# When Momma's Not Happy



## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Goes out Saturday, drive over 100mi go get a new one. Get back home, and the fittings disintegrate when I try to remove them.

Sunday, I work on the lathe stands. Nothing open anyways.

Monday(today), drive another 100mi to pick up a whole set of PEX tools. I'm still in the Copper Age. Plastic BS :angry: (the transition fittings are bad after almost 2 1/2 decades, and the whole thing's gotta be replaced......fittings, pipe, etc)

Get it all home, pull the old heater out so's the plywood under it will have a day to dry.

About 5:00...&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;."Am I gonna have hot water in the morning?"

"Uh...&#8230;&#8230;.nope". "Has to dry overnite"

"Well, you shoulda taken the tank out before you went to get the tools"

I know better than open my mouth.

Besides.....Won't kill her to take another shower at her Mother's. She's over there to see Monday Night Football anyways (shrug). All that daily shower BS is overrated anyways


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

That Pex is the way to go, and I also love those Sharkbites; they are non plumbers best friend.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I'm spoiled I could buy water heater at 5 places and drive less than 10 miles. I would use those stainless steel flexible pipes within 18 in of the water heater they would have the transition built right into it.. we have a lot of rentals I have replace water heaters and well pumps in the middle of the night because I knew I had to bail hay the next day... I have learned to know what it takes to do a particular replacement don't ask me how...


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

I've yet to see a mouse chew through copper though. The flex is becoming a code requirement in my area.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

CowboyRam said:


> That Pex is the way to go, and I also love those Sharkbites; they are non plumbers best friend.


Did a bunch of plumbing with pex & sharkbites. They are so easy to use. Genius invention. 
Only thing I wonder is if they'll hold up long term like 50 years.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

20 years ago redid two houses with the old gray PEX that was originally outlawed. Our insurance company requires an annual inspection and service of the heating system done by a certified licensed professional Heating dude.. way back when company walked into the house took one look at the PEX and said we will have nothing to do with any house with that type of Plumbing it needs to be all copper.. we found somebody else to do it but was in 5 years they were building the houses in the area that were 100% PEX..... I have PEX in more than 20 years that has never given any problems and is holding up just fine... we started using some SharkBite fittings and we really like them on half inch Plumbing because you get the full diameter of the half inch pipe verses with standard Pex fittings you stick them inside you're down to 3/8 of an inch. If you run a half inch PEX with about 6 or so fittings up to the Second Story of an old two-story farmhouse it takes 60 PSI at the pressure switch to get anything worth talking about at the upstairs bathroom spickets


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Did a bunch of plumbing with pex & sharkbites. They are so easy to use. Genius invention.
> Only thing I wonder is if they'll hold up long term like 50 years.


I also wonder about the long term service life of the sharkbites. You would think that something that you can take apart that easily would be prone to failure. I've used them a few times and have been impressed. I keep a few in the toolbox for emergency repairs. Still don't trust them enough to put them in a wall though...


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

endrow said:


> We started using some SharkBite fittings and we really like them on half inch Plumbing because you get the full diameter of the half inch pipe verses with standard Pex fittings you stick them inside you're down to 3/8 of an inch. If you run a half inch PEX with about 6 or so fittings up to the Second Story of an old two-story farmhouse it takes 60 PSI at the pressure switch to get anything worth talking about at the upstairs bathroom spickets


I just bought a Pex crimper to install some Pex plumbing on a project I'm working on. The reduction in inside diameter was one of the first things I noticed. I may take your advice and use sharkbites - at least on the main line.


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

RockmartGA said:


> I just bought a Pex crimper to install some Pex plumbing on a project I'm working on. The reduction in inside diameter was one of the first things I noticed. I may take your advice and use sharkbites - at least on the main line.


Crimping pex is how professional plumbers do it. They won't use shark bite because they can and do leak. Case in point, I have a sharkbite quarter turn water valve that is leaking around the o-ring and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it off. I installed it 3 years ago.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Hayjosh said:


> Crimping pex is how professional plumbers do it. They won't use shark bite because they can and do leak. Case in point, I have a sharkbite quarter turn water valve that is leaking around the o-ring and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it off. I installed it 3 years ago.


They make a tool to remove them.

https://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-U708A-Mount-Disconnect-8-Inch/dp/B0012BG9Y2/ref=asc_df_B0012BG9Y2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198091011796&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11924466392145978051&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029305&hvtargid=pla-338039667335&psc=1

Your plumbing supply that sells them should have them. You just push it up against the little plastic rim on the sharkbite and you can remove it.


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

CowboyRam said:


> They make a tool to remove them.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-U708A-Mount-Disconnect-8-Inch/dp/B0012BG9Y2/ref=asc_df_B0012BG9Y2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198091011796&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11924466392145978051&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029305&hvtargid=pla-338039667335&psc=1
> 
> Your plumbing supply that sells them should have them. You just push it up against the little plastic rim on the sharkbite and you can remove it.


I have the tool but this fitting does not have the plastic ring to release it.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I think the old plastic pipe that failed was polybutylene pipe not PEX. Some early low quality brass PEX fittings have been failing though.

We did all compression ring PEX in our place and all my repairs at sisters. I like copper a lot and enjoy soldering but just couldn't justify the time and cost.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

Hayjosh said:


> I have the tool but this fitting does not have the plastic ring to release it.


You can use a pair of pliers to do the releasing too.

I have an entire house plumbed with nothing but sharkbites, and in 12 years none have ever leaked.

They won't leak. They were originally designed by the Navy to stem leaks aboard US Submarines.


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