Preventing well pump flood

[chuck172]

They use a wet switch: WS-1 - DiversiTech WS-1 - Wet Switch Flood Detector
Problem is it's 24vac. You'll need to hook it up to a relay to shut down the pump.

 

[workinonit]

The 24 VAC is not an issue for me. My entire pump system is on 24 volts. The only 240 volt wiring I have is from the 100 amp sub panel to the 24 volt AC contactor to my 2 wire pump, all at the well head. All of the other long runs are low voltage with my 160 gallon bladder tank and pressure switch being located at my house which is over 200 feet from the well.
I guess if you had a place that would be the recipient of flood water you could use one of those switches. That switch would be of zero use for me in my situation. I was thinking of some sort of ultrasonic detector to pick up water disturbance in the piping when there shouldn't be any. It would be difficult to do though.

 

[MossRoad]

First thing I'd do is get a water leak detector. They are less than $20 for a 3 pack on amazon. Runs on 9V battery like a smoke detector. You place them in the low spots in your basement/crawlspace. They have a puck with 2 probes. If water gets between the 2 probes, it completes the circuit and causes the alarm to go off. Sounds just like a smoke detector. They chirp when the batteries get low. We had many of them at my old employer in the raised floor in our computer room, near the air handlers, which often had issues with their condensate drains. They also make a water sensing tape that can connect to those two probes that you can lay down in a large area or perimeter. Works great!

That's your first line of defense to alert you of problems.

If you want automatic shutoff when a leak is detected, look into the Water Cop. It's been around for years. Works similarly, in that you place sensors or tape in the areas you want to monitor, and you place the shutoff valve on your main line. If it detects a leak, it shuts off the valve in the pipe.

 

[Richard]

You're clothes washer can also bite you in the behind.

I don't recall all the tidbits as it's probably been 20 years ago.... but two different snake bites in the butt....

1. Wife was doing laundry here. The drain pipe from the washer had somehow moved and was no longer pointed into the wall drain so it was doing a nice job of flooding the basement rather than put the water down the drain. Fortunately we had concrete floor at the time so it was a mess, but not a problem.

2. Her father bought a brand new washer/dryer. Had them delivered and setup. They happened to have been the actual floor displays verses 'out of a box' and therein was the issue. Seems someone had looked at them, salesman showed them to someone (no idea) but somewhere in their display history, someone had removed the drain cleanout or filter cleanout (something that was accessible from the front to clean BUT, you needed to PUT THE PLUG BACK and nobody put the plug back and on installation, nobody thought to look. So the first load went in and the machine tried to fill and fill and fill and fill..... no water was filling the drum to shut it off so it kept filling.

Flooded his laundry room, living room, dining room because, as I recall..... he had put a load of laundry in and then "went out to dinner" so nobody was there to notice this early on. Big mess but fortunately, we had two de-humidifiers, wife has a carpet cleaner that sucked up most of what was in the rugs.

 

[MoKelly]

Containing water in a house 24/7 365 is a challenge. It’s always looking for a way to escape. It’s under pressure.

I had a dishwasher back in the day where somehow a hose came off while it was running.

Luckily I was home and happened to go into the kitchen soon enough to turn off the water.

I’ve also had a water heater leak - but it was in an unfinished basement and there was a drain right there.

Ever since then, I have made sure the wife and kid know exactly where the water shutoff is in the house. They roll their eyes but at least they know.

What we need (maybe already exists) is a device that automatically shuts off the water if a leak detector goes off. That way you are protected if you are not at home.

MoKelly

 

[PILOON]

I had a rental that flooded badly.

A speedway let go and my pump tried it's best to empty the lake into my house.
It probably pumped for 3-4 days and sure created tons of damage.
Fortunately I had good insurance that even covered loss revenue and compensated the tenant for loss of use as well.
Washer, drier electronics all flooring 1/2 walls and ceiling in lower level all had to be replace.
However it turned into a win/win situation as they awarded me the repair contract and I was able to greatly improve the property for future rental.
While I paid higher premiums I was fully insured.

In fact during the repairs I replaced all the windows and added insulation and still came out ahead.
(actually made a slight profit counting my wages at minimum)
They compensated me to the tune of $30 K + (20 yrs ago)

A lot had to do with being honest, not greedy, and a very fair adjuster who was out to help and not skimp.
Scary at the time was my renewal was 2 months later but my premiums remained unchanged and I simply lost a 'no claims' 5% discount.

Pays to be honest and not let greed into the picture.

Every pump system I am involved with now has low pressure safety cut off controls!
If pressure drops significantly that pump simply shuts down.
Well worth the extra $$'s. (minimal at that)

 

[dlctcg]

What we need (maybe already exists) is a device that automatically shuts off the water if a leak detector goes off. That way you are protected if you are not at home.

MoKelly

It does already exist... There are many companies offering these all with varied way to implement it. As @MossRoad mentioned Water Cop has been doing it for close to 20yrs. Their Pro system includes the main water valve, controller, probe sensor. You can add additional supervised wireless sensors or hardwired sensors to monitor multiple areas (hot water heater, well tank, washing machine, etc). When the a system senor detect water it relays to the controller which turn the main water ball valve off.
This is also designed to tie into a home security / monitoring system or home automation controller for remote notification.

Water Cop: NEW HOME 2019 - Watercop


Another company is Fortrezz (they have a remote app): FortrezZ

There are a bunch of others out there also but these are two of the ones we have used on clients homes...

 

[MoKelly]

It does already exist... There are many companies offering these all with varied way to implement it. As @MossRoad mentioned Water Cop has been doing it for close to 20yrs. Their Pro system includes the main water valve, controller, probe sensor. You can add additional supervised wireless sensors or hardwired sensors to monitor multiple areas (hot water heater, well tank, washing machine, etc). When the a system senor detect water it relays to the controller which turn the main water ball valve off.
This is also designed to tie into a home security / monitoring system or home automation controller for remote notification.

Water Cop: NEW HOME 2019 - Watercop


Another company is Fortrezz (they have a remote app): FortrezZ

There are a bunch of others out there also but these are two of the ones we have used on clients homes...

Thank you very much.
I’ll look into these.

 

[Valveman]

A low pressure cut off switch is not good protection from flooding. The leak has to be large enough to drop the pressure to 20-30 before the low pressure switch will shut off the pump. Any leak other than a gusher will not trip the safety switch and the house will flood. Those low pressure cut off switches are also a nuisance, as they need manual resetting after a power outage or after opening too many faucets at the same time.

I have been testing two different systems for several years now. The first uses a Samsung Smarthub, a Aeotec heavy duty smart switch (240V), and leak detectors scattered through the house in strategic locations. If any sensor detects moisture it sends an alert to my phone and shuts off the pump through the Aeotec smart switch. Working great for several years now and saved me one time when the drain hose to the dish washer came loose. I can set a timer to turn my pump off and on before and after a weekend trip. I can also just turn it on or off from my phone if needed. Also have one of these that closes a ball valve instead of turning off a pump.

I am also testing an electronic pressure switch that has dry well and leak sensor protection devices as well. You can see the Drop Pump Controller at the link below if you are interested.

DROP Pump Controller - DROP

The DROP Pump Controller can be used to monitor your water flow and alert you to problems like leaks or excessive usage automatically.

dropconnect.com

It shows pressure, amps, faults, etc, and can be controlled from your phone as well. It comes with a hard wired leak sensor for use local to the pressure switch, and additional remote leak sensors can also be added.

 

[Meissgenry]

Considering the distance between your well and the house, I wonder if an ultrasonic detector could work for you. It sounds like a bit of a challenge to set up, but if it could pick up water disturbance in the piping, it might be worth exploring. On a side note, have you ever considered connecting with a Water Damage Service? They might have some insights or solutions for preventing potential flooding, especially since you mentioned a place that could be the recipient of floodwater. I've heard good things about services in Temecula, and they might have experience with similar setups. Again, I'm just throwing ideas out there as a fellow DIY enthusiast.