Review on 💦 FloodStop Water Heater Prevention Valve, FS3/4NPT, V4 Controller, Water Damage Avoidance by Jeremy Hudson

In a way I'm even surprised that such devices aren't made anymore, since the design is relatively simple and relatively low-tech. The item looks a little tricky to install although it just connects the wires and puts in the batteries and then installs the electronic ball valve on the cold water inlet. The system works by sending 3.3 VDC. Signal via the signal cable to the sensor itself. The sensor itself has a conductor track with polarity reversal. When a drop of water falls on the sensor itself, it bridges the gap between the different polarities, essentially completing the circuit. The control panel then senses the current on the sensor wires and in turn sends a signal to the control wire to close the electronic ball valve. I've had it for a year now and haven't had any problems with the system (no stuck valves or anything). Although the water heater has not failed during this time, the jet test always works a couple of times a year and the ball valve closes as intended. Here are my general thoughts on it: What I like: 1. Does what it's supposed to do, potentially stopping catastrophic flooding and increasing water bills.2. It has a backup battery option and can only be powered by AA.3 batteries. Does not require Wi-Fi or Internet connection to work.4. Requires no subscriptions or applications to work.5. Can be easily installed with Velcro (included).6. The sensor can be connected to multiple areas via 2P sensor connection or extended via speaker cable.7. Lead-free construction.8. Draws almost no power (my Poniie can't even measure consumption because it's so low, but you can see on my DC meter that the device draws about 0.07 watts of power - that's typically less than standby power most older DC power supplies ). What I didn't like: 1. Dated look and design (reminds me of something from the 80's).2. Overpriced for simple design and lack of smart features.3. There are no intelligent functions to show the current system status (e.g. you have to be physically on site to view the system status or reset trips), so no alerts or notifications are possible.4. Relatively short wires from panel (requires strategic panel placement)5. The power supply connector is relatively short, making placement of the device difficult (e.g. you may need a separate power strip to get power where it belongs). Alarm sirens are weak (they're about as loud as your alarm).6. The electronic ball valve's plastic cap is bulky and can be problematic to install (although the cap itself can be temporarily removed to give a little more room to tighten the connections). The control panel does not indicate that the system is running when the batteries are being used as the main power source (ie it only gives a quick blink and beep every few minutes when the battery is low). You really need to check this out from time to time if you can't get it near an outlet.8. The sensor wires use a 2 pin connection which is fairly unreliable. The pins themselves bend easily and may break.9. The panel connector used for the ball valve is a molded connector with bundles of thin wires exiting close to the connector itself. Incorrect unplugging may damage/disconnect one or more of these cables, rendering the system unusable.10. The system does not have a self-test function. You don't really know if a system is functioning properly until a catastrophic failure occurs. You need to remove the valve from the line and check the ball valve with the close button to make sure it is actually working properly.11. Because the operation of the sensor depends on electrical conductivity, it cannot be placed in the metal pan of the water heater. However, putting a paper towel on it will avoid this problem.12. Does not reset automatically after triggering. This can be quite a problem if you live in a high humidity area where condensation can cause nasty shutdowns that need to be reset manually. You may want to check if moisture in the installation area is a problem before purchasing this item.13. The AA battery door contacts are slightly loose and sometimes rotating the batteries or touching the batteries can cause the system to lose power. For this reason I highly recommend you run this on AC+ batteries or test the system every two weeks to ensure it is working properly. While I personally like this system and think it could be a lifesaver, I think this element could be redesigned a bit to make it more efficient and less prone to breakage and/or user error. Lowering the price is also likely to attract more buyers for that item.