Maybe too much time on my hands (recovering from back surgery again), but I'm thinking of adding an automatic hot water heater shut off kit.

My water heater is 11 years old, so I suspect it's getting near its end. When the last one died, it flooded my basement. Needless to say, it caused a big mess, and if it happens again it will cause a bigger one this time with all the stuff that's accumulated.

Looks like some cheap kits around - I don't necessarily want cheap. Just good and reliable,

Anyone done this? What product did you use?

And did you put the HW heater into a pan with a float valve like I saw on This Old House?

Thanks,
Al

Nope. Never heard of it. But now that I have I'm interested.

That sounds like a very good (and easy and simple to implement) idea. Why didn't I think of it? I could have made millions

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Last month our 55 gal leaked out. The new one is sitting in a plastic pan with 1/2" PVC drain line out to the garage. I was thinking of using a moisture sensor alarm to detect failure, but a valve sounds like a neat idea.

I've had too many water heaters fail over the years.
Mine sits in the largest size pan available, plumbed with a 1" PVC gravity line to the sump pump pit.
Fairly foolproof, unless a mouse sets up house in the pipe.

The Mineral Content in the Artesian Water here is so high that W.C. Valves and
Shower Heads have trouble with Buildup after only 6 Mo.

Yet the Original Water Heater was a Bradford White.
(That Lasted more than 40 Years.)
Gas Fired,The Burners finally went.
'Hooked up a Garden hose to the Outflow Faucet,and Gravity drained ALL the H2O.

I expect the New Bradford White 50 Gal. (Gas Fired) to still be heating water
long after I'm Dust.

Place the H.W.H. in question in a Galvanized Pan equal to 50% of the H.W.H.
Capacity with the Appropriate Drain.

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If you are worry about a 11 yr old heater then I would just replace it. It may be cheaper that way instead of screwing around with an electronic shut off valve and sensor. You also need to lift the existing heater into a pan. I have seen hw heater leaks with a stream of water going everywhere, not necessarily into the pan.

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W124 Keyless remote, PM for details. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/334620-fs-w124-chasis-keyless-remote-%2450-shipped.html

1 X 2006 CDI
1 x 87 300SDL
1 x 87 300D
1 x 87 300TDT wagon
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Trying to remember exactly how the last heater failed (whether from the overflow pipe or internal leak), but when it did, the heater kept calling for water and dumping it into the basement. Imagine turning on your faucet full blast and letting it keep running overnight, We do not have a sump so our basement was like a bathtub when I came down in the AM. In the mid-winter, so it stayed cold and damp down there for a long while.

The shut-offs use a solenoid connected to a water sensor. Quick google search found these items.

How to Install a Water Heater Shut-off Valve | Video | Water Heaters | This Old House

Hot Water Heater Feed Water Alarm/Shut-Off - Floodmaster

Have you considered one of those tankless setups?

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So I'll replace the heater and I'll worry about the new heater failing. If I do this once, it'll work for this and subsequent HW heaters.

Some of the sensors seem to work with a conductive water sensitive pad. Any water hitting the pad triggers the shut-off (no pan).

My basement is like a bathtub with no drain, so I can't pipe the water out very easily if it fills.

Funny thing was that my plumber knew about these things, but didn't seem to have installed them before, so I was curious if anyone here had one it.

Have you considered one of those tankless setups?

Gotta think about that. But I guess I gotta do it before the HW heater fails.

What I am saying is that you cannot protect all the eventualities. You can mitigate it by putting a new tank in there. You are adding new failure modes. But it is your money, if it makes you sleep better, then go for it.

__________________
Not MBZ nor A/C trained professional but a die-hard DIY and green engineer. Use the info at your own peril. Picked up 2 Infractions because of disagreements. NOW reversed.

W124 Keyless remote, PM for details. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/334620-fs-w124-chasis-keyless-remote-%2450-shipped.html

1 X 2006 CDI
1 x 87 300SDL
1 x 87 300D
1 x 87 300TDT wagon
1 x 83 300D
1 x 84 190D ( 5 sp ) - All R134 converted + keyless entry.

Those shut off systems can help reduce your problem. Yet all they do is shut off the water and power, any water in the tank will drain out on the floor.

Tankless might be in my future.

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