Flooded basement...almost

[SAnd]

A few years back I picked up a water alarm that would detect water on my basement floor. Well last week it paid off. I had just sat down to eat supper when I started to hear an ear piercing squeal. It was loud enough I couldn't ignore so I went to check it out. I found water dripping from my water heater. The puddle was about a foot across. I shut off the gas and water supply to it. 15 minutes later no more dripping.

I had read a thread on this forum about how you should replace your water heater about every ten years before they surprise you with a flood. Some body mentioned about the alarms. I'm too cheap to replace a perfectly good heater so I bought one. Not being connected to a smart phone I got a simple squealer and hoped I would be home soon enough after it started alarming. I don't go down to the basement very often any more so without the alarm it could have been really bad.

I also have a super duper high efficiency house heater that puts out a lot of water so this alarm would also let me know if the condensate pump died and it started dumping water on the floor.

It was $20 I am very glad I spent.

Oh and the old water heater was installed about 1988.

[crays]

Nice. Glad to hear you caught it early.

[O2HeN2]

If you're a cheap bastad and handy with a soldering iron, take apart a smoke detector and solder wires to either side of the test switch.

Run the wires down onto the floor, and for the price of a smoke detector (that you should have in your basement anyway) you've got a smoke AND water detector.

O2

[beast556]

Thank you for posting this, just orderd 2 alarms that I have been meaning to orderfor the last 5 years.

[bczandm]

I ordered three devices that sit on the floor two months ago from Orbit, for $100 they came with a router and track temperature as well. They are web based so notifications come to my phone regardless of my location. Not a bad deal.

[MrPrena]

Surprise flood sucks.

[.455_Hunter]

Better than getting a call from the wife asking why there is no hot water for her bath and what is the fountain sound coming from the basement?

[Sawin]

talk to your insurance agent. They gave me a number of these kinds of things for free, just as a precautionary measure to protect us (and themselves) from insurance claims.

[FoxtArt]

Same thing has saved my ass before. When I get around to it I plan on cutting a sump into the basement floor. Rather than use a kit, I think I'll use a $80 1/2HP pump I already have, and hook it up to a simple mechanical float switch, then I'll run 3/4" pex and link into the drainage system outside I previously installed. (most of my floods are related to having a septic lifting station, so I have to presume the drainage itself is backed up) Because that "what if" only works when we're home.

[xiondavis]

talk to your insurance agent. They gave me a number of these kinds of things for free, just as a precautionary measure to protect us (and themselves) from insurance claims.

Great advice! Yes its worth asking... USAA sent me 4 Honeywell WiFi leak detectors free of charge a couple of years ago. They paid for themselves twice last year when our incoming water line broke and also when the dishwasher drain line split and we caught them both right away.