Anyone have an auto shutoff leak detector system?

[dennis thompson]

I am thinking about having an automated leak detector and shut off system installed ( not by me, I don’t do plumbing) so that ,if I’m away and a plumbing leak occurs, the water will quickly be shut off to whole house.
Can anyone recommend a system they’ve successfully used?
Thanks

[John Lanciani]

Do you have a well or municipal water? answers will be different accordingly.

https://www.skillingsandsons.com/water-shutoff/

I use the RS for my well pump

[Jim Becker]

Had it on the washer at the old property, but not whole house. I agree with John in that due to pressure differences, the solution for public water may be different than for an on-site well setup.

[Dan Barber]

Interesting, I'd like to hear more about the rational that well water and municipal water would have differing solutions. In my experience a shut off valve is a shut off valve, as long as it's rated for the systems pressure it shouldn't care where the water is coming from.

OP, perhaps one of the better known systems is Moen Flo Smart. It is app controlled and they offer insurance against water damage if you are interested in that. One of my business partners has had one for 5 years, no problems that he's experienced, but no shut off events either.

[Jim Becker]

Operative word is "may", Dan. Some solutions may not be suitable for public pressure/sizing. For anything like this, checking the specifications is important.

[Dan Barber]

Jim, I will acknowledge the "may" part. I know when I was researching these devices, they all specified to install the valves after the water meter, the main shutoff, and any pressure reducing devices. Also they specified the same for well supplies, the shut off would therefore see similar pressure in both applications. The Moen device for instance is rated at 175 PSI, far more than any municipal or well supply. Most all I had researched were rated at 125 PSI minimum.

[John Lanciani]

Interesting, I'd like to hear more about the rational that well water and municipal water would have differing solutions. In my experience a shut off valve is a shut off valve, as long as it's rated for the systems pressure it shouldn't care where the water is coming from.

The system for my well shuts off the electric supply to the pump, the system for municipal water uses a valve to shut off the water.

ETA; the nice thing about shutting off the pump is that no matter where the leak is it gets mitigated (and saves the pump). With a valve, if the leak is on the supply side of the valve it is useless.

[Dan Barber]

The system for my well shuts off the electric supply to the pump, the system for municipal water uses a valve to shut off the water.

Interesting John, shutting off power to pump approach would not have worked on my last house with a well. I had a 10,000 gallon above ground storage tank that would require a valve in-line to prevent the head pressure in the tank from flooding the house.

[Bill Howatt]

Even the amount of water in a well's pressurized bladder tank could be a disaster on a fancy floor or elsewhere and shutting off the pump does nothing to stop this.
Also, you might consider an electrical shut-off for a hot water tank that is triggered at the same time so elements aren't running out of the water - don't know about gas water heaters.

[John Lanciani]

Even the amount of water in a well's pressurized bladder tank could be a disaster on a fancy floor or elsewhere and shutting off the pump does nothing to stop this.
Also, you might consider an electrical shut-off for a hot water tank that is triggered at the same time so elements aren't running out of the water - don't know about gas water heaters.

My pressure tank is only 4 gallons (I have a constant pressure system that doesn't use a large tank) and its in the basement at that. Water heater is solar with a boiler zone as a backup, and the only way for it to ever be empty is if someone purposely drained it. Worst case for me would be +/- 5 gallons of water on the concrete floor, far better than if the pump ran at 10gpm for however many hours...

If you had municipal water and the leak was on the line side of a shutoff valve (failed meter maybe) you're looking at 20-40 GPM until it gets shut off at the curb.

Dan's large storage tank is acting more like a municipal gravity system than a well, I'd definitely be looking for a solution outside of the house at the tank if it were me.

[Stan Calow]

I have the Flo by Moen system for about a year. I got it after my neighbor had a total disaster in his house from an overnight leak in an upstairs bathroom.

It's great peace of mind. If I am away from home, I get a text and a phone call telling me an unusual high usage has been occurring, and I can verify it's OK or it will shut off automatically. It is self-learning system, so it knows if you are having a high flow at a time of day/week that is not normal, like a long shower or lawn sprinkler. Also signals high pressure events. It sends a weekly report telling me of total water usage. It's sensitive enough that during humidifier season (currently) it sends a note saying possible small leak detected overnight, which I ignore once I figured out it was the humidifier.

It cost me about $1200 to have it installed, which included a new pressure regulating valve.

[Bill Howatt]

... Worst case for me would be +/- 5 gallons of water on the concrete floor, far better than if the pump ran at 10gpm for however many hours...
...

I agree 5 gallons is better than a strong flow but there is nothing guaranteeing the leak will be onto the concrete floor. 5 gallons on a hardwood floor is enough to destroy it.

[Bill Dufour]

I have a Watts flow sensor valve on my washing machine supply. Problem is it shuts off halfway through the cycle so I by passed it. It is suposed to sense the machine running and turn on the supply valves then shut them down when the machine stops. It works to fill then shuts down during the spin and soak cycle and will not come on again that day. They are known for sensor failures.
BilL D.

[Bill Dufour]

At the lab we had seismic shutoffs on the gas supplies. They are a simple pendulum or ball that moves and shuts down. They worked during a minor quake 4.5? Took almost a week for maintenance to locate and reset them all. My building got gas back on in under a few hours since it was highest priority due to having live animals that have to be kept at a constant temperture.
Bill D

[dennis thompson]

We seem to be wandering away from my question