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Thread: Water leak detection?

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Kreinhop View Post
    Wow! There must be some really bad plumbing installations if people are paranoid about leaving a dwelling unattended for more than a day. I don't turn off any of my utilities, regardless of how long we're out of the area, especially in the cold months. When we are away for more than a week, I have someone come by randomly to clear the mail box, but I never turn off any of the utilities. I'm sure coming home after a long vacation to a house that resembles a U-boat that's been hit would be a big disappointment, but that's why I have great insurance. I would rather live with the knowledge that I'm fully protected than worry constantly about a pipe or seal failing.
    Around here, you occasionally hear about someone who went away on vacation and had a flexible hose - perhaps connected to a toilet - leak. If you were home, you'd notice the leak fairly quickly and fix it but if you're not there that leak can put out a lot of water over a week or so - and cause a lot of damage.

    It's not a high probability event. I went for years never turning off my water when I left for vacation and never had a problem. But if you do have a leak, the damage is pretty expensive so I now turn my water off when I leave for vacation. Just an abundance of caution.

    Mike

    [People I know who did have a leak while they were gone had to move out of the house while the house was dried out and things were repaired (such as flooring replaced). Some things can't be repaired until you get it well dried out. For example, a house with raised flooring (has a crawl space) has a wooden floor and that wooden floor can take quite a while to dry out.]
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  2. #17
    There have been some really nutty leak devises . One was a large under toilet water catcher that had a cell phone that
    called you when a leak started. That one was just a few years back. I think it was about $600.

  3. #18
    I like the idea of having a cut off. We have to have a pressure reducer, I've never been given a reason. It broke without assistance when we DID NOT have a cut off. But we were able to turn it off at the street. Since things like copper pipe are sold , I think, in two gauges I'm wondering
    if details on a good set up might lower premiums.

  4. #19
    I've looked at the Moen device, but it also looks really plasticy. Like I'd be more worried about the valve breaking and leaking ��

    It's frustrating because I could almost build my own. A metal-bodied solenoid valve is ~$50, and some wired sensors would only need a couple of contacts tied to a transistor switch. If stringing wires to the sensors were easier, that's what I'd do.

    Mark, I hear you and wish it weren't this way. But figure that even if your house plumbing is robust, it hooks to an $89 toilet and probably a dozen or more other fixtures/appliances that were designed primarily around cost. The idea that a wobbly, rusty float valve is all that's preventing a house flood is anxiety-inducing.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    2,652
    We had a pinhole leak in a 1/2" copper line (not at a joint) in a house that was 4 years old. It was inside a bathroom wall so it was not immediately noticeable. It did a heck of a lot of damage - drywall, floor, subfloor - just overnight, including leaking through to the basement where some power tools were ruined. I had an outdoor spigot line that ran through a kitchen cabinet. It froze and burst one winter, flooding the kitchen. Insurance did not cover repairs. You bet I turn the water off if we're leaving town.

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