If you had to use on copper which would you use.
I have heard good things about the sharkbite but I thought it had a o ring that might wear out.
Compression would not have that problem.

Thanks

i agree. how long can an "O" ring last?

How long can an o-ring last?

It depends on how much the material it seals moves. In a Moen cartridge moved daily about 20 years. In a Delta faucet spout about 20-30 years. In the connection between the Sloan stop/check valve and flushometer just about forever unless you pinch it reassembling it at some point.

Catch my drift?

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It would depend on where in the piping system either fitting would be installed.
Very rare occasion that a typical solder connection, (the best choice) won't work.

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This slow drip will waste 7+ gallons of water per day.

if the area is exposed and can be fixed later id use a sharkbite(and i do)....if its inside a wall id use male to female threads...

"if its inside a wall id use male to female threads"

why would you waste the time instead of soldering it together?

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you work on cars, correct? you must be familiar with the "O" rings Ford uses in their AC lines. yes, there is alot of heat, cold, movement and pressure, but they are a very leak prone design.

i was thinking about switching between cpvc and copper....thats where i use sharkbites....if its copper to copper you would always solder

I stick w/GM Packy. My A/C works!

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In the case of Pro-Press they are hoping "forever".

Ford's have trailer hitches designed to tow GM vehicles which have working A/C but nothing else.

Space Shuttle Challenger!,O-ring on solid rocket booster,Pro-press ring are already starting to leak.

so, how many of you guys have screwed a nipple into a fitting? sometimes the thing goes in about a full turn and gets hard to turn. other times the nipple will bury itself in the fitting. same goes for sloppy/tight copper fittings over tubing. i guess this is called "tolerance". what makes you think the "tolerance" between "O" rings and tubing would be any more accurate?
also, most of the time we are not working in pristine, laboratory conditions. a little corrosion, a little sand or even a little dandruff will affect sharkbites.

Redwood makes a valid point about movement of the o-ring. The less it moves, counting thermal expansion, the better. I replaced six 4" gate valves with six 4" ball valves with short copper stubs and Pro Press couplings. They are holding fine so far and I think they will last longer than I do!

It is your house. Just have it soldered so the job is correctly done. Why skimp on your home. A few bucks to a plumber will save you thoousands later on. Oh yeah Fords are not so good. Their power joke diesels are weak compared to GM (Isuzu)

Packy (And others) In thinking about the people not sold on Shark Bites just yet...

How about Pro-press? They work the same way. An o-ring is the seal.

How about Victaulic? That's been around forever in sprinkler lines and uses the same rubber compound seal in the grooved joint.

How about ductile iron water mains with glands and gaskets? They've been in use for decades too.

Just some thoughts...

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all of those are held in place by means other than just the fitting

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I wonder how well the #15A "O"-Ring lasts in the illustration below?
How many are in use and for how long? Darn Untested Technology!



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Victaulic and water main gaskets are varitions on a "chevron" seal where the water pressure enters and expands them against the mating surfaces, which is different than an "O" ring which depends strictly on compression for its seal.

They will last forever, or until the valve has to be removed, in which case I use a new "O" ring. You just can't trust these new ideas too far.

I would use Legends Instaloc, its built with the professional in mind. Not sold in the big box stores and can be removed with 2 pair of pliers or pipe wrenches if need be. Did I mention they are all brass and full port too.

I guess its just that I have used similar technology quite a while and have higher confidence in it! I used to work as a staff plumber in an idustrial maint department. This type of fitting was used on a lot of equipment with nylon tubing for pneumatic circuits on machinery. It proved to be a very reliable connection on equipment that often operated under extremely adverse conditions. These connections were often rapidly moving, buried in metal chips and coolant, with working pressures as high as 250 PSI, cycling from 0 to 250 several times a minute, with very few failures. Failures were most commonly caused by a metal slug landing in a position where it sheared the fitting off as the machine moved rapidly to a new work position AKA machine crash. The machine movement was absorbed by swivel fittings and in the tubing loops not the tube to fitting connection.

This experience has gained my confidence in the technology.

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