The Water Leak Mitigation Subcommittee looked at several ways to minimize the possibility of leaks.
Hose Replacements
As part of the overall strategy, A&E had recently directed that all washing machine rubber hoses not recently replaced should be replaced with steel-braided or nylon-braided hoses.
There are other hoses supplying water to sinks, dishwashers, refrigerators, and toilets, however; these are already steel-braided hoses. It’s possible to replace them, but there are risks. Toilet valves are notorious for leaking if disturbed. Moving refrigerators and dishwashers carries the risk of damaging the appliances, flooring, and fixtures – and there is a non-negligible chance of causing a leak while doing all these changeouts.
Therefore, we do not recommend replacing water hoses for toilets, dishwashers, or refrigerators. If these units are being serviced or replaced, then a new steel-braided or nylon-braided hose should be installed. Most installers do that as part of installation..
Leak Detection
Modern sensors make it easy to detect leaks. There is a wide variety of costs, from $250 (just sensors) to $6,000 (professional installation with automatic water shutoff), depending on what amount of protection you want.
All leak detectors work on the same principle – metal contacts on the sensor get wet and trigger the device. Some detectors use a cable “tail”, where the entire tail is the sensor. These are able to cover a wide area (like under washing machines, etc).
Standalone Detectors
Very much like smoke detectors – these don’t need to be connected to anything, and an alarm will sound when it gets wet. However, if no one is there to hear it, it does no good.
These are pretty cheap if you can find them ($10-$15 each). Because they aren’t “smart”, you can’t tell how much battery life is left, you must change the batteries annually, or else find out your detector didn’t detect a leak because the battery was dead.
Note: Honeywell and most others have discontinued these models in favor of smartphone-based models. They’re hard to find now.
“Smart” Detectors
These systems rely on smartphone apps to control them. This allows them to notify the owner via text message, smartphone alerts, and email if desired, as well as audible alarms.
A big plus with the smartphone-based detectors is that you can see the battery capacity for each sensor, so you’ll know when the batteries need to be replaced.
A comparison of several “smart” leak detectors is found here: Evaluation of Water Leak Detectors .
Actions when leaks are detected
So, what happens when one of these sensors detect a leak? Depending on the brand, you can do pretty much anything you want.
Some of the responses are:
- Sirens – Some systems come with an audible alarm. YoLink allows sirens to be added if desired. I’ve done this an it’s pretty easy (and loud)
- Notifications – Most systems only notify via smartphone (text, alerts) and email.
- Integration with external systems – YoLink is the only system I’ve looked at which integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. This lets you do almost anything when triggered.
- Automatic Shut-Off Systems – Once a leak is detected, some systems allow the water to be shut off. This requires some sort of actuator or replacement of the ball-valve which controls the water flow. Since we have both cold and hot water pipes coming into units, both need to be able to be remotely closed.
Automatic Shut-off Valves/Controllers
Automatic shut-off systems can be added to many brands of leak detector systems. There are two types, one attaches to your existing shut-off valve and the other replaces it.
Actuators for existing shut-off valves
These attach to the existing valve and turn the handle. Click here for an example.
Pros:
- Works with existing valve
- Don’t need to shut the floor’s zone water off to install
- Don’t need a plumber to install
Cons:
- Might not fit in all units (see below)
- Some use hose clamps to attach, instead of clamping on the valve body – if the plastic pipe is clamped, it could rupture. ONLY models which clamp to the valve body are acceptable for use.
NOTE: Using two of these require that the pipes must be at least 6” apart – any closer than that and the handle from one will hit the other line’s actuator and prevent it from closing. If this is the case, then you will need motorized shut-off valves. Some units have enough distance between the wall and the valves such that the lower line can be moved downwards enough to accommodate 2 actuators – only a qualified plumbing vendor should attempt this.
Example product: YoLink: $210 on Amazon
Motorized shut-off valves
Basically, this is a motorized addition/replacement for the existing shut-off valve which can be controlled by the system. Click here for an example.
- May require manifolds to be relocated/replaced (the manifold is what distributes water to all the different sinks, etc after the valve)
- Might not be possible to add this in addition to the existing shut-off valve, may have to replace it instead – this requires all water be turned off in the plumbing zone – potentially many floors).
Note: An important factor if this is installed is that it is greatly preferred to have this installed after, and in addition to, the existing manual shut-off valves
- This way, the water to the entire zone doesn’t have to be shut off during the installation (in Doug Bullard’s case, all of floors 16-23).
- It also leaves the existing manual shutoff valve for redundancy
Note: Portland Mechanical has said they can install these. Cost may be $500-$700 per line, depending on difficulty (mine is probably a worst-case pricing) – this will be updated when a formal estimate is received.
Example products:
- WaterCop $386 on Amazon
- YoLink $110 on Amazon
Preventing Sewer Back-ups
Sewer back-ups cause liquid in the sewer line to enter a unit via a sink or other outlet. The kitchen sinks are the most clog-prone, as food waste from disposals builds up – when this happens, the water can back up so much it will overflow the sink. Fortunately, the toilets have a different sewer line, so what backs up is just kitchen waste.
Minimize Disposal Use
Disposals are a source of clogs in building plumbing. Usage of disposals should be minimized – never dispose of meat, pasta, etc. by putting it down the disposal.
- Coffee grounds
- Grease/fats – Grease and fats (even when disposed of warm) will condense when they contact the cold pipes, and cause buildups which can clog the line
- Pasta/Potato peels – anything with starch – it’s sticky & expands
- Oatmeal
- Eggshells
- Fibrous vegetables (celery, etc)
Routine Inspections or Cleanings
The A&E committee is investigating if we should schedule regular inspections/cleaning of the sewer lines.