Had a chat with a veteran installer about compression fittings today and it made me rethink everything I learned in training

3 comments

3 Comments

Did you ever feel like the stuff they teach you in training is just the textbook version but the real pros are working smarter? I've got a buddy, Dave, who's been doing this for like 15 years and he swears by compression fittings for pretty much everything. He told me a story about a house where the previous guy used those quick-connect push fittings on a hot water line and it blew off in the middle of the night. Water flooded the whole basement, ruined the carpet, and the homeowner was out thousands. Dave said his rule is if you can't trust it with your own money, don't use it on someone else's job. Honestly, it made me double-check every fitting I've ever installed since hearing that.

iris92720d ago

Don't trust it with your own money" is exactly right, that's a hard rule I've learned the same way. I had a buddy who used those push fittings on a water heater line and it popped off while he was still there, soaked the whole garage floor before he could shut it off. Ever since then I stick to compression or soldered joints, even if it takes a few more minutes, because that peace of mind is worth way more than saving a bit of time.

the_ruby20d ago

Saw a guy use em on a sprinkler system, they froze and cracked in the first winter.

-1