DIYbanter - Anyone try flood stop?

Cathy Kearns wrote:
Recently a friend of mine had her water filter go out and flood her first
floor and basement. Since then she's been on a tear, looking for ways this
will never happen again. She found this thing called "flood stop" that you
put on the water line before appliances. There are sensors and if they
detect wetness it shuts off the water to the appliance. Anyone try these?
Do they work?

Floodstop:

http://www.plumbingworld.com/automaticwatershutoff.html

I have three sets installed on the washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator
ice maker in rehabbed rental units.

I installed them myself - around 15 min each after the first - so there
was no labor cost.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the difficulty of a DIY homeowner install
at around a 3 - ability to follow directons, simple hand tools, maybe
a cordless drill if you have to mount with screws.

A few things to keep in mind:

1) You will need 120V AC power at an available outlet with the space to
accommodate a "wall-wart" style transformer within about 5 feet of the
control module. (There is an extension power cable available).

2) The mounting holes for the control module are not symmetrical, you
have to pay attention to the orientation of the templet.

3) It's possible to misalign the cable connecting the sensor to the
control module (miss a pin to one side or the other).

4) The supplied self-stick Velcro support for the control module will
does not stick well to surfaces such such as a cabinet side, I had to
mount it with screws

5) The sensor pad is very sensitive - a stray drop or two of water will
activate the unit - a good thing, I guess...

6) On the dishwasher unit, you may have to relocate or modify
connections at the existing shutoff valve.

They have been in for a year, I've not had one trip yet except to test
(I do this ever 3 months).

So far, they all work on test.

Given the potential cost of water damage, that tenants may not pay
immediate attention to a small leak, and the potential increase in the
cost of insurance if I make a claim for water damage, I'll consider it
money well spent if I have to replace them on average every 5-7 years.

Given the problems I see with infrequently operated valves, it will be
interesting to see if they last that long.

Michael Thomas
Paragon Home Inspection, LLC
Chicago, IL
mdtATparagoninspectsDOTcom
847-475-5668