't trust a hack bite, even temporary. Are we in such a hurry these days, that we can't even solder a cap on, even temporary? Or cut off the unfastened, unsecured bouncy pipe, below the floor, so that we eliminate the possibility, of a disaster?

I had my neighbor (big cheap a$$) try to put in his own water heater about 6 mos ago. He had a hack bite valve on the cold supply, but the dielectric was leaking. I tried to take the dielectric off, to re seal it, & that valve blew off. That was some tremendous bath I got in a matter of 6 seconds. I would have insomnia, if I used 1 of those hack bites, even if it was temporary. Cuz guess what..............a temporary cap can flood a house, just as easy.


----------



## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Good post Don 100% agree

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


----------



## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Don The Plumber said:


> I wouldn't trust a hack bite, even temporary. Are we in such a hurry these days, that we can't even solder a cap on, even temporary? Or cut off the unfastened, unsecured bouncy pipe, below the floor, so that we eliminate the possibility, of a disaster?


It was definitely a mistake on my part and I learned a lesson. I really don't think it was from being lazy more so not wanting to waste any copper that was going to be cut out the next day. Which would have been the case but I was called off early the next morning because the owner had not selected a fixture. If I had known that it was going to be a couple of days I would have definitely addressed it.


----------



## jc-htownplumber (Feb 29, 2012)

Here is a question for those who use pro press, a shark bite has the same basic principle of how it works. An o ring is what seals the only difference is one is a push on and the other is press/crimped to seal. Granted rigid was,from what my boss says, the first ones using it. But what makes it a hack bite is it the fact that everyone can use it or that you don't need a tool to install it?


----------



## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

plumberkc said:


> It was definitely a mistake on my part and I learned a lesson. I really don't think it was from being lazy more so not wanting to waste any copper that was going to be cut out the next day. Which would have been the case but I was called off early the next morning because the owner had not selected a fixture. If I had known that it was going to be a couple of days I would have definitely addressed it.


Just so you know, I wasn't bashing you personally, just facts of life in general, that too much these days is based on speed, & quantity. And when you put those 2 together, your bound to have minor, or major screw ups. Perfect example, latest steroid shots. Guy here in Mich, both he & his wife had the same injection on same day, he buried her yesterday.

I know thats an extreme example, from what happened to you, but with all these new fangled, save time & money inventions, (ie, shark bites, pex, anything flex), we plumbers are expected to be in & out of each job, in lightning speed.


----------



## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

What makes a shark-bite a hack fitting over a pro-press is the fact the shark-bite can and will blow off.

The first generation pro-press fittings did not have a weep path behind the o-ring to show you an unlressed fitting. Back then Ridgid would remove the o-ring and press a joint and put it under pressure to show you that the 7000#'s of pressing force was enough to make a seal. 

I use my pro-press more as a emergancy type tool. Last year I had a retail shop have a 1" line burst in their wall. They could not find the water shut off in the unit. So I opened the wall cut the pipe pressed on a 1" ball valve and got the water to stop. The property manager was thrilled. Of course now that the urgency of the matter was over, we where able to track down the units shut off in the unit.


----------

