Zircon 64003 Leak Alert Electronic Water Detector, 1-Pack

I bought one of these 5 years ago for our water heater closet -- got it after our water header sprung a leak and I didn't notice until I saw water pooling on the garage floor. Fortunately, the damage was minimal and that hasn't happened again.After another close call with the drainpipe pipe coming loose under the kitchen sink (fortunately, we noticed before water was able to escape the cabinet), I picked up a another one-pack and later a three pack of these sensors. I put them around the house in little-used or inaccessible areas where a slow leak might not be detected for a while and cause a disaster.One of those places is behind the refrigerator to help protect new wood floors in the kitchen from the icemaker and water dispenser lines. Last week, that one started beeping (it took us a while to figure out what was making the beeping noise, of course) and sure enough, when I pulled out the refrigerator, there was a small puddle of water on the floor. I sopped it up (fortunately, it didn't have time to soak in)m and the next morning, it happened again. This time, I took the back of the refrigerator apart and tightened some nuts on the waterlines that felt loose (there was no clue as to where the little puddle had come from). Since then, it hasn't happened again, but I'll sleep better with this leak detector standing guard.Anyway, this is a fine, pretty much indispensible product. The 3-pack also includes the 9V batteries, so that's a better deal even though it's about 3x the price of the single pack.

One of these saved our bacon the other day. A leak developed under the sink of our very new and very expensive kitchen cabinet. When it went off, it was loud, and we thought it was a smoke detector. We totally forgot about these things sitting dormant for months under all our sinks. Opened the cabinet to find a puddle forming. Quick wipe and some tightening of compression nuts, and we're all back together and dry.My parents had $50k worth of damage done to their home while they were away due to a water leak. They lost priceless family photos and keepsakes. A leak detector might have caused a neighbor to call someone. At the very least it's a lesson in what water damage can do if not caught quickly. These things are very effective and very cheap insurance.

Simple and effective for monitoring for water leaks if you don't require electronic notification alerts. These emit a piercing alarm when they detect water so there is no "smart" functionality with these but they do work well. Overall they seem pretty cheaply made but they are effective and cheap enough to put one at every source of potential leak (water heater, dishwasher, under sinks, etc.)

UPDATE - Feb. 2010Still working and alerted me to a water spill I made when pouring a pail of water into our basement utility sink.Having experienced a time or two when rinse water from our washing machine drain spilled over, I eagerly bought two of the Zircon Water Detector Alarms when I saw them. My advice to you is buy one - NOW! - before the same thing happens to you! The alarm is loud enough to alert you at the start of any water emergency. While an ounce of protection is said to be worth a pound of cure, in my book an ounce of protection is worth ten buckets of cure! Even though we were wading through clean rinse water, it was no picnic, and since we usually rinse our clothes twice, we had twice the amount of water to deal with!Now, unless you are the rare bird who keeps only your laundry appliances in your basement and nothing else, you know it's not a fun task to pick up and dry all of the things you store there! Believe me, I would have paid somebody twice the price of the alarm to clean up the soggy aftermath! Soaking up water is no picnic! I gratefully used my wet/dry to suck up the water, went to empty it out and spilled some right back on the floor! At that point I wondered what made me think I needed such a big vac! Keep that in mind for future reference should you need to purchase one! I have since purchased the Shop-Vac Hang Up Pro 5-Gallon 4.5 HP Wet/Dry Wall Mounted Vac and recommend it as being much easier to handle. I wish I would have bought these water alarms sooner. Now I keep one by the drain and one by the hot water tank. I am also going to buy these alerts as Christmas gifts for those who have sump pumps. If I can save someone else from having to deal with the mess of water cleanup then my mess will have been worth it. Well, almost!Of course, it was 5 in the morning and I was still half asleep when I innocently stepped into our basement wading pool! I remember the moment well, bare feet, cold water, eyes snapping open and then the sound of my groan! After that, well, it's probably best I stop there! ~ The Boss

I now have 13 of these throughout my unit. More than once they saved the day.