Wouldn't It Be Great If Your Home Could Turn off the Water in an Emergency?
There are a number of things that you might consider to be essential to your home, but there are two primary supplies that your home needs. You turn on a switch, and you can utilise your home's electricity supply. Turn on a tap, and you can use your home's water supply. When the supply of electricity to your home behaves in an abnormal way, whether it's due to a fluctuation in current or a localised short circuit, there are safety protocols in place to prevent this from turning into an emergency. Your home's circuit breaker will deactivate the electricity supply, hopefully avoiding any major issue. But what about your home's water supply?
The System
A water leak detection system has the potential to minimise water damage to your home, wherever it might occur. It's a device that's attached to your home's main water valve, and a plumber can supply and quickly install the system. Much like how a circuit breaker monitors electricity, the leak detection system monitors the water supply to your home, springing into action when there seems to be an abnormality.
Shutting Off the Water
An abrupt change in pressure would indicate that water is leaking from a place that it shouldn't, and this is when the system will actually shut off your home's water supply, greatly reducing the amount of water that can actually leak. Some systems have the ability to immediately inform you via a smartphone app or email, and are connected to your home's wireless internet. There will also be an audible alarm so that anyone at home is notified.
Regular Leaks
These systems can be highly beneficial if you have experienced unexpected leaks before. Naturally if this is a regular occurrence, you should contact a plumber to diagnose the issue instead of relying upon a monitoring system to shut off the water (which might happen on a regular basis, when this is not in fact necessary).
Localised Solutions
Not all main water valves are compatible with a water leak detection system, and so a localised detection system can then be used in areas that might be of concern. It might be a leak detector attached to your water heater's inlet pipe, or even to the water supply for individual appliances such as your dishwasher or washing machine. This is also a good solution in a rental property where you might not be permitted to fit anything to the property's main water valve.
Have a word with your local plumber about a water leak detection system. It's rather simple, but the benefits can be numerous.
