Plastic push-fit fitting popped off in a crawl space at 2am in Austin last July

I was swapping out a corroded copper tee under a 1950s slab house and used a push-fit fitting to save time. Thing blew off at 2am and flooded the crawl space with about 40 gallons before I could shut the main. Turns out the pipe had a tiny burr I didn't file down, so the o-ring never sealed right. Now I always run my finger over the cut end three times before I push anything on. Has anyone else had these fittings fail on old galvanized or copper?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.reese17h agoMost Upvoted

@garcia.casey that burr defense only works if you actually feel it though.

garcia.casey21h ago

Thing blew off at 2am" - oh man that gave me flashbacks. I had a push-fit do the exact same thing but on a hot water line in my laundry room. Was swapping out a washing machine valve and thought I'd save 10 minutes. Nope. Water sprayed everywhere like a broken fire hydrant. That stupid little burr gets you every time. Now I obsessively check the pipe with my fingernail, feel for any tiny bump or rough spot. Also learned the hard way that old pipes with mineral buildup won't seal right no matter how clean you think they are.