Water detection devices and alarms
In most cases, home owners can save a lot of time and money by adding a few simple protective devices and doing routine maintenance. These tasks usually take just a few minutes and the parts are far less expensive than deductibles or repairs. Reliable water alarm systems come in all different styles and prices; everything from a basic battery operated alarm to complete home monitoring systems.
Installing Water Damage Protection / Prevention Systems along with high pressure hoses will help to avoid serious damages and repair costs. These systems detect hidden leaks by sounding an alarm, letting you know that a leak has occurred and automatically shutting off the appliance’s water supply or the water supply for the entire property. These devices use sensors that react when they contact water. After contact, the moisture activates an audible alarm and causes an automatic valve to shut off the water supply. Some systems will alert property owners through mobile phone technology, emails, text messages or contacting a monitoring service who can alert water damage specialist like ReNew Services for immediate emergency service to minimize damage.
Using the water meter to check for water leaks
Locate the water meter. It should be near the street under a metal, plastic or concrete lid. Water meters have numbers or spinning dials, which record usage. When water is not being used, none of the numbers or dials on the meter should move. Most meters also have a small “leak detector” arrow, which spins to record the low volume of water use that is common with leaks.
Turn off every water fixture inside and outside the home or building. Remember to shut off the swamp cooler and irrigation or sprinkling systems and do not use the ice maker for a while before the test. Watch the water meter for a minute or more. If the leak detector dial is moving, a leak may exist somewhere in the property. In some cases, the leak detector dial might move back and forth very slightly - this is usually caused by water pressure fluctuations and is not a sign of a leak. If the leak detector’s dial moves forward continually, even at a slow rate, there is a leak. Check the main meter reading (numbers) at a set time, and then come back an hour later to check the reading - ensuring that no water has been turned on during the hour. If the meter reading has increased, there is a leak.
