Flood damage from leaky fixtures in your Katahdin Cedar Log Home can be costly — even a small amount of water can cost thousands to clean up and repair. Besides water cleanup and water damages to furniture and flooring, there’s the long-term concerns about indoor air quality from mold and mildew from a water leak. That’s why these automatic water shut off systems make so much sense.
For Simplicity, Install a WAGS Valve
Tank water heaters can unleash a lot of water on an unsuspecting homeowner. But most leaks often start small before they spell disaster. That’s where the Water and Gas Safety (WAGS) Valve saves the day. The WAGS is installed in the drip pan under your water heater. If water starts leaking and rises to a certain level the WAGS valve shuts off water to the hot water heater tank. The WAGS valve also shuts off the gas supply to the water heater if it’s serviced with natural gas or propane. The best feature of the WAGS is that it is 100% mechanical in operation. It requires no electricity, Wi-Fi, or batteries to head off a water leak from your water heater.
Placed in a drip pan under the water heater, the WAGS is installed in between the water source and the water heater. If water collects in the drip pan to ¾ of an inch of water, the leaking water comes in contact with a patented water-soluble fiber disc within the WAGS assembly. When it dissolves, it activates a powerful spring-loaded piston in the valve that shuts off the water flow. If so equipped, the WAGS valve can also shut off the gas flow to the water heater. When activated, a red tab pops up to indicate the valve is shut off.
Flo Leak Protection for the Entire Home
This smart system centers around the Moen Flo Smart Water Shutoff that is installed where your water supply enters the house. Using your smartphone, you can monitor water usage and detect micro leaks by monitoring for water flow and pressure irregularities. Pair with Moen Smart Water Detectors near each water fixture in your home that are programmable for temperature and moisture sensitivity, in a leak emergency, the detectors send a signal to the Smart Water Shutoff to close the water valve.
Using similar water flow sensors, the Phyn Smart Water Shut Off off also identifies miniscule changes in water flow to alert you to a leak no matter where you are. In addition to the leak detection, The Phyn system helps to save water and minimize water damage from leaks large and small, including:
- Toilet flapper leaks,
- Frozen pipes
- Supply line leaks
- Water left on
- Catastrophic leaks
- Unusual usage
And through Phyn’s Plumbing Check feature, pinhole leaks and drip leaks may also be detected, saving gallons of water annually.