02-06-2017, 01:47 PM
I know the topic of sharkbite vs. soldering will never die, but I just want to post a note about repairing old, corroded copper. Basically last night I spent about two hours trying to patch tees into 1/2 and 3/4 inch old copper, unsuccessfully in the case of 3/4. The problem is that on old pipes (over 20 years) the oxide is so deep and penetrating that you can sand, brush, scrub and clean it for a half hour (as I did) and still not get a completely solderable surface. Add to the headache pipes that are flooded and not easily drained. Nothing is quite as depressing as doing an hour of work, turning back on the water and seeing a gusher.
Contrast that with today buying a sharkbite tee, quickly cleaning the pipe and sliding on the fitting with no leaks.
I'm not saying go sharkbite everywhere, but if you are connecting to old copper, definitely consider it.
Contrast that with today buying a sharkbite tee, quickly cleaning the pipe and sliding on the fitting with no leaks.
I'm not saying go sharkbite everywhere, but if you are connecting to old copper, definitely consider it.