Our Homeowners insurance company recommends Flo by Moen and offers us a discount on purchase and install - plus a small reduction on our premums.

@darbuka, can I ask what brand your system is?

Hmmm, it was 6+ years ago, and it was our son who selected everything mechanical and electric, when we gut renovated our home. He's traveling in Europe for several weeks, but I’ll text and ask him.

Carlisa…my son replied quickly. I’ve cut and pasted what he wrote.

“Well our alarm system is the Elk M1, and the motorized valve we have is branded by them (I don’t recall the model number). But it’s not actually made by them, I forget the name of the company that makes it. The sensors are made by GRI. Most professional level alarm systems can be programmed for this - Honeywell, GE, etc. And there are also wireless sensors.”

Hope that helps!

Our leak detectors look like cute little frogs but a quick search on amazon shows that ladybugs are the preferred look, though they are shaped like the frogs:

Ladybug Leak Detector

Fairly cheap and the alarm is unmistakable.

In today's Washington Post (6/18/2022) there is an Article on Water Sensors in The Real Estate Section. I'm not sure it is helpful to this thread, however:

Washington Post on Water Sensors

@Stax thanks, the article is really helpful! Plumber was out yesterday to install a new faucet and do some other work, and he also recommended the Moen Flo, as well as the WatchDog sensors.

(As an aside, had to laugh a bit at this quote from the article, "A quick call to the plumber, and we had two new sump pumps installed before lunch" - where I live, plumbers, electricians etc. are crazy busy, and there's a 2 to 3+ week wait for an appointment.)

@darbuka thank you (and your son) for the additional information, something to think about :)

Used these in a home full of hardwood:

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Water-Leak-Detector-Detection/dp/B0787P4BY9?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

We've had the battery powered leak detectors in all the places you mentioned. We still have some of those but also now have a hardwired one with a battery backup in case of power outage. Instead of sensing water on the ground, it senses flow through the pipes. It also contains a thermometer and wifi, which I thought were gimmicks at first - then we got notifications once when we were out of town and our boiler stopped working during winter.

As far as the accuracy of measuring leaks via pipe flow, it's surprisingly effective (I get notifications whenever I linger in the shower longer than usual). That type of sensor is the same kind that municipal water monitoring agencies deploy to determine where and how people use water in their homes. They're not compatible with all types of pipe though if I recall correctly.

I seem to recall when we were looking at hardwired detectors, there were a couple of options that include the capability to turn off you water main for major leaks. We decided not to get one of those, but I could see it providing peace of mind especially if you're gone for long periods of time.

I have these water alarms on all my appliances including the ice line to the refrigerator.

My Bosch dishwasher and washer/dryer have it built into them. The Bosch washing machine also has double hoses which are extra water proof and pans as part of the system.

I also have a water shut off valve for my HVAC unit because I have a rather unit system in which the compressor is in the ceiling above the foyer and works with some kind of central water line that runs through all the floors in my high rise building in the same stack. It used to get backed up and/or the compressor would screw up and I would have a large flood that ruined the ceiling.

I had a shut off valve installed as well and it worked really well as it shut off the system when it detected too much water accumulating from the compressor. I would have had several floods without the system.

@salex, can I ask what brands? And what made you decide to convert to a hard-wired system? Thanks!

@Helen I'm not sure my Bosch dishwasher (800 series) is that smart - will have to go back and read the owner's manual again. Is your leak detection part of a central system, or individual detectors? Wired or batteries? So sorry about the ceiling - that is a unique set up!

My devices are all separate systems and are hard wired. They were installed during my remodel by the GC except for the A/C which was done by the HVAC person who also did my hood.

I live in a high rise so I am quite conscious of floods and leaks because there have been several floods that went from an upper floor down to the lobby and resulted in lots of damage to every unit below them resulting in milions in damages. Of course anyone who has a washer on the second floor could also have significant damage to their own home.

I have The Watchdog Water Alarms. It has rave reviews. This alarm can detect as little as 1/32 in. of water and produces a loud 110 dB alarm that can be heard throughout the house to provide an effective early warning system. The water alarm can be placed directly on floors or mounted for installation in a variety of locations: in a sump pit, near water heaters, refrigerators or dishwashers, next to washing machines, under sinks, close to air conditioner drain tubes or wherever there is a risk of water damage. The sensor with 6 ft. of wire offers installation versatility and can accommodate the addition of more than 100 ft. of wire. The water alarm operates using a single 9V alkaline battery and has a battery-saver feature that only uses energy when the alarm is sounding.
Detects as little as 1/32 in. of water to offer an effective early warning system
Solid-state circuitry is extremely sensitive and reliable
Loud 110 dB alarm can be heard throughout the house
Sensor has a 6 ft. wire so it can be extended into a sump pit, or mounted on a wall
Accommodates the addition of more than 100 ft. of wire (additional 24 gauge wire not included)
Battery will last approximately 2-4 years or as long as stated on the battery packaging.