Had a similar debate with my uncle last winter when his basement line split. He swore by push-to-connects, but I watched him struggle to get a good seal because the old copper had a slight burr. Ended up leaking again a week later. I get the appeal—especially if you’re in a rush and don’t have the right crimp or expansion tools on hand—but I’ve just seen too many of those fail after a year or two.
Expansion PEX is my go-to if I’ve got the tool handy. It’s kind of a pain dragging it out for a tiny fix, but I sleep better knowing it’s not going to pop off in the middle of the night. Crimps are decent, but I’ve had mixed luck depending on the brand of rings.
Curious—has anyone actually had an expansion fitting fail on them? Or is it mostly just push-to-connects that have that rep?
I get where you’re coming from—expansion PEX does feel a lot more “set it and forget it” than push-to-connects. But I’ll be honest, I’ve seen expansion fittings leak too, though not as often. Usually it’s when someone gets impatient and doesn’t let the pipe fully shrink back before turning the water on, or if the pipe’s cold and doesn’t expand right. It’s rare, but it happens.
“I get the appeal—especially if you’re in a rush and don’t have the right crimp or expansion tools on hand—but I’ve just seen too many of those fail after a year or two.”
I’ve had the opposite luck with push-to-connects, weirdly enough. Used them for a quick fix behind my washing machine, and it’s held up for three years now. I think it comes down to prep—if the pipe’s clean and cut square, they’re solid. But yeah, any burrs or out-of-round copper and you’re asking for trouble.
Honestly, I think every method has its weak spot. Sometimes I just end up soldering the old copper if it’s a small section, even though I hate dragging out the torch. At least then I know what I’m dealing with.
BURST PIPE PANIC: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
I get nervous with push-to-connects, maybe because my dad always swore by old-school copper and solder—he’d say “if you want it done right, do it the hard way.” But I have to admit, when our kitchen pipe froze last winter and split, I wasn’t about to mess around with a torch at 2am. Grabbed a SharkBite, crossed my fingers, and it’s still holding up a year later.
But yeah, I’m with you—if the pipe’s not cut perfect, or there’s even a little grit left, those fittings just don’t feel trustworthy. Expansion PEX seems more forgiving, but the learning curve freaks me out. I watched a neighbor try it once and he ended up redoing half his basement because he rushed the job and didn’t let it shrink right.
Honestly, I think in a panic, you just use what you’ve got and hope for the best. Long-term? If I ever get comfortable with a torch, I might go back to soldering... but for now, I’ll stick with what gets the water back on fastest.
“Honestly, I think in a panic, you just use what you’ve got and hope for the best.”
That’s pretty much the only way when water’s spraying everywhere. I’ve used SharkBites in emergencies too—never my first choice, but they do the job fast. Biggest thing I’ve learned: double-check that pipe’s clean and cut square, or you’re asking for leaks later. Soldering is solid if you’ve got time and tools, but at 2am? Speed wins every time.
Honestly, I’ve tried those push-to-connect fittings in a pinch too. Not my favorite for long-term, but when the basement’s flooding, you grab what works. I always keep a pipe cutter and emery cloth handy—learned the hard way that rough edges mean leaks down the line. If I have time, I’ll go with compression fittings instead; they’re a bit cheaper and feel more secure to me, but not as quick when you’re half-awake at 2am.
