[REDCART]

I’ve heard from people who have 5-6 year old water tanks that are beginning to fail, and while all water tanks will fail eventually, it would be helpful to have an alarm or alert at the first sign of tank failure. This could help mitigate water damage.

If anyone has installed a water alarm/alert in the water tank pan, which one did you select? The Internet shows dozens of products but the reviews are inconsistent and can sometimes appear biased.

[Tom53]

Our home was built in 2015, and the water heater sits in a tray that's piped to the outside. If it leaks, it drains outside. Yours may be the same.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by Tom53

Our home was built in 2015, and the water heater sits in a tray that's piped to the outside. If it leaks, it drains outside. Yours may be the same.

It really depends on the size and scale did the leak. That pan, which is plumbed to drain outside, might provide sufficient drainage for a small leak.

To the OP’s question, since a home has many potential leak points which could be catastrophic (washing machine hoses, ice maker supply line, sink and toilet lines, etc), I would research the device which shuts down the water supply to the house when it detects a leak/break.

Any type of device which sends you a message or sounds an audible alarm is only good if you are home to hear it, or to be close enough to your home to shut off the water supply to the house.

[Chatbrat]

We had a neighbor who had their expansion tank blow--major repair to plumbing and the a/c system--the leak was not a leak--it was the equivalent of a 3/4" pipe flowing untethered--an alarm would've been worthless-on our boat had several bilge alarms-- they were good for small leaks, if we experienced flooding and our crash pumps wouldn't work--break out the life raft

[REDCART]

Originally Posted by Tom53

Our home was built in 2015, and the water heater sits in a tray that's piped to the outside. If it leaks, it drains outside. Yours may be the same.

Thx, you are correct about the pan draining outside. I just checked ours. The water tank is concealed inside a closet and the drain is in the rear of the pan. So that should address the water damage issue. However, it might drain for days before we noticed that it’s leaking. So a water alert might still be helpful.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by REDCART

I’ve heard from people who have 5-6 year old water tanks that are beginning to fail, and while all water tanks will fail eventually, it would be helpful to have an alarm or alert at the first sign of tank failure. This could help mitigate water damage.

If anyone has installed a water alarm/alert in the water tank pan, which one did you select? The Internet shows dozens of products but the reviews are inconsistent and can sometimes appear biased.

I wouldn't depend on the drain pan under the water heater to prevent water damage. The water in the tank has the same pressure as your house water, so the pan will only prevent water damage if you have a slow leak. One easy and simple thing to do is to buy several battery operated water alarms. You can buy the First Alert Model WA100 alarms from Amazon for about 10 dollars each in a 3-pack. I especially like them because they have a low battery alarm and a 6 foot optional remote wire. You can test them with water or by just putting your finger across the metal terminals. I would place one inside the drain pan and another one on the floor near the water heater. Another place to put them is on the floor behind each toilet. You are just as likely to experience a water leak from a toilet than from the water heater.

[stadry]

5-6 yr svce life is low for wtr heaters,,, must have been really cheap pick by bldrs,,, difficult to imagine everyone now flushing them at least every 6mos,,, you can also pick up alarms at apron / vest stores - near the sump pumps here,,, they probably don't sell too many sump pumps in fl so let me know if you need 1 & i'll send/bring it down

[jimbo2012]

Those of you that have our Nova Whole House filter have 2 pressure gauges built in.

One of the advantages is they will tell you very easily if your expansion tank failure is eminent

here's the way it happens everyday the pressure is say 60-70 psi, then you notice it's 90-125 ( or maxed out)


It means the rubber bladder inside the expansion tank ruptured or has a tear.

It must be replaced to avoid a leak inside the home.

The problem is the original installer IMO never pressurized the tank to 65psi from the preset pressure of usually 35-40psi.

so at the lower psi that bladder just doesn't last 10+ years because the bladder gets stretched

Be sure the plumber sets that psi before installation or it may happen again, there is a schrader valve on the tank that bike pump can be used with tire gauge.

It costs about $150-$200 for the parts & labor.

But if you're handy it is an easy DIY job cost $45 at Lowes for tank, U need two wrenches 20 minutes

Without a pressure gauge in the system no way to warned

I get 2 or 3 calls a month relating to high psi readings and that's only from our customer base with the filter, so it happens a lot

One other tip when the tank fails you can tap on it there should be half water/half air, if it sounds the same by tapping on it it's full of water


,I read someplace the number one insurance claim cause is HW tank failures flooding

One thought is it just replace it after 5 years with the correct pressurized expansion tank.

PS: we do not replace those tanks


.

[JoelJohnson]

The idea of a device that shuts the water off to the house if it detects a leak is a good one. However, one side effect is the elements of the water heater may burn out.

[davem4616]

what me worry....I pay the insurance company to worry about stuff like that

I will shoulder the responsibility of routine maintenance...but they can carry the risk

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by REDCART

I’ve heard from people who have 5-6 year old water tanks that are beginning to fail, and while all water tanks will fail eventually, it would be helpful to have an alarm or alert at the first sign of tank failure. This could help mitigate water damage.

If anyone has installed a water alarm/alert in the water tank pan, which one did you select? The Internet shows dozens of products but the reviews are inconsistent and can sometimes appear biased.

Mine was installed in 2003 when the house was built. Marion County end of TV. Gas water heater. No problems. If or when it fails whatever the drain pan cannot handle, the garage floor will.

[Marathon Man]

I would be surprised to hear of a tank failing after five years. At eight years, I changed the expansion tank as a preventative measure. Turned out, once I got it off, I saw that the bladder had already failed.

[kfolberg]

Originally Posted by REDCART

I’ve heard from people who have 5-6 year old water tanks that are beginning to fail, and while all water tanks will fail eventually, it would be helpful to have an alarm or alert at the first sign of tank failure. This could help mitigate water damage.

If anyone has installed a water alarm/alert in the water tank pan, which one did you select? The Internet shows dozens of products but the reviews are inconsistent and can sometimes appear biased.

Like most Villagers, we split time between TV and "up north." There's a system by Govee (I found it on Amazon) that comes with drip and puddle sensors that send an alarm to a device that's connected to your home's WiFi. The Govee "app" then gives you a notification on your mobile device ("smart phone") of the condition from a specific sensor. You can choose to pay for monitoring by the company, but I didn't.

When I installed it, the instructions weren't the easiest to follow, but I got it done. I'm not a tech professional, but I've had a good deal of experience with figuring-out consumer electronics. It took me about 30 minutes to install 3 sensors. You can get and connect more sensors, if desired.

I haven't had any leaks, but I did test it with a puddle, and it worked as promised. There's probably other similar competitive systems out there, but I picked this one because it was relatively cheap (<$50).

Good luck!

Ken

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by nn0wheremann

Mine was installed in 2003 when the house was built. Marion County end of TV. Gas water heater. No problems. If or when it fails whatever the drain pan cannot handle, the garage floor will.

Don't be too sure about that pan it holds a gallon, it will get under the walls into the home many times, it will be pumping water out at 3 gallons a minute

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by kfolberg

Like most Villagers, we split time between TV and "up north." There's a system by Govee (I found it on Amazon) that comes with drip and puddle sensors that send an alarm to a device that's connected to your home's WiFi. The Govee "app" then gives you a notification on your mobile device ("smart phone") of the condition from a specific sensor. You can choose to pay for monitoring by the company, but I didn't.

When I installed it, the instructions weren't the easiest to follow, but I got it done. I'm not a tech professional, but I've had a good deal of experience with figuring-out consumer electronics. It took me about 30 minutes to install 3 sensors. You can get and connect more sensors, if desired.

I haven't had any leaks, but I did test it with a puddle, and it worked as promised. There's probably other similar competitive systems out there, but I picked this one because it was relatively cheap (<$50).

Good luck!

Ken

Ken the problem with those you have to guess where a leak may occur, not possible

A better system is a water flow alarm that will shut the whole house down if it detects a flow rate that is not normal I see them for about $400