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Water Leak Detector
This simple circuit saved the day when an attic
water heater failed.
By Jeff Tregre
I realized that my two water heaters were
10 years old and started researching water
leak detection systems. I soon realized that
I could make a system that would work just
as well for much less money. Here’s a leak
detector circuit I designed that costs less
than $25 and draws power from my doorbell
transformer. This works nicely because the
transformer is already installed in the attic
and it’s on 24/7. You can also use a dedicated
transformer.
Does this leak detector work? The answer
is a big yes. Just a few weeks after I installed
it, I came home from work and heard it buzzing. Upon investigation, I discovered that my
primary water heater was leaking, and that its
drain pan was clogged and already half full.
My little circuit had saved the day.
THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A
hot water heater is about 10 years, so it’s
not a question of if it will leak — it’s simply
a matter of when. In my part of the country,
homebuilders have been installing these
tanks in the attic. This saves space, but also
means that if you don’t go upstairs very often,
you may not realize that your heater is leaking until it has caused hundreds of dollars of
damage to your ceilings and walls. Yes, new
building codes mandate a drain pan, but
these can clog or corrode.
Gregory Hayes
Build the Circuit
Figure A (following page) shows a schematic
for the water leak detector circuit. Start by
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