Recommendations for Auto shutoff options for my situation.

[Arby]

I'm building my own home. It consists of two separate structures that share the same roof. These two structures are my house itself and small shop. There is a carport between the two structures. I have a well. The main water line and pressure tank are inside the shop. From there, the water line runs under the carport to the house.

Everything is built on a slab. Plumbing under. Mostly copper. Some PEX. There's only one place where there's plumbing in an exterior wall: Hose bib. It is PEX. No other real chance of freezing...except the plumbing in the shop at the pressure tank. Very unlikely but possible.

I will have a single water heater, Steibel tankless under the bathroom counter.

I was thinking a shutoff in my shop at the pressure tank would be good....and another where the hose bib goes through the exterior wall. The plumbing for my laundry is close to the hose bib. Also...maybe a shut off at the tankless water heater would be a good idea too. ?

I wish I would have thought of the shutoffs earlier. However, the house and shop are fully wired and all the walls are insulated. I'll be sheetrocking soon. That said, it's not too late. I can still tap into the wiring.

I have very little knowledge of what my options are. I am not a big fan of wireless stuff.

What are my options and recommendations?

 

[sarg]

An "Auto shutoff" of what ?

A Water line
A Well pump
An electric heater

 

[Arby]

An "Auto shutoff" of what ?

A Water line
A Well pump
An electric heater

What ever it takes. A system that detects a leak, then shuts the water off.

I'm not familiar with what's available or possible in my circumstance.

I'm trying to prevent flood damage from a frozen pipe, failed connection, etc....in the most likely areas to have problems. We're away from home often. Don't want to come home to a flooded house.

 

[sarg]

Searched "system that detects a leak, then shuts the water off."
Hundreds of items listed.
If I were leaving the house for an extended period I would turn off the breaker to the well pump, the water heater (tank) and shut the primary water ball valve.

 

[Arby]

Searched "system that detects a leak, then shuts the water off."
Hundreds of items listed.
If I were leaving the house for an extended period I would turn off the breaker to the well pump, the water heater (tank) and shut the primary water ball valve.

A Google search was the first thing I did. Hundreds of items like you said. Overwhelming. Hence the reason I'm here looking for recommendations....for my specific conditions, etc. Figured a plumbing forum would be a good place to ask.

I could do as you suggest for extended periods. However, I'm also thinking about a failure in the shop at night...when I'm home. Water could be gushing out all night and I'd have no clue....

 

[sarg]

Two options that come to mind .....diazepam (Valium®) and alprazolam (Xanax®)

 

[Arby]

Two options that come to mind .....diazepam (Valium®) and alprazolam (Xanax®)

From your first response, I am not surprised. Pity for you having nothing better to do then post offensive and unhelpful comments. I'd guess you haven't much more to offer though....

 

[sarg]

You are correct.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

I owned a “weekend home” in central Michigan, 1996-2020. Well and septic. Every time we left, we turned off the breaker to the well pump. Simple, easy, nothing to fail. Shut and lock windows and doors, and turn off well pump. Make it habit.

 

[Ludington]

Your also forgetting the pesky slow leaks, under your dishwasher, in the connections for your laundry, under sinks , by your hot water tank too. It just depends on how paranoid you are. My dishwasher has leaked 3x in 40 years, but I just installed a leak detector there. I need to put one by my water hearer... it's 25 years old this year.

 

[Arby]

Thanks, guys. The thing that makes this challenging is the wiring. I have everything insulated and some of the sheet rock up. Therefore, I'd either have to have some exposed EMT conduit or....I'd have to install individual shutoffs. For instance, in my laundry...it's not practical now to run a wire from there to where my main water line is so....I'd have to put a shutoff on the cold water line, hot water line, and, one on the hose bib.

As far as turning off the breaker, that is simple and cost nothing. I really like that idea as it's right up my alley! Leaving for the night, or week...no problem. Leaving for a few hours though, or at night when I might not hear a leak...turning off the breaker all the time would turn into a pain. And here's why I'm paranoid: My shop and house is a straw bale hybrid. Part of it has stud walls and the rest of it is built with straw bales. I'm doing it all myself and it's an incredible amount of work. The bales are off the floor 3.5" (sit on 4x4s) for this very reason. But, the clay plaster runs right down to the floor. If we had a line or connection fail...and the water got up into the straw...it would be pretty catastrophic. It would not be like a standard wall where the sheetrock and insulation is removed and replaced. The straw in this case is both! And it is encapsulated in 1.5" of reinforced clay plaster. It could take me months to replace a section of wall.

Outside of raising the bales off the floor like I did, I haven't heard of any other straw builders taking extra precautions to mitigate these issues. I haven't heard of anyone building one solo like I am either. In short, I would like to do what I reasonably can to protect all my hard work, time, and money.

 

[three_jeeps]

snip

What are my options and recommendations?

I have been doing home automation for quite a while. Even though you a not a fan of wireless stuff, you may want to take a look at this thread.
https://www.makeitwork-tech.com/best-water-leak-flood-sensors-for-home-assistant/
Choose what ever one best meets your criteria.
Having said that, I believe in a 'belt & suspender approach' to leak detection/management - in addition to some electronic automation, put manual shutoff ball valves everywhere, as well as electrical disconnects where appropriate. Since you cited 'extended away time, the first thing would be to shut things off manually....if you forget, the electronic shutoffs can be a backup.
You may want to consider using heat trace tape in areas that you think are more susceptible to freezing.

 

[havasu]

My next addition is the Moen

Flo Smart Water Monitor & Shutoff - .75"​