Been thinking about automating my water on/off through ST as a means to address potential leaks while I’m away.
I’ve seen a number of z-wave valves or valve actuators which could do what I’m looking for.
But then I realized I’m in a unique situation because I have a well system in my house. I was wondering if there was an easier way to do it electrically - interrupt the power to the well and the flow of water stops.
Has anyone ever added a controllable switch to their well pump system as a stop-leak measure and how did you do it?
I don’t have a well, but I don’t know why you couldn’t do this. I have a 220v switch to control my electric dryer, and they do make a model for both the US and Europe. The switch is from Aeotec, and you simply wire it in-between your power source and the device. I do have a ZWave valve actuator on my main waterline coming into my house, I use leak sensors to shut the valve in case of a leak detection, I would think the same way you could just turn off the Aeotec HD Switch going to your well pump.
I bought 2 Enbrighten Z-Wave Direct-Wire Outdoor/Indoor Smart 40 Amp Switches directly from Jasco when they were on sale for $79.00 each. I installed one on my well pump and the other on my hot water heater. Additionally, I have a dome valve that closes off the water. I have about 20 old Iris water sensors spread throughout the house. When one of them detects water, it turns off both the power to the well pump and the power to the water heater, and then closes the water valve after the pressure tank. Although you can simply turn off the well pump, there will still be quite a bit of water that leaks out from the pressure tank even after the pump has stopped. I also turn off the water heater because if there is a leak there and the water heater empties out, I don’t want to damage it. The Enbrighten switches also feature energy monitoring.
That’s a good point, I didn’t think about the pressure tank. You would probably want a valve control to turn that off as well. I use the Dome valve controller as well on my main line, I don’t think they’re around anymore, but Zooz makes one too.
Yeah, I had mine setup before the Edge drivers, I migrated everything to a new V3 hub as part of my upgrade from DTH to Edge. I didn’t think I was ever going to get it to pair again, it took me a lot of tries but since then, it’s been rock solid. I’m afraid to mess with it ever again now that it’s working.
I’ve been thinking about all of the potential scenarios and I have come to the conclusion that it’s not possible to eliminate all possible damage from a leak, only minimize it. So shutting off the pump may still let the 10 gal well tank bleed down in to whatever is leaking.
But if I only closed a valve and let the well pump continue to run, and the leak happens to be on the pressure tank itself (relief valve lifts or pressure gauge breaks or tank fails), it could still flood my basement if the pump keeps pumping.
If I closed both a main valve and turned off the pump, and if the leak happens to be underneath my first floor sink, I could still drain down all of the water in the piping to my second floor.
Ideally, I’d probably like both an automatic valve AND the ability to shut off the pump. But if I had to pick one, the ability to shut off the pump is probably most “certain” to stop water flow.
I’ll need to check out some of the heavy duty smart switches. The well pump is not as straightforward to wire for me because it’s a three wire and has its own control box with circuits.
This is true in any of our situations. If the leak is past the main valve, in a line somewhere in the house, all the water that is in the lines past the valve is potentially going to drain out where ever the leak is. We’re all just trying to minimize the damage that any leak might incur. Better to not be sending more water into the system to flood the entire house, but yes, water already in the lines is going to seek an outlet if the issue is below where the lines are pressurized.
This is very true and why I added the switch to also shut off the well pump.
The Enbrighten switches I mentioned would work fine for this. They would go between the breaker and the control box. I have a similar setup. My wiring consists of just two hot wires and a ground. I wired everything myself, as I have been doing all of my own electrical wiring for years. If you’re not sure about the setup, then definitely hire an electrician to do it for you. The directions from Jasco were very straightforward, and it took me about an hour to set up the well pump and the hot water heater. It took me a lot longer to get the Dome valve set up just right so it would smoothly open and close the valve.
I also have a well, and I use an automated valve. As long as it is after the pressure gauge, you’ll have no issues. If the valve closes, the well will build to pressure and stop. It will only turn back on if the pressure decays.
That said, I also run a open/close cycle on the valve every week to keep sediment from building up and preventing the valve from closing. So far, after 2 years, it is working great. I had a water leak sensor trip last week and the house water was shut off immediately.
My guess, but it’s just a guess, is that they may be working on a series 700 or 800 model. That would be a good fit for the typical use case because of the much longer range. But we will just have to wait and see.
