Show me your flood sensor

[Neurorad]

I'm having a tough time deciding how and where to position water sensors, for bathrooms in particular, for esthetic reasons.

Are people positioning the units abutting the baseboard on the floor, or using sensor wires and putting the unit in the wall?

Seems most Cocooners are using the GRI products, 5-12-24VDC.

Standard 2500/2600


or with sensor wires 2500T/2600T?


Here is the GRI Water Sensor with Relay Contact data sheet:
http://www.grisk.com/specialty/pdf/2600%20Series.pdf

I'm still working on a master bath remodel, and the walls are still 'kind of' open.

 

[Monk]

I use the same brand GRI. I position them in the wall when available - for situations where the hot / cold is split by a stud, use 2 - one for each. Position them logically where you think would be the first spray might occur from a leaking piple or overflowing drain. Know that they are very sensitive - test them manually for fun so you can see how little it really takes to trigger them.

 

[Lagerhead]

I have these only in unfinished spaces, so I guess this does not help you.

 

[Neurorad]

I use the same brand GRI. I position them in the wall when available - for situations where the hot / cold is split by a stud, use 2 - one for each. Position them logically where you think would be the first spray might occur from a leaking piple or overflowing drain. Know that they are very sensitive - test them manually for fun so you can see how little it really takes to trigger them.

Have you used any with the wired sensors (2500T/2600T)?
I'm thinking that these wired sensors could be tucked under the quarter-round trim, at the floor edge, though accumulation of dirt/dust could be an issue.

 

[Neurorad]

I have these only in unfinished spaces, so I guess this does not help you.

Thanks! Even though the spec sheet provides dimensions, I didn't realize how small the units were.

I think I need to buy a couple, and play.

 

[drvnbysound]

Are people positioning the units abutting the baseboard on the floor, or using sensor wires and putting the unit in the wall?

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I certainly wouldnt think I would want to put them inside the wall. If you are worried about flooding, as people are with fire, I would want to test these every 6 months to a year to ensure they are still functioning properly. How do you know if the connection is still good? If it was in the wall you certainly couldnt or wouldnt want to do that, and if it did stop working (how would you know?) you would have to tear out part of the wall to replace.

 

[Monk]

Are people positioning the units abutting the baseboard on the floor, or using sensor wires and putting the unit in the wall?

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I certainly wouldnt think I would want to put them inside the wall. If you are worried about flooding, as people are with fire, I would want to test these every 6 months to a year to ensure they are still functioning properly. How do you know if the connection is still good? If it was in the wall you certainly couldnt or wouldnt want to do that, and if it did stop working (how would you know?) you would have to tear out part of the wall to replace.

I don't worry about testing them - their operation is so simple with nothing much to go wrong. How do you know if you have a pipe begin to leak?

 

[robolo]

I am using these too. What I did in my bath was to put 1 centered behind the toilet along the baseboard, 1 along the baseboard just inside the linen closet next to the tub, and 1 under the sink in the base cabinet.

The reson I like having these accessible is that they are very sensitive as mentioned earlier. They were very effective at alerting us to a toilet overflow recently but then we had a heck of a time getting the sensor dry enough to stop alarming. I think it would be really hard to get it dry if it was in the wall space/under molding.

Even behind the toilet they are small and really inconspicuous. I always have to point them out to people touring our remodel.

Although I have no statistics to prove it, my sense is more catastrophic flooding (maybe except for ice maker tubing to fridge) are due to user error (tub overflow while person is on the phone, kids stopping up toilet, etc) than to major water pipe rupture. That is the other reason why I prefer to have these out where overflow from toilet/tub/sink can be detected.

 

[Neurorad]

Points well taken.

Behind the toilet sounds like the most logical place, for bathrooms, for a start.

Anybody have any experience with the wired sensors (2500T/2600T)? In my master bath, I can't run a cable very easily to the area behind the toilet. Next to the toilet may be a better option (I have direct access to behind that wall), though I'm somewhat concerned with 'overspray' :blush: , particularly with a young son.

I'm thinking it might be worth it to run the cable behind the toilet, for esthetics and practicality.

I know a couple of you have the Elk/OEM water main shutoff valve Elk-WSV. Any 'local' options for shutting off supply just to the toilet, that can be activated from an Elk? This is assuming I'll have additional sensors for other areas of the bathroom (tubs, under sinks).

In 20 months we've had 2 major floods in our home - burst water heater tank and burst under-sink water filter. The shower leak was a trickle, and could not be prevented with water sensors. There is also evidence that there was a major flood in the laundry room, during prior ownership. I think I'll have at least 15 water sensors eventually.

These sensors are wired with 22/4 - correct? 2 for signal, 2 for power? I think I know what I'm doing Saturday morning.

 

[drvnbysound]

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I certainly wouldnt think I would want to put them inside the wall. If you are worried about flooding, as people are with fire, I would want to test these every 6 months to a year to ensure they are still functioning properly. How do you know if the connection is still good? If it was in the wall you certainly couldnt or wouldnt want to do that, and if it did stop working (how would you know?) you would have to tear out part of the wall to replace.

I don't worry about testing them - their operation is so simple with nothing much to go wrong. How do you know if you have a pipe begin to leak?

I wouldnt be so worried with the sensors themselves, but Id also like to have access to them to check and test for things like corrosion of the wiring / terminals... anything that could also stop the signal from the sensor from getting back to the board.. a rodent in the attic chewing through the wire.

If you cant test the sensor you wont know that its not working until its too late. Id personally much rather be able to test than not to be able to

I dont know what the statistics are, but Id guess that you get flooding more times from toilets, bathtubs, or sinks overflowing than you will from pipes busting inside the wall.

 

[Monk]

I have these only in unfinished spaces, so I guess this does not help you.

Thanks! Even though the spec sheet provides dimensions, I didn't realize how small the units were.

I think I need to buy a couple, and play.

They are small enough and chances are you are the only one who is going to know they are there (+ your cleaning lady). You know how that goes - you are thinking something is really sticking out like a sore thumb, but really, it is not.

In this location, I have one on the vanity shelf, directly underneath waterlines to sink. There are also 2 more located in the wall, mounted at the floor. While I could have used 1, the hot & cold lines are split by a stud. Overkill, maybe - it was only 10$.

Rats - the pictures are too big. Will reduce & post again.

 

[Monk]

I use the same brand GRI. I position them in the wall when available - for situations where the hot / cold is split by a stud, use 2 - one for each. Position them logically where you think would be the first spray might occur from a leaking piple or overflowing drain. Know that they are very sensitive - test them manually for fun so you can see how little it really takes to trigger them.

Have you used any with the wired sensors (2500T/2600T)?
I'm thinking that these wired sensors could be tucked under the quarter-round trim, at the floor edge, though accumulation of dirt/dust could be an issue.

Have not used those - first thing I'm thinking is that they are more for under carpet - or maybe an are where you can make the switch fit, yet have a small bit of access to - they just sort of "extend" the switch is the way I took them. I could be wrong..?

 

[123]

Given the example of an overflowing toilet, the sensor's placement ought to be on the floor (or within a few millimeters). The sensors have been described as being very sensitive to the presence of moisture. So how does one wash the bathroom floor without accidentally triggering the sensor? What type of placement strikes a balance between the needs of water-detection and day-to-day practicality?

 

[Lagerhead]

These sensors are wired with 22/4 - correct? 2 for signal, 2 for power? I think I know what I'm doing Saturday morning.

You have a choice of 2-wire and 4-wire. The 2500 and 2600 are powered sensors and need a pair for the supply and another pair (or at least one conductor) for the sensing. The 2800 is 2-wire, taking power from the alarm circuit itself. 22ga is fine.

Somewhere in the literature GRI mentions inspecting periodically for possible contact corrosion (I guess expecting they are used in damp locations), which might be a good reason to install them so they are accessible.

 

[Monk]

Given the example of an overflowing toilet, the sensor's placement ought to be on the floor (or within a few millimeters). The sensors have been described as being very sensitive to the presence of moisture. So how does one wash the bathroom floor without accidentally triggering the sensor? What type of placement strikes a balance between the needs of water-detection and day-to-day practicality?

It becomes the best-practice and experience of the individual. I would always position them for maximum potential water from "device" whether that be a toilet, sink pipes, whatever.
If you have a rule that turns the main water off whenever one gets tripped, and the cleaning lady manages to trip one every time she cleans a floor - then I suppose you would deal with that appropriately.