FloodStopWater Heater Auto-Shutoff Valve, FS3/4NPT, V4 Controller, Water Damage Prevention

I bought the FloodStop Water Heater Auto-Shutoff Valve, FS3/4NPT, V4 Controller, Water Damage Prevention two years ago for $125. I installed it where the water pipe comes into the house, just after the meter and before the water pipe branches are. I bought extra sensors to protect the water heater, clothes washer, dishwasher, refrigerator, and to the basement utility sink areas. A major leak anywhere else in the house will eventually run down to the basement by the utility sink. Possibly I may install sensors by each toilet some day. It’s now extremely easy to press the button to shut off the water if we are leaving for an extended period of time.The sensors are very sensitive. One drop of water, and the flood stop shuts the whole house water off. You need to locate and fix the problem, dry the sensor, and turn the water back on. Assuming you have an individual shut off at the offending site, you can turn the water back on for the rest of the house. I installed a flood stop bypass line with a normally closed valve if you need to turn the water back on, and don’t want to do the somewhat complicated procedure to the valve to manually turn the water back on before the sensor dries, or if the valve fails closed.A neighbor saw this and thought it would be a good idea for his winter house in Florida. He is looking at a “smart WiFi” leak sensor instead. I prefer the flood stop. The flood stop will turn the water off immediately and does not require a monthly subscription payment. The smart WiFi sensor notifies your phone. You must respond to shut the water off. The water leak will continue until you do. I prefer the flood stops immediate shut off and no monthly fee.

My water heater burst at my old house, and it caused my garage ceiling to cave in from all the water pouring out. I was lucky the water heater wasn't located over the living area. Now I'm paranoid at my new house since the water heater is in the attic above two floors of living space.I installed the Floodstop shutoff valve on my water heater and put the water sensor in the pan at the bottom of the water heater. The electrical parts are sooo easy to connect. The hardest part will be connecting the pipes, so you might want to hire a plumber if that isn't your thing. I recommend screwing a few extra inches of pipe into the Floodstop and then soldering the pipes at that far end so the heat won't fry the electronics while you're installing it. The pipes get pretty dang hot during installation.Anyway, this thing works perfect. I tested it by dropping a single drop of water on the sensor, and the valve closed in under 2 seconds. If the water stays on the sensor, the alarm continues to sound. If you dry it off, the valve remains closed but the beeping stops. If you don't have any hot water, it clues you in that something must have triggered the shutoff valve and you can investigate. Every home that has a water heater over the living area should have one of these installed! Insurance rates would probably go down.

Great product, and great customer service from the manufacturer when needed. You should always shut off your main water supply manually whenever you leave your property, even if just for a few days. Even so, this unit can prevent thousands of dollars of damage should a leak occur while the main is open. It doesn't take very long for water to create damage, even a small leak can create big damage in a short time. This devise has a great sensor, printed on both sides, and literally just takes a single drop of water to trip the alarm and close the valve. We use this for whole house protection with sensors near a filter housing and pressure tank, and it does a great job. Very satisfied.If I ever built a new house or renovated down to the studs (no plans to ever do either), I would make a point to run low voltage wire to every sink, toilet, and fixture (ice maker, dishwasher etc) so that I could place additional sensors for this unit under every single point where water could leak, thus signalling the unit to turn off water in the house. What an inexpensive way to protect from one of the biggest sources of damage to a home!

I was replacing a hot water heater for my Dad and his hot water heater is located in the bedroom closet right in the living space and I always thought if this were to leak while he is out, it would be a real nightmare! I saw some negative reviews and I was a little hesitant, but my experience was great. The instructions were clear and the install easy. A couple of things to point out, you do need a 120 volt outlet right near the heater to plug in the unit and obviously you want to prefab your 3/4 male and female connections so as not to have a torch anywhere near the valve. I also recommend using thread sealant as opposed to teflon tape for the connections. I used the tape initially and had one small leak despite having tightened as hard as I could and on other jobs, I've found that I have better luck with the sealant. Also put some thought into location because the wires are not super long. In terms of testing the unit, I did it twice by accident, I had the unit hooked up but not put in place and once I dropped a damp cloth on the leak detector and the valve immediately closed and the second time despite wiping out the pan, there was one little drop of water in there that I didn't see and the valve immediately shut off. One last thought, is that when initially powered up, I had to manually press the open button to fill the new hot water heater, and you always want to make sure your tank is filled before turning on your 240 volt breaker or you'll obviously burn up the new elements. A stupid thing but easy to overlook when you are just trying to finish a job. Hope this helps and good luck with your install/decision :-))

only used for 2 weeks now but passed all test. I'm using mine right off of water meter. everything is in one room so I figure may as well put it where it counts

Great product. Had problems putting wires in the right place at first but seller helped me out with several helpful emails. Very good and very helpful people. Thanks again T Martin

I am happy with it in case of water pipe brake and water leak it will shut off main water supply.

Very wellMade product, easy to hookupUsed this one as a whole house shut-off

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