How secure is your water system?
What if you leave home for a vacation and on your return find significant water damage from a burst pipe, failed fixture, or another water-related calamity. Even if your home is being checked regularly while you are away, leaks can spring and water damage can occur between checks, sometimes on more than one floor.
This happened to one retired couple and they couldn’t live in their home for weeks while work was being done in their kitchen and lower level. Adding to the stress were insurance assessments, having to make decisions and choose replacement items such as back-splash tiling, cabinetry, flooring, and, of course, having the plumbing fixed or replaced.
In another instance one local homeowner returned from a weekend away, turned on the water, and heard a hiss from a split in a plumbing line, hidden from sight behind a wall.
While it might be impossible to prevent plumbing mishaps completely, much of the potential damage can be mitigated.
New products and technology are available ranging from simple leak detectors to more sophisticated alarms and monitoring systems that can either be tied to a fixture such as a sump pump or the whole-house water supply. Some require the water to be turned off manually while other plumbing technology will shut down the water supply automatically.
A water sensor sometimes called a floor sensor or puck sensor can be installed anywhere in the home. Its job is to detect water on the floor and sound an alarm. It can also be connected to a smart home water system that’s connected to your cell phone and send an alert that way.
The compact sensor can be installed near a toilet, in the laundry room, close to a water heater, in a cabinet that has plumbing lines running through it, or in any hard-to-reach location. The battery-operated device serves as an early alert system to turn off the water and call a plumber.
Plumbtech Plumbing can diagnose, repair, and install whatever is needed to help keep your home water safe. The Barrie-based plumbing company also maintains a 24-hour emergency service that runs seven days a week.
Don’t forget the outdoor sprinkler system and outdoor taps. Have a bypass line installed to separate it from the water supply for the house.
The bypass is separate from the smart home flow control so that it won’t turn off automatically as the outdoor sprinkler system has its own timer. The bypass is used only for a sprinkler system and outside taps.
To help protect your home, a smart home water monitoring and leak detection system, or an equivalent flow control system can be installed on the main water line. If a leak is detected, the shut-off feature will automatically turn the water off. It also has a smart home capability for notification through your cell phone.
Install an alarm with a battery backup on your sump pump. It will help to prevent flooding if the pump fails or if the power goes out. Flooding issues could also come from a blocked or frozen pipe.
If it was not included with your sump pump, a battery backup alarm can be purchased and installed on your existing pump.
There is also a monitoring system available for a sump pump that will call you on your cell phone if there is any flooding or a pump failure. It can also be retrofitted to an existing sump pump.
If a leak can be detected early, there will be a lot less water damage. Beyond the water lines and fixtures, a drain can be blocked, overflow, back up, and create damage. Even the weather – snow melt, heavy rainfall – can result in water problems as it can enter the home at ground level.
