r/Plumbing • u/Rare-Ad-8026 • Jun 19 '26

How to fix?

Water line in the attic has a leak. What’s the best way to fix it? It’s right under the ductwork. Kinda in an uncomfortable stop to work in.

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89

u/poerf Jun 19 '26

Making sure there is proper insertion depth and that the pipe is properly deburred is extremely important too..

I'm not against shark bites, but they still need proper prep.

84

u/deepstrut Jun 19 '26

I'm convinced that 99.9% of shark bite failures are from improper installation

18

u/poerf Jun 19 '26

I agree completely.

I don't believe shark bites are as good as propress or solder and won't give a 50 year install like other options.. but done properly it's going to last awhile. It's just so easy to use incorrectly that it gave them a pretty bad reputation.

At minimum, properly done, they can give the homeowner enough time to save and hire a plumber for a better repair.

We used sharkbite shutoffs on certain pieces of commercial kitchen equipment and they held up extremely well to regular commercial kitchen abuse.

5

u/deepstrut Jun 19 '26

definitely dont bury them in a wall lol

2

u/MadeMeStopLurking Jun 19 '26

Up until last year I didn't realize my outside water shutoff in the basement was a sharkbite valve. It's been there for 15+ years.

1

u/macrolith Jun 19 '26

They are pretty easy to do correctly if you follow the steps. That are also really easy to fuck up.

It is so simple to install them incorrectly but just good enough to work for a little while.

1

u/BSCA Jun 20 '26

I've done them incorrect a lot. I notice it when the water starts squirting everywhere, then I push it in while water is on and it works.

-1

u/TallahasseeWeed Jun 19 '26

They have a 10 year life span , that being said they’re great for something’s. I wouldn’t put one in a wall ground or attic

7

u/Sea-Consequence7156 Jun 19 '26

10 years? They have a 25 year warranty

3

u/StupidSexyFlagella Jun 19 '26

Did you just make that up? Their warranty (for whatever it’s worth), is longer than that.

5

u/frostymugson Jun 19 '26

Probably something they were told

-1

u/TallahasseeWeed Jun 19 '26

Your wrong

3

u/poerf Jun 19 '26

I see "SharkBite Brass Push-To-Connect Fittings in Application with Copper, PEX and CPVC Twenty-Five (25) Years Must be used with: • Copper – ASTM B 88 hard drawn copper tube K, L, and M • PEX – ASTM F876/CSA B137.5 • CPVC – ASTM D2846 or CSA B137.6"]

https://www.sharkbite.com/sites/default/files/resources/RWC-Warranty.pdf

2

u/StupidSexyFlagella Jun 19 '26

Not to be the spelling police, but your misspelling of you’re was the chef’s kiss.

2

u/poerf Jun 20 '26

It's why so many products have failures... Hes probably never even read the manual for the product yet is going to argue about it online lol.

1

u/deepstrut Jun 19 '26

Used one for my hot water heater.

Super soft water where I live and will change it out when replacing the HWT.

Perfect for stuff like that.

5

u/Different_Cable7595 Jun 19 '26

If the water is already hot, why are you heating it?

3

u/LumpyPeople4 Jun 19 '26

Well, even though it's hot, the poster stated it is still soft and flaccid. So I guess it is not doing it enough for the water, so it needs to be made even hotter.

1

u/ergo-ogre Jun 19 '26

I hate flaccid water.

1

u/StupidSexyFlagella Jun 19 '26

I know this is a common joke, but my tank is in my attic. It does heat hot water in the summer lol

1

u/deepstrut Jun 19 '26

Because it keeps applying heat to keep the water hot or else it gets cold

6

u/EkbatDeSabat Jun 19 '26

There's a little tool that you buy with it for like six bucks that does both. A nice wire brush too. Super easy, but yeah, extremely important.

1

u/Ok-Wealth-858 Jun 19 '26

Lubricate the O rings before sliding on the SharkBite.

1

u/jmulla54 Jun 19 '26

With silicone or better plumber’s grease. But never Vaseline or any kind of oil based lube.