Water Softener 5/11: Water leak detection and prevention

While water leak detection and prevention may not be a topic directly related to water softener, I choose to mention it here for couple of reasons 1. Water softener's are generally installed at the entry point of water coming into house and hence it is good idea to consider installing leak defection and prevention (if that is something important to you) at that time or along with it 2. There were number of incidents where RO (reverse osmosis) systems were the cause of water damage. It is seen that most people who install / installed softener also install / installed Reverse osmosis systems.

Recently heard about few homeowners going through pain full process of dealing with water damage incidents . While it is very unfortunate and they have to deal with the aftermath for several months (claims, repairs etc.), i thought of sharing few things that i think every homeowner should consider:

1. Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon, all have smart water meters. Suggest creating an account to monitor water usage and sign-up for unusual usage / potential water leak alerts down stream i.e. from the city meter into the house. It is FREE, it doesn't cost anything!

https://www.dsrsd.com/your-account/aquahawk-customer-portal

https://pleasantonwater.smartcmobile.com/

2. Consider installing smart whole house leak detection and shutoff. These devices not only notify about potential leak, but allows you to take action remotely via the App with a press of button to shutoff the supply to whole house regardless where you are.

There are several devices available in the market ranging from $300-$700 (plus install cost if you can't do it by yourself) and it may look like you are spending lot of money unnecessarily, but ask anyone you know have gone through dealing with water damage issues. Dealing with water damage could be extremely expensive and painful process. According to EPA a water damage is more likely to happen vs a fire & theft combined. There are several smart device options available in the market including some which are very easy to install as DIY (do it yourself) and some that may require more advanced installation.