Leak Alarm

I have a hot water heater. Many people do. It has a pressure release valve, which means it could release water onto the floor. That's why the manufacturer recommends putting a pan under it. As you can see, I went with a very large pan. Since the water heater is in the basement where I don't venture everyday, how will I know if water is flooding my basement?

I took a phone line coupler and put a neodymium magnet inside. Then I took two lengths of 14 gauge wire and pushed them thru. I put a piece of pink foam in between the wires to keep them separated and used glue to finish the assembly.

The magnet in the detector mounts to the inside of the tub. I used a paper clip to secure the wires to the top of the tub. Then I ran the wires thru the wall to upstairs.

Luckily my door bell has a separate chime for front and back door. I have no back door bell so I connected my Leak Detector wires there. As long as water is making a connection at the detector, the chime will buzz. This can of course be used anywhere you expect you might have a leak or flooding in your house.