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Posted by Jeff Wisnia on July 14, 2007, 5:16 pm
dpb wrote:
> Rick Blaine wrote:
>
>>
>>> I recently installed an alarm system in my home and as part of the
>>> alarm system want to install a solenoid valve right after my water
>>> meter. This would allow me to have the alarm turn off the water when
>>> we leave the house (and forestall a diasater should a pipe break).
>
>
> What's the input to know there's a pipe broken?
>
> ....
>
>> Interesting idea... You'll have to hook it up through a relay of sorts
>> as your
>> alarm system won't be able to supply the current required directly.
>> That's a
>> Normally Closed valve, so loss of power will also cut off your water
>> supply.
>> That's probably a good thing as well. ...
>
>
> Not if he has a fire suppression system.
>
> Would also be kinda' inconvenient in case of loss of power (winter ice
> storm, say), although if has permanent backup power I guess it's doable.
>
> It's not clearcut to me from information provided which would be better
> choice...
>
> If the worry is for vacation, etc., I'd be far more inclined to simply
> put a quarter-turn isolation valve in a convenient place and be done w/
> it. Particularly as it isn't at all clear how he would determine when a
> break requiring isolation has occurred.
>
> --
That'd work, provided you were faithful about shutting it every time you
left the house for more than a couple of hours, something I don't think
anyone save for those with weekend cottages would be anal enough to do.
But, case in point...
About four years ago my next door neighbor, an ob-gyn doctor, decided to
close his private practice and move one state north to "Live Free or
Die" in New Hampshire.
He put his house here in Winchester, Massachusetts on the market for
about $1.5 mil but didn't get a buyer by the time they were ready to
move out in the fall, so off to New Hampshire they went, leaving the
place in the hands of the real estate broker.
Comes a January morning and as I was getting into my car I looked across
at the side of his house and saw a bunch of huge dirty gray icicles
coming down one of his garage doors:
http://home.comcast.net/~jwisnia18/temp/freezer.jpg
I had the sad duty of calling him up at the hospital where he was
working in New London, New Hampshire and giving him the bad news.
The oil fired hydronic heating system had conked out and domestic supply
pipes and heating system plumbing had burst in several places, running
for gosh knows how long before I saw those icicles forming.
The contractors hauled away two of those huge dumpsters full of hardwood
flooring, wallboard and all kinds of other stuff and it took until fall
before the place was fixed up and put back on the market.
Now, I swear on my honor that I'm telling the truth....The place didn't
sell that fall and remained empty into the winter when it froze up AGAIN!
The contractors and the construction dumpsters returned for another
summer of tearing out and replacing walls and floors and the place
finally sold to a nice young couple that fall.
My old neighbors are nice folks, but for a smart doctor he "did stupid
pretty good" with respect to not protecting his house properly. The
place, like most of the homes in our neighborhood, has a monitored
burglar and fire alarm system, but he didn't bother to add a freeze
alarm to it, even after the first freezeup, when I suggested to him that
he should look into doing that.
Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.
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