Videos
Hey all,
I know we all hate sharkbites and there's really no reason to use them except for temporary work. But, is there an actual code that says they can't be used for a permanent installationor that they can't be used in inaccessible locations?
I hired a plumber to rough-in some hot and cold water taps for laundry and they used sharkbite fittings to connect to the existing copper pipes. I am quite annoyed that it was done with push fittings when there was plenty of access to work with (plaster removed/under the house). Paid good money too when I could have easily done this myself with push fittings....
Should I be annoyed?
It must be the lead, because http://www.sharkbiteplumbing.com/lead-free-fittings is advertising lead free fittings and leads with this line:
As of January 1, 2010, changes to California and Vermont laws prohibit selling any pipe, fitting, or fixture that is intended to dispense or convey drinking water and that has a weighted average lead content of more than 0.25% based on a wetted surface area calculation.
I would have expected another sentence in there saying "and these are lead free so it's fine" but there isn't that, just a bunch of pictures of individual fittings.
Perhaps lead was an issue in the past, but it seems no longer. The manufacturer website says that their fittings are almost all lead free. For example,
"SharkBite Push-to-Connect Fittings
The SharkBite push-to-connect range is made from Lead Free DZR Brass and all products were converted as of October 2012."
Source: http://www.sharkbite.com/about-sharkbite/leadfree/lead-free-position/