Review on 💦 HydroCheck WaterWatcher: Smart Leak Detector Alarm with Sensor and Flood Source Shut-off - Made in the USA by Louis Turley

First off, this is exactly what I need. My washing machine dumps water into the tub, which then has to be pumped a few feet to the drain. That's why I use a fine-mesh filter in the bathroom so that nothing gets into the pump. If this filter becomes clogged at the beginning of the laundry load, the tub may overflow during the final rinse and spin cycle. Because of this, I've had to clean out the basement several times. This is the only product I've found that can detect that spill and turn off the washing machine so it stops pumping water into the tub. This is exactly what happened in my tests. A bit pricey in my opinion for what it does, but if it saves me more than a basic towel to clean a tub overflow, then I'll get it. There are some downsides I can deal with. These have already been mentioned in other reviews: the slim teardrop shape which can be hard to understand, the chunky size, the question of whether the relay is always on when it's on (so it can be sure), whether that shortens the lifespan of the relay and the need to cut power to restart devices. As mentioned in Roland Petit's answer to the question about disabling or disabling an alarm, someone with little electronics knowledge could assemble a "reset" switch. then you are dealing with a mod on the AC side of the circuit, which is riskier than it needs to be. I opened up my device to inspect it and found the logic using an Atmel ATTINY44A microcontroller chip. Pin 4 of this chip is a reset that resets the chip when it is low (ground). Conveniently, there's a pin socket nearby, and two through-holes are for reset and ground, conveniently both side-by-side. This will likely be used for QA testing at the factory. Connecting a momentary switch between these easily accessible solder points gives you a much safer method of resetting the device, as long as the switch installation is a reasonable distance away from the AC components. I have already tested this at work and confirmed that using these contact points you can easily restart the device. If I find an instant switch that I think I can set in an acceptable way, I will most likely install this mod at that time. This device comes with a 5 year warranty and I don't have to bother disabling it to restart it so I'm in no rush to add this mod. THIS MOD SHOULD ONLY BE RUN BY PERSONS WITH PROPER ELECTRONIC KNOWLEDGE! IMPROPER INSTALLATION CAN RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH! THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THIS MOD WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY! It's disappointing that STAK Enterprises doesn't have a reset switch already built into the design at this price point. Another flaw I found upon opening it was that there seemed to be no strain relief in the main body. Block behind a flexible sleeve on the cable leading to the sensor disk. A strong tug on the wire can tear it off the motherboard. Given the puck cable's ample length, this probably isn't a huge issue, but while I had it open I tied a knot on the wire inside the case that would hold the tension if the wire was pulled. And the last. Note that when working with the washer, remember that the two contact pins closest to where the wire enters the washer are the sensor pins. The post opposite the cable entry point is only there to create a third leg to flatten the puck. I doubt this really matters to anyone, but if for some reason you want to detect the direction of the water, orient it so that the outgoing cable is pointing in the direction you want to detect it first.