5 Plumbing Products to Keep Home Remodel Jobs on Schedule

A new year could mean a new look for a lot of homeowners. And remodelers are already busy. In fact, the construction sector is reporting its strongest business activity since the third quarter of 2018, according to the Q4 2020 Houzz Renovation Barometer.

As businesses meet and exceed pre-pandemic activity levels, they’ll need to work quickly — both to keep up with demand and to keep themselves safe as they continue to navigate pandemic risks.

To keep jobs on schedule and maintain the comfort of clients and your team, make sure the plumbing products being used are helping you work smarter, not harder.

Products that help increase your efficiency will have features such as:

• The ability to be installed in wet lines, which will minimize the time clients are without water during the renovation.
• Ease of use in tight spaces like under sinks.
• The ability to be installed without special tools or time-consuming techniques.

Plumbing Products Installers Can Trust for Quicker, Better Remodels

So what do those plumbing products look like? We’ve rounded up five examples from SharkBite that help optimize install times in the two most popular rooms to renovate, according to the 2020 U.S. Houzz & Home Study: Renovation Trends: the bathroom and kitchen.

Supply Stops

During a remodel, if you encounter a faulty supply stop that still drips when it’s shut off, you can easily replace it and restore water to a client’s house with a push-to-connect supply stop. Push-to-connect technology eliminates the need for special tools, glue or solder, enabling faster installations with less risk of errors.

If the supply stop is going to show because you’re working on an exposed plumbing design — a popular choice for bathrooms and kitchens today — you can find SharkBite supply stops in a chrome or nickel finish, so the fixtures blend well with the bathroom’s aesthetic.

Connection Kits

When you’re trying to complete jobs efficiently, you don’t want to be in the middle of an installation to find out you’re missing a necessary fixture part. To help reduce job delays and time spent collecting all the separate parts for an installation, SharkBite offers connection kits for dishwashers, faucets and tubs or showers, all of which include the necessary stop valves, PEX supply lines and more so everything’s in one place and ready to go.

These kits also come in optional finishes for exposed plumbing. And if you need something that’s not in the kit, you can still get all the components — designed for push-to-connect systems — separately through SharkBite distributors.

Outlet Boxes

Performing a similar function as connection kits,  SharkBite ice maker outlet boxes combine several installation elements to save time on the job site. If you need to replace an ice maker saddle valve in an older home or relocate a refrigerator, for example, the one-piece recessed box design provides quick quarter-turn shut-off to the water supply and doesn’t require additional support framing, providing a solid installation.

You can get it with optional water hammer arrestor to reduce noisy pipes, too, solving two challenges at once.

Thermostatic Mixing Valves

The temperature of water from a shower, bathtub or faucet should be enjoyable and safe. With the HG110-D thermostatic mixing valve (TMV), customers get the perfect temperature every time. Here’s why they’ll want it.

Increased comfort. The actuated mixing valve blends hot water with cold to deliver water at a controlled and safe temperature while also increasing the amount of available hot water in a household. With a pre-setting of 120° F and the ability to set water temperature between 85°-130° F, the TMV allows homeowners to set their water temperature and stretch out their hot water supply.

Maintained safety. Scalding is a serious issue for parents to consider, since 65% of children ages 4 and under who go to the hospital for burn-related injuries suffer from scalding, according to Stanford Children’s Health. However, according to the same report, almost 75% of all scalding burns in children are preventable. To show clients you have their best interest in mind, consider recommending a TMV at the sink or bath fixtures their children use to control the water temperature for their specific bathroom.

This is a great product to suggest during a remodel, especially one for a family who requires more hot water and safety for younger kids. And since the installation is as quick as other SharkBite installations, it won't slow you down.

Versatile Plumbing Fittings

Kitchen and bathroom remodels may require you to rearrange and adjust the plumbing system. Since pipe type can change from home to home, it may be useful to keep the truck stocked with fittings that can transition between multiple kinds of pipe. That way jobs are on schedule no matter what kind of plumbing system you encounter.

Ideal for remodeling, SharkBite Brass Push is compatible with multiple pipe types, including PEX, copper, CPVC, PE-RT or HDPE. And if you find yourself in an older home with polybutylene pipes and can’t replace the entire plumbing system, you can use polybutylene transition fittings to update the plumbing and connect to your preferred pipe.

Discover more SharkBite products designed for efficient remodels at SharkBite.com.