Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormius
Is there more than one variety? I have no idea if this is a time-bomb waiting to go off, or if there are other factors at play. I thought there was something to do with water composition that could cause it to degrade and leak. I was a bit unhappy to learn all of this when I started working on the plumbing a few years ago. I had been using the polyb->pex adapters with crimp rings. I thought the SharkBite products were still pretty new on the market, and wasn't sure if the reliability has been vetted enough over time.
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Sharkbite vs. Pex Valve
If you're comfortable doing the PEX to PolyB coupling (and crimp rings), then you can for sure go that route with a PEX ball valve.
Sharkbite have been around over 10 years and have a good reputation. Long-Long term, no I don't know, but as long as you're not putting them behind drywall I wouldn't be too concerned going that route. I used a number of them in my old house (copper) before I got proper soldering equipment. I also used a few in a friends house with Poly B whenever minor leaks needed to be repaired.
PolyB Leaking in Calgary
That takes us to our next subject; PolyB leaking. If you google, you'll find 95% of cases are in the US (where theyre run in hot areas), and most people will say not to worry elsewhere.
But I think there was a particular manufacturer of the pipe that was used in a couple developments in Calgary (Strathcona, Hawkwood/Edgemont). Build dates around 1985 - 1988 seem to be the ones I've seen leak personally. My house had 1 leak before I tore it all out, and I know all my neighbours have had at least 1 leak. If you have the bad stuff; it is basically just a mess waiting to happen.
But that said, not all of it is bad, and there is no way of knowing. If your house is newer (say 90s before they stopped using), yours could be totally fine and never leak. I'd chat with neighbors and see what their experiences have been. If some of them start leaking, chances are they'll all be susceptible.