PEX, copper and SharkBite

Have to do some plumbing at Dad's house before selling. I'd estimate the copper pipe and valves are 30 years or older. There are over eight sweat gate valves leaking at the bonnet and packing nut, some stems frozen. My initial thought was to tear out all old copper and re-pipe with new copper and ball valves. That would be too time consuming though. 

I've replaced several gate valves with 1/2" compression ball valves where I could safely sweat off the old valve. Several others are inside joist spaces and some need more fittings sweated off to pull the valve. It's a bad layout too. Might as well cut it out. 

I'm a classic copper guy but have to look at PEX as an alternative to save time. SharkBite valves and fittings come into play also as a time saver although costlier. I'd be looking at replacing half the supply pipe and with a better layout. 

Question is, how is PEX and SharkBite viewed by owners, buyers, realtors etc.? I've read the threads here, reviews online and YT and they seem to be a mixed bag.

House will obviously get a home inspection before listing for sale.

TIA

My two cents: Sharkbites, Pex, and mix and match is all viewed as A-OK by home inspectors, contractors, homeowners, etc.

It's just how it is done now.  Do it quick, do it easy, unload it.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

I did 4 sharkbites on the pipes to my laundry room sink in 2010. Here we are in 2022 and they're still 100% free of issues.

I've been a big fan of sharkbite stuff for years, especially when fixing old stuff or tying it to new. Just so much easier to cut and push than worry about the joint your sweating seating but making the next patch leak all over again.

There are some on the outside of the new house, no idea how old they are but they look pretty damn old and they're holding up fine.

Friend of mine is scared of them because he doesn't know how it will hold up over 30 years, forgetting we'll both be dead by then so it really doesn't matter. That's his excuse anyway, I suspect it is just because they're pricier to buy. 

I really want to like pex, and I'm going to use it when I redo some stuff here. All I've used it for in the past was a 3/4" line to my pressure tank from the well pump, and it was a lot easier snaking than copper was. Took a good bit of effort with the cheap fitting tool though, if you're doing more than a couple sections, spring for the big pliers looking set instead of the small hand held metal crimper thing. 

Home inspection should be on the buyer, after it's for sale. 

Shark bites are magical. Just make sure you cut the pipes straight and clean and you're golden. 

I've not ever had a bad experience with shark bites, but my old man sure hates them. If the pipe isn't going to be stressed in any way during install I think you'd be fine. 

We still use all copper at work (commercial office building) but stopped using sharkbite fittings because we have had some fail. But that's a much higher duty cycle than a house. At home I've been happy with sharkbite so far but I was very happy with crimp pex in the shop. Went together super fast, and an error could be cut out and corrected really easily. I plumbed the shop about a year ago and haven't had any issues.

I regularly use sharkbites in places I can see them. They are O ring based so I still have something in the back of my mind that won't let me put them in a hidden area. I have used them for years when replacing water heaters that live under kitchen counters in apartments.  I stick with copper when I can.

I'm about to play with Pex in my new shop to run some air, beyond that I've only seen it used in new construction.

When I did my travel trailer plumbing, I did pex, but instead of the non-tool shark bite fittings, I did the crimp ones.  With the right tools, they were super easy to install, and also easy to get parts for.   For either shark bite or the crimp- get a good cutter that gives you a nice even end.

In terms of the old copper- if it's not leaking, I would not mess with it- my almost 100 yo home still mostly has the original copper and it's fine.  Getting the adaptors to PEX would work to replace where it's leaking.

There are also some reassuring university of tubes videos about PEX and all of the types of connections- really showing how great they are for freezing systems.  It may make you feel better to look those up.

I've had success with both. SanFord is plumbed in Pex. My last house was plumbed in copper that I repaired regularly.

You might consider pulling the guts out of the valves and repairing them. Packing nut leaks are usually failed packing that is fairly easy to replace. I have also had success in carrying the guts to the hardware store and buying a new valve with the same stem. Much easier than replacing the entire valve. 

You might also try tightening the packing nut. That may stop the leak without replacing anything. If the bonnet is leaking, some pipe dope or Teflon tape may take care of it. 

jgrewe said:

I regularly use sharkbites in places I can see them. They are O ring based so I still have something in the back of my mind that won't let me put them in a hidden area.

Don't think you're supposed to use them where you can't access them anyway. At least that's the case here.

I'm old school copper, but I did a job a few years ago from the basement to the second story and there wasn't enough room to re-run copper so I used PEX, both the barb and crimp, and the sharkbite fittings. The crimp will never fail, the sharkbite's will, but probably not in your lifetime. I've been using those fittings for 40 years in industrial applications and the only time they fail is in high cycle applications and even then they last years.

Another vote for Sharkbites, saved my butt when my water heater line sprang a leak on a Sunday morning.

From what I can see, sweating copper pipe is going the way of the dinosaur. Many contractors who prefer copper have gone to crimped fittings, so much faster and easier. You can lay out a whole system, then crimp each fitting. A crimper tool is not exactly DIY budget friendly, but the fittings rely on an 0-ring so I think the tech is proven to be reliable. Who knows in 50 years. 

PEX is pretty standard these days, again, a crimping tool makes it fast and easy. If you have a lot of work to do, I would get a set of PEX tools and foget about dealing with solder ever again. You can also repair an active leak with PEX, you'll get wet, but you don't have to shut off the water to splice in PEX.  

As for SharkBites, I have heard arguments for and against. I have a few that have been in place for over 10 years with no issues. They are all accessible, but only by coincidence. If there was no stress and they pipe was properly anchored, I would not hesitate to use behind a wall.

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

The only downside I see to pex is water condition. Florida water is brutally bad and I see rotted PEX all the time, and the E36 M3 thing about it is, if one bit of the PEX fails, the whole thing is shot and you're going back to the joint. Pretty common in trailers around here. That being said, it's still easier, faster, and in many cases cheaper- to run a fresh line of pex than it is to deal with copper. 

Now that I've used Pex I am never going to deal with copper again, pex is soooooo much easier to deal with.   I have had good luck with shark bites too, and use them for copper to pex transitions in a few places in my house.   I did a water heater replacement in a tough location at our beach house and with limited tools and time I just used Shark Bites and Pex that I obtained locally there and it all felt like cheating it was so easy.  

Redid my house with Pex and sharkbites.   Cut, stab, done.  No charred studs, no chance of missing some of the sweat with flux, no corrosion at joints 15 years later, no hammering pipes when you turn on the shower or sink, super easy to modify... I love the stuff.  It's now the industry standard for the abusive environment of RVs.

I'm getting ready to add two sinks at the shop (a laundry sink and a floor slop pan) and I anticipate that routing the supply will take 15 minutes or less.  The hardest part will be cutting and spreading the copper in the ceiling.  Once I get the sharkbite tee on the copper it will take no time at all to plumb in the rest.

In reply to Mndsm :

Show me some rotted pex.  It doesn't react with the elements so how does it rot?

PEX can't rot. 

The brass fittings used with it certainly can. 

If I was planning on working a lot with copper, I'd probably invest in a Pro Press tool and get friendly with the local plumbing supply company who carries Viega fittings. 

If I was doing a lot of my own plumbing and wanted a foolproof way of running PEX without Sharkbite or Crimp, I'd do what I did...which was to invest in a PEX expansion tool ($300-$400) and use Uphonor fittings. 

In my situation, I got a local plumber to do Viega Pro-Press Copper-to-PEXa adapters that would be buried in a wall that I really wouldn't want to worry about. In a more accessible wall (behind a vanity with access panel), I used Sharkbites. 

In reply to Peabody :

Sharkbite advertises that  the IAPMO, Uniform Plumbing Code and National Plumbing Code of Canada approve them for behind wall installs. I would imagine it would all depend on what your town follows.

My apologies, you are correct.

I was sure I'd read that before I bought them

Love me some PEX, and Sharkbites are magic, but if I was doing a whole house, I'd invest in a crimping tool for the PEX. Sharkbites are expensive.

Thanks to all for your comments and experiences, they are much appreciated.

My primary concern was how the existing copper, PEX and SharkBite would work together but more so how it would be accepted by potential buyers and inspectors. Answered as okay, TY.

I'm moving forward now with PEX and SharkBite asap. Home Depot has most material in stock for what we need. One online shop has valves discounted in bulk of 12 with free shipping over $100 and they are prompt, HD does not discount valves. HD has bulk purchase for fittings that beat online. I can also buy HD gift cards at my supermarket for the fuel perks, small win there.

I won't be using SharkBite inside any walls. Did a test drill through the floor under the kitchen sink tonight and rerouting will work vs the old copper through the wall. Good to go now. Nothing seems easy here though.

One plus to SB is I can cap lines off so I can get the water back on when my brother or sister come up vs keeping water off for the duration of the project. Easily remove cap later to resume. 

Won't be using crimps on PEX or copper (we used copper crimps in industry). I'd prefer to do all new copper but it just requires too much time. As the only kid in town I still have to clean, sort and scrap stuff out of the house, so time matters.

Thanks again guys.