Plumber Uses SharkBite Transition Fittings to Fix Underground Pipe Leak
Overview
Everyone knows that one of the tell-tale signs of a home water leak is a high water bill. That is exactly what caused a homeowner to call plumber Adrian Da Costa of Da Costa Plumbing & Heating Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to investigate if they had a buried pipe burst.
Da Costa’s mission was two-fold. First, to locate the source of the leak and provide a permanent, high-quality pipe repair that he himself can trust and stand behind. And second, to do so quickly and with less expense to the client than alternative repair options. Since SharkBite transition fittings have never failed him in all his years as a plumber, they were Da Costa’s product of choice to tackle this underground pipe repair.
The Underground Pipe Leak
Da Costa’s first step was to find the underground leak and then get to work. After noticing that water was entering a storm sump next to the home during dry weather, he managed to dig by hand and locate the leak — a split in old polybutylene tubing — next to the home’s foundation. In the past, Da Costa found that using compression couplings for these types of repairs was difficult, as it was hard to work with wrenches in tight spaces in the ground.
“I only trust polybutylene SharkBite or crimp adapters when working on polybutylene materials,” Da Costa said. “It was an easy choice.”
Using ¾ in. polybutylene SharkBite couplings and silicone wrap, he was able to make a quick and proper repair to the underground pipe leak. Not only is the silicone tap required to secure and protect the buried SharkBite connection underground, but it also gives Da Costa additional peace of mind.
“The silicone tape makes a nice tight seal around the entire brass fitting so I can sleep at night not worrying about how long the brass fitting will last,” he said. “I have seen couplings fail underground, and they are always due to improper installation without any wrapping protection.”
Installer Confidence and Customer Satisfaction
Da Costa notes that using SharkBite for fast repairs — including underground — benefits him and his customers. For him, it allows him to save on labor while providing a long-lasting, permanent fix. For his customers, it means less time they have to have their water shut off. This allows Da Costa to provide an overall positive customer experience that exceeds their expectations when it comes to how long and how costly the repair was going to be.
When making underground repairs, I have relied on the SharkBite couplings for making quick and long-lasting connections,” he says. “I’m completely confident in my repairs knowing that once I have wrapped the fittings in the SharkBite silicone tape that I won’t have any failures down the road due to corrosion from long-term exposure to the soil elements.
On top of that, the fact that Da Costa was able to find and solve the plumbing problem quickly saved his customer from a far more expensive repair: a complete water main replacement. So when every second counts, Da Costa knows SharkBite can keep things quick, affordable, and long-lasting for his clients.
About Da Costa Plumbing
Da Costa Plumbing is a fully licensed and insured plumbing and heating company servicing the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The plumbing company offers services to resolve plumbing issues ranging from leaky faucets, toilet replacements, to full home renovations. Owner Adrian Da Costa is a professional plumber with 14 years of industry experience under his belt.
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