Replies

1. 
   Billy | Nov 08, 2006 06:08am | #1

   These things may help.  You probably don't need a power shutoff -- just a water shutoff.

   http://www.plumbingsupply.com/floodstopsystems.html

   http://www.plumbingsupply.com/washingmachineshutoffvalve.html

   Billy

1. 
   Lugaus | Nov 12, 2006 11:20pm | #3

   Hello Billy,Thanks for the info. This hardware looks very promising. Lugaus

1. 
   Billy | Nov 13, 2006 11:51am | #17

   Also, check out WaterCop.  It may sound like overkill but I installed it in my old home with old pipes and it has saved my butt twice.http://www.watercop.com/

   It installs on your main incoming water line, inside your house.  You need to put leak detector units near washing machines, hot water heaters, behind toilets, or wherever you want to protect.  If there is a water leak, the detector unit sends a radio signal to the shutoff valve to shut off the water main, and it sounds an alarm.

   On July 4 my brother's family (with his 4 kids) was staying with us and we noticed that the water stopped running in the kitchen sink.  We heard the buzzer in the basement and we found out that our main sewer line was backed up and crap was spilling out of the basement toilet.  The Water Cop detected the leak and shut off the water main, and we ended up with only 1/4" of crapwater in the basement bathroom.  Without the system we woul have had the overflow from 10 people flushing the toilet, taking showers, using the kitchen sink, etc. -- and with all th beer drinking the toilets were getting plenty of use.  It was amazing to realize that a water shutoff system could save my butt when there was a sewer backup.

   After that my wife stopped making fun of the WaterCop system...

   Billy

   Edited 11/13/2006 3:55 am ET by Billy

2. 
   Lugaus | Nov 13, 2006 10:11pm | #19

   A leak could be take place when the machine pump is discharging the wash or rinse water. Shutting off machine power may be the only way to stop this water from flooding the area.

1. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 10:29pm | #20

   Or shutting it off may do no good at all, as when, eg, the internal hose on the pump bursts, allowing the unit to drain by gravity.
   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

2. 
   plumbbill | Nov 08, 2006 07:49am | #2

   Copper pan?

   Buildin a tajmalaundry?

   “It so happens that everything that is stupid is not unconstitutional.” —Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

1. 
   Lugaus | Nov 13, 2006 12:07am | #5

   Hello plumbbill,
   Good name. The right plastic is better. A bad leak to the apartment below can be very expensive in $ and lost good will.
   Lugaus

3. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 12:05am | #4

   FWIW (not an answer to your query, but on the general subject), I was in Home Despot today and noticed they had a washer hose that incorporated an automatic shutoff into the hose end. Supposedly will cut the water off if the hose bursts or whatever.

   (Of course, a steel braid hose shouldn't burst, and I doubt that the gizmo will cut off flow in case of, eg, a seam opening up in the washer's fill valve, so not clear how useful this is.)

   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
1. 
   BillHartmann | Nov 13, 2006 12:12am | #6

   I got one of those hoses.What connecting up an exprsso machine that had a small (1 - 2 gal) water softner.It saw the flow into that watersoftnwer as being "open" and shut off.I ended up returning it.

2. 
   timkline | Nov 13, 2006 12:32am | #8

   please correct me if I am wrong, but,

   isn't a steel braid hose just

   rubber hose with steel braiding around it ?

   which means it can split and leak just like any hose ?

    

   just wondering.

   these things are regularly recommended and it looks like just hose to me.

    

   i am surpised to see them so often used as toilet supplies rather than using solid pipe. 

   i know they are a lot quicker and easier, but.......

    carpenter in transition

1. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 12:51am | #9

   The common failure mode of the conventional rubber/fabric hoses is for the fabric cord to fail/rot, allowing the hose to burst. The steel braid-covered hoses have a braid covering that's an order of magnitude stronger than needed to prevent bursting, so in theory the most you can get is a relatively small leak. And even that is unlikely since the braid constrains the hose inside such that it's less likely to split and develop such a leak.Of course, an end can still come off, but that's more an issue of manufacturing quality than durability.Any mechanical system can fail. It's just a question of how likely the failure is, and how much you're willing to spend to prevent it.
   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

2. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 12:57am | #10

   Re their use on toilets and sinks, the main alternative there is copper pipe connected with a ferrule and nut compression joint. The copper is reasonably reliable if not damaged or flexed too much, but the ferrule cconnection is a royal PITA, with a high probability (maybe 5%) of leaking and a non-trivial probability (maybe 0.5%) of coming more or less entirely apart. Plus it's quite time-consuming to get the connection right with one of these things.As a result, the braided hose is not only time saving (at how much per hour for a plumber?) but also more reliable.
   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

3. 
   USAnigel | Nov 13, 2006 07:10am | #15

   I tried to use these hoses and when the cold water rinse started the hose figured it was a leak due to the high flow rate. Cost a trip by the repair guy to tell us he had ran into this a few times.

4. 
   CAGIV | Nov 13, 2006 12:16am | #7

   We have put a few of these in

   http://www.watts.com/pro/divisions/watersafety_flowcontrol/learnabout/learnabout_intelliflow.asp

   It combines an auto shut off with a sensor.  The valves shut off when the washer is not running and it will close the valves if the sensor, placed on the floor, detects water.

   

5. 
   fingersandtoes | Nov 13, 2006 04:02am | #11

   Within the last couple of years Fine Homebuilding featured beefed up laundry hoses with much higher psi ratings. They look like the way to go if you are worried. I guess they won't stop leaks originating from the washer though. But I wonder whether a sensor would either?

1. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 05:03am | #12

   Best thing for leaks in the washer is to have a drain pan.
   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Nov 13, 2006 05:55am | #13

   Do you know if there is a combined washer/hot water heater pan sold?
   I had a sheet metal guy make me one, but it wasn't very nice to look at.Edited 11/12/2006 9:56 pm ET by fingersandtoes

   Edited 11/12/2006 9:57 pm ET by fingersandtoes

1. 
   plumbbill | Nov 13, 2006 06:16am | #14

   http://www.floodsaver.com/“It so happens that everything that is stupid is not unconstitutional.” —Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

6. 
   user-67934 | Nov 13, 2006 10:05am | #16

   I installed the Floodstop system on my washer a few years ago and forgot about it. Two weeks ago the Mrs. called me at work and wanted to know how to make it stop buzzing. The washer died and leaked on the floor. The system is really meant for a burst hose, but it did let us know that we had a leak. Next time it might be a burst hose. Well worth the money.

   For a pan under the washer to be effective, it needs to hold at least as much water as the washing machine does.

1. 
   DanH | Nov 13, 2006 02:08pm | #18

   > For a pan under the washer to be effective, it needs to hold at least as much water as the washing machine does.Or have a drain.
   People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

7. 
   Condoman | Aug 22, 2011 03:54pm | #21

   I installed and used the Watts IntelliFlow for a number of years.  It worked great and since moving I am planning to install it at the new location.