I got to experience one of those joys of home ownership yesterday. I peed, flushed the toilet, washed my hands and started walking away when the water leak detector next to the toilet started going off.
Turns out I had been hit by one of those one-in-ten-thousand chances of bad luck, as the toilet had clogged (how, I don’t know) and the flush flapper had stuck open at the same time, with the result that water was now brimming over the top of my second floor guest toilet.
My first response should have been to cut off the water valve, but in that moment of panic I ran to my master bathroom and grabbed a large towel and plunger, and only once back at the overflowing toilet did I think to close the valve, so I probably ended up cleaning up a couple more gallons of water than needed. It took several towels and plunging to mop up the water, but none seems to have made it to the first floor ceiling. (The fake wood cabinet trim near the toilet was already a touched water-logged when I moved in, so no harm, no foul.)
This isn’t the first time I’ve had one go off. A week before the ice storm hit, a shutoff valve I had closed to plunge an overflowing toilet started leaking.
My water leak detectors are nothing special, just cheap Chinese crap. Usual made in China caveats apply, but it’s very simple tech (two parallel wires on the exterior that water closes the circuit and sets off when wet). A lot of people don’t have these, but yesterday showed why I consider them essential. What could have been thousands of dollars in drywall and ceiling replacement turned into merely having to run another washing load for all the towels I used to mop up.
The above link goes to a 5-pack of the brand I have, because I recommend putting one behind every toilet, under every sink you use, under your water heater, and next to your washing machine (I’ve had mine start rocking for an unbalanced load that pulled the drain hose loose). However, that 5-pack has gotten pricey, so here’s an even cheaper five pack from another manufacturer (also made in China) that I have no experience with, but it currently has a 4.6 rating on Amazon.
You’ll also want to own a water shutoff tool to be able to cut off water to your entire house. The Orbit 26097 provides a water shutoff valve, a gas shutoff valve, manhole cover lift tool, and a rubberized grip. You need one of these for the same reason you need a water leak detector, i.e. it will greatly limit damage before the plumber gets there.
I have a fire extinguisher and several guns, just in case I need them. I haven’t, yet, but I’ve needed my water leak detector twice. Buying enough to put one behind every toilet, under every sink, under your water heater, and next to your washing machine is going to cost you considerably less than buying one decent gun.
Consider picking some up if you haven’t already.
We had a sink spring a leak after we bought the house between when the sellers moved out and we moved in. Our insurance company made us put in a whole house electronic leak detector that monitors the water flow and automatically shuts all the water off if it thinks there is a link. Cost like $800.
By that standard I guess we got off easy. Had the plumber out yesterday to take care of toilet running continuously. Even with slow volume he said it adds up over the month, which is why we got a $119 water bill.
As it turned out, the repair was nothing I couldn’t do myself: replace the fill valve and the supply tube. However, the supply tube valve was frozen and I couldn’t shut it off. Last time something like that happened was two summers ago when I broke off the spigot when the garden hose couldn’t detach, but at least that was outside and the water flooded just a small spot in my backyard. Inside would have been a catastrophe.
In the end, I got off cheap–only $205 for the whole thing. Even when you can do it yourself, best to get a plumber for the diagnosis alone, to make sure that even if you do it yourself, you’re doing it right.
We became believers in the leak detectors when our neighbors had a slow leak under their refrigerator. They didn’t detect the leak until it had ruined the kitchen floor, seeped under the floor, and also ruined the flooring in their hallway. We’ve had several ever since.
FYI, when the batteries go bad the unit beeps just like a smoke detector. A couple of weeks ago just after we got in bed–why do these things always happen at bedtime?–we heard beeping and guessed it was one of the smoke detectors. We finally figured out it was one of the leak detectors in a half-bath instead.
i have several fire extinguishers. upstairs, downstairs (x3), basement, garage. these could also be first-line self defense if something bad happens while one of them is closer than is a more conventional weapon.
I don’t understand why there is not a built in system for new homes when they are so critical. All water heaters eventually fail, possibly with a small flood.
Great advice. Hope job prospects improve.
In our TinyTown™ here in NW Wyoming it is literally UNLAWFUL to simply own, much less use, a water shut-off tool. This is the LOOONG-handled valve handle that is used outside the house at the connection to the water main. Their reasoning is that when water is turned off by the city for non-payment, they don’t want the occupants able to turn it back on again.
When we had the new (city-mandated, paid for with tax dollars) water meter installed I had the plumber (for a small direct cost) add a pair of quarter-turn shut-off ball valves above and below the couplings holding the meter in place. This way we can shut off the water to the whole house from inside, and we can also repair/replace the water meter without having to drain the entire house plumbing.
Trying to find the house shut-off from the street, in the middle of the winter, with multiple feet of snow on the ground, would be a real problem.