SHARKBITE PLUMBING FIXTURES
Heck, this stuff is perfect for ANYONE, not just the tiny house community!
I talk about this at my own workshops and the one's I do for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company...
Upcoming Workshops I'm Hosting....
Tumbleweed NYC- Oct 20/21
Relaxshacks.com Hands-On Three Day Tiny House Building Course in MA- Nov 2-4
(only 2-3 spots left!)
Tumbleweed Boston, MA- tba 2013
Tumbleweed Austin, TX- tba 2013
Tumbleweed Nashville, TN- tba 2013
Yestermorrow Tiny House Workshop- VT- Summer 2013
Anyway, long-story-short, Sharkbite Plumbing fixtures, which you can get just about ANYWHERE now, have been aggravating plumbers worldwide, as with them, in many cases, you can now do your own plumbing as if you were simply building and snapping together tinkertoys (remember those?). DO KEEP IN MIND that certain other jobs, especially gas pipe fittings, are best left to qualified Plumbers, all around good people who know their "you know what" inside and out- but a good many of the smaller task can now be taken care of with ease.
Buy the right attachment, bend, spigot, or splitter, cut the copper or pex tubing to the length you need, and simply push the piece in place until its seated and held firm. That's it! There's a tool that undoes the connections as well, if need be.
This stuff IS expensive, but saves you a ton of time and frustration, so you'll have to weigh the cost/benefit ratio. The piece shown, which I used when replacing some piping and installing a new kitchen sink the other day was $14.99.
Why is it great for tiny houses??
Well, if you're in a very confined area, doing solder and torch work on traditional copper plumbing runs, chances are you'll be running that torch close to a wooden 2x4 sooner or later- especially given your space limitations. Keep in mind that fire and wood aren't a great mix when it comes to your expensive, and long-worked-on, tiny house. THIS is why I do recommend the stuff to those building a tiny house, travel trailer, or who simply want a quick and simple fix.
I also am still LOVING this Ikea Solar Desk Light, its flexible neck was PERFECT for under-sink plumbing work the other day, and freed up my hands!
I posted a link to them on amazon below so that you could read up on them- specs, etc. Note: They are MUCH cheaper if you have an Ikea near you, but for those who don't, I've provided the link.
I posted a link to them on amazon below so that you could read up on them- specs, etc. Note: They are MUCH cheaper if you have an Ikea near you, but for those who don't, I've provided the link.
-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen
