Water Leak Detection in Homes For Toilet etc - My Newlywed Clients in Schaumburg Il Could Have Used One of These!

Ever since I had a home buyer client that had an issue with a toilet leak - I've felt obligated to let all of my clients know about this tip - as well as many others.

They had purchased a townhome through me in Schaumburg IL (for a great price of course), and before they went off to their honeymoon, one of them had just used the bathroom. They flushed the toilet, and then left soon after. The problem was - some toilet paper or something else gummed up the toilet, and upon their return from their honeymoon, their stairs looked like a waterfall, and their basement was an 8 foot deep swimming pool! (They called me and asked for various remediation solutions / companies, which I provided, as well as a great drywaller & painter that charges less than half on what others charge, and has better quality)

There are a number of devices for sensing and preventing water leaks in the home. Most of them are fairly low cost, and they can save you a fortune. For example - should your toilet overflow, and you don’t catch it for a few minutes - the damage to floors or ceilings below, can be extensive. (I once had a very (shall we say) rotund person sit down with force on my toilet, and they accidentally jarred a hose loose - just from the act of sitting on it. It happened to squirt out the lid at just the right angle - and since I didn't catch it for a few minutes - it destroyed the drywall in the ceiling of my garage. But my painter dude came to the rescue & fixed it for a mere hundred bucks.) Thus - from these two instances - I always like to tell people how important water detection devices are...

There are everything from battery-powered devices (Zircon - $25 for example) that sound an alarm when water is detected, to ones that shut the main water supply off if a pipe bursts.

It is a good idea to have a pan underneath a water heater to contain leaks. There are devices that can shut off the water and also the gas or electricity connected to the water heater - should there be an issue.

It is also a good idea to always have a pan under your washing machine - that catches leaks - and you can also have an automatic shut-off that detects leaks and shuts off water going to the washing machine.

Did you know that a toilet that runs for two weeks wastes 60,000 gallons of water? Testing for a toilet leak consists of dyeing the water in the toilet tank, either with a few drops of food coloring or a dye tablet provided as part of a leak detection kit, available from your hardware store or water provider. After dyeing the water, wait 20 minutes or so and check the water in the toilet bowl. If it is still clear, then no water has leaked from the tank. If it has even a tinge of color, then your toilet has a leak. Sometimes, if you have a very bad leak, the toilet will flush by itself, and there may be no color visible in either the bowl or the tank.

While there are several possible causes, by far the most common source of leak is the valve that controls the release of water from the tank to the bowl. In most toilets, this is a rubber flapper valve. Depending on water quality and whether you use a toilet bowl cleaner in the tank, these flaps may last from 2 to 7 years. Replacing a flapper valve is not difficult. For detailed instruction, see www.toiletology.com

Leak detection and prevention devices are supplied by the following manufacturers:

Leak alarm:
Manufacturer: Zircon Corp.
1580 Dell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
(800) 245-9265

Electronic water main shut-off:
Manufacturer: WaterCop/DynaQuip Controls
10 Harris Industrial Park
St. Clair, MO 63077
(800) 545-3636

Electronic water heater shut-off, electronic washing machine shut-off, and flood prevention supply hoses:
Manufacturer: Watts Regulator Company
815 Chestnut Street
North Andover, MA 01845
(978) 688-1811

Water heater shut-off:
Manufacturer: FloodMaster, Inc.
63 Main Street
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(888) 771-4929

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if you are serious about buying a home in the Chicago area within the next 90 days - feel free to contact me. As an Exclusive Buyer Broker (always on the buyer's side - never on the seller's side) I work with a select number of clients - so that I can provide the highest possible level of service. (My clients receive a lot of personalized research and attention - which by it's very nature, takes time - but has high payoff.)

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