Kitchen/bathroom plumbing issue

[JeffInFL]

You can get some info here: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog ... ogId=10053

[ponch37300]

For some reason I just have never been able to get myself to jump on the sharkbite wagon! I think it's because when I started working with PEX years ago the sharkbites had some issues with leaking and didn't have the best reputation. So I spent the money on a good crimper and all the fittings and was done with it. Also the sharkbites are usually a lot more expensive to use vs. pex fittings, if you are just figuring the fittings and not the pex crimper. So while I don't do this stuff everyday I do enough for myself, friends and family that it would eventually pay off the crimper and actually the first time I worked with pex was finishing a basement for a friend in a brand new house that was all pex. I made him buy the crimper and other tools so I came out ahead. But everything I read now a days is all good about sharkbites. So I really wouldn't have any issue using them, just that I already have all the tools for pex and also have a crimper for earless crimps so don't really have a need for sharkbites. Just a personal thing but in reality I've heard nothing but good about them, I'm just stubborn!

The one thing I've always wanted to try is to put a shut off valve on a "live" supply line using a sharkbite. I'm not sure if it would work good or just make a huge mess! I figure if I crimp a length of pex onto a sharkbite shut off valve and have the pex into a bucket. I should be able to cut the supply line and have a towel under the line and above to stop the spray and then slide the sharkbite fitting onto the supply line. If you go quick enough I would think that it wouldn't make to big of a mess and then once the valve is on the water will go into the bucket and then you can just close the valve. I don't think you would be able to put the valve on while closed, figure it would be to hard to fight against the water pressure but who knows. Just something I thought of one time but have been to chicken to try. If it would work decent might be one of those emergency repair tricks.

[JeffInFL]

I didn't do it to a 'live' supply line, but I did cut one before the well pressure tank was completely drained so water was pouring out of the cut Pex line. I was easily able to slip the Sharkbyte shutoff valve onto the Pex to stop the flow of water.

A word of caution though .. every shutoff valve I bought was hard to turn the very first time. I actually had to use a pipe wrench to turn it. It was fine after that, though.