Floodstop Washing Machine Valve Shutoff Kit
by Floodstop
|
Our Price: $144.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $112.10 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Floodstop Washing Machine Valve Shutoff Kit
Customer Review: Peace of mind ... almost
Summary: 5 Stars
I just received this product today. The installation was very simply and it only took about 15 minutes. Overall, I am very pleased with this device. I have tested it several times and without fail, every time the sensor detects water, it faithfully shuts off the two water valves.
The plastic controller housing seems a bit cheap but the valves appear to be high quality. The wall plugin transformer is black with white plastic wire and all other parts of the device are white, so why the black transformer housing? So in the aesthetics category, I would give this product only three stars. But I did not buy it for looks or to show of to friends and family, I bought it for its utilitarian and functional purpose and for that I give the product an overall 5 stars.
There is one water risk that this device does not solve directly and that is if the drain line were to become detached or clogged and the washing machine were to begin draining on to the floor, the water supply lines would be closed but there is nothing to stop the washing machine from continuing to pump all its water content out on to the floor. Fortunately this device includes a set of both normally open and normally closed IO contacts. Using the leads provided, coupled with some relay controlled power outlet, you can use this to disconnect power from the washing machine thereby stopping the water pump. If you do want to take this additional step, make sure to obtain a relay power controlled device that supports a high enough amperage for your washing machine. I am planning on using a Furman MP-20 Power Relay Accessory to solve this. There are probably cheaper options out there but with this device there should be no hassles, just connect the IO contact leads from the controller box to the MP-20.
I also am using a FloodStop system on my hot water heater which is located in the attic. I am using the 3/4 threaded model, but here is a link to the compression fit model:
FloodStop System for Water Heaters
**UPDATE** 2010-01-22
Received and installed Furman MP-20 Power Relay Accessory today. Connected to NO (normally open) contact closure leads on FloodStop. Works great!! Now when water is detected by FloodStop, not only the hot and cold water valves get closed, but also the power to the washing machine gets immediately disconnected. This will prevent the pump on the washing machine from burning out if the water leakage is not detected immediately and also prevents water on the drain line of the washing machine from being pumped out in the case where the drain line has been compromised.
**UPDATE** 2010-06-23
6 month test passed! Both hot and cold values closed completely with the detection of water on the sensor pad.
**UPDATE** 2010-10-06
Wife asked me to take a look at why the washing machine was not working today. The Flodstop was tripped and the Furman MP-20 powered off the washing machine. No noticeable pools of water on the floor, so I started thinking something may be wrong with the Floodstop unit. But sure enough when I picked up the sensor there was a little bit a water on the surface. After wiping off the water and resetting the unit all is working perfectly. I will count this as a successful test :-)
Customer Review: OnSite Pro Floodstop - great device; but be sure to test valve shut-off
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently purchased the two-valve model for use with a new washing machine in a New York apartment. This seems to be a generally well-made product, and installation was fairly straightforward. I was able to install and test it in under an hour.
The only negative comment I would have is that for a device that people install once and then count on to work properly to forestall a possible future disaster, it makes no sense that the control cables to the motorized valves have connection sockets that are not more foolproof. If you are not careful when connecting the cables to the motorized valves, the pins within the connector can be easily bent and fail to make the connection. Because of the design, you CANNOT tell by looking at the connector that this has in fact happened, and the valve motors are so quiet and smooth you can't easily hear or feel that they are functioning. The only way to detect the problem is to actually test the valve, by seeing if it actually shuts off the water when activated. Testing the valves of course makes sense to do anyway, given the risks of the valves not working, but I suspect people may not perform this critical test to check that BOTH valves actually do shut off the water flow. In addition, every time you disconnect and reconnect the cables this problem can occur, so the valves need to be tested any time the cables are reconnected. I've read at least one review where a person had water damage occur because one of the valves failed to operate, and I bet this was nothing more than a bent interconnect pin in the cable to one of the motorized valves.
I know about this problem because it happened to me, and as someone with decades of experience with electrical devices, I know that this is a design issue rather than a user problem. I would hope OnSite Pro corrects this potential problem in the future by using cables that use a more easily visible, and more fail-safe, interconnect. Because major leaks are relatively infrequent, not many will complain about this because they won't ever discover the problem, but will continue to erroneously believe that they and their property are protected.
That said, this appears to be an otherwise excellent product, and I would highly recommend it - just be careful when connecting the motorized valve cables and be sure you test BOTH valves with actual water pressure to be certain they work correctly after installation, and any time you disconnect and reconnect the cables.
Customer Review: Great product and easy to install
Summary: 5 Stars
I learned that since I have a washing machine on the 2nd floor of my house and that hoses can periodically fail (they suggest replacing them every 5 years) I decided I wasn't going to find out that I needed new hoses after they burst and flood the house.
I purchased and installed the Floodstop after reading the many positive reviews.
Installing was easy enough. The hardest part was applying the Teflon tape to the water connections since they are in a tight spot. After I attached everything I manually tested the unit by using the ON / OFF buttons. At first they would not work and then I realized that I had to rock the button with my finger a bit to get it to engage.
Next came the water test once I hooked up the sensor. It worked like a charm. A tiny drop of water caused the sensor to trip and the valves to shut off.
I appreciate that I can also install an alarm sensor for my GE Concord system that is monitored by Alarm.com. That way I will be informed if there is in fact a leak and the system has shut off.
Hopefully I will never need the system, but I now have peace of mind. We have a laundry room in our basement as well and I'll be installing one of these down there.
Customer Review: Very Pleased / Easy To Install
Summary: 5 Stars
As we have a first floor laundry positioned above the location of my main desktop computer in a finished basement I had always worried about leaks but assumed the only solution would involve over $1000 and hiring a plumber. I was very pleased to find this product and after researching and comparing to a more expensive model this one makes more sense in that it stops flow based on sensed water and does not have the potential for stopping flow during long wash cycles as some models which open for a set time do.
It took me about 45 minutes to install since I decided to fully test it outside with a garden hose to be sure the unit was able to completely stop flow. Installation was easy and the unit looks nice on the wall. I do plan to purchase an additional sensor pad to trigger stoppage of flow even sooner and am considering the electrical circuit breaker recommended by the top review here due to the critical positioning of my laundry room as noted above. In retrospect, I would have purchased the additional sensor right along with this unit.
Customer Review: Seems to work as intended, easy to install
Summary: 5 Stars
The unit has some very sturdy extensions that you simply screw on after applying some teflon tape to the existing attachments. I used a pipe wrench to make sure it was very snug and so that I'd get no leaks. Mounting the control unit is very straight forward. Drill a couple of holes in the drywall using the back plate of the unit to mark them first, insert the wall anchors, and screw the unit to the wall. Alternatively they supply velcro if you don't feel comfortable with drilling into the wall. After that, it's a matter of plugging the unit in (or using batteries), and connecting the supplied water detector. I put the water detector on the floor behind the washing machine so it would be out of the way. I turned the unit on, and dropped a bit of water on the sensor. The alarm went off and I heard it shutting the valves, so it seems to work as expected.
Hopefully this will be the last time I have to deal with flooding downstairs (first time it was the weather that did it, 2nd time the washing machine broke.)