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| FAQs FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Will installing The FloodStopper™ System lower my insurance rates? Yes. Some insurance companies are offering discounts if installed by an authorized dealer/installer or if certified by an authorized dealer. Return to top of pageWhat costs are associated with the purchase of The FloodStopper™System? There are two costs, one for the product and one for installation. At C & H Floodstopper System, we can give you a high end/low end quote for installation. We are dedicated to providing you with the lowest cost/highest value alternative possible. There are no hidden costs or additional costs for the product. If more than the usual 4 sensors are desired, they are available at a separate cost, as are any additional system components. Costs for installation will vary with house design (finished/unfinished basement). On a house still under construction, the added cost is minimal because access is easy. On a finished house, the remote (wireless) option may be the most cost effective choice. Return to top of pageWhat is involved in installing The FloodStopper™System? Typical homeowner package includes:
The FloodStopper™System integrates with any existing water system. It can also be connected to monitored security or home automation systems. The control panel is designed to conveniently mount over a standard electrical outlet box and is powered by a 24-volt plug in transformer. The exclusive "Honeywell" designed valve is installed on your main water line and wired to the control panel. The sensors are mounted at the base of the walls throughout your home where water bearing appliances are located and may be hard-wired or remotely connected to the control panel. Factors such as whether the basement is finished or unfinished, the number of floors, whether the walls line up from one floor to another, make a big difference in how long it takes to install the system. If the house is still under construction, the plumber can install the valve as he is roughing in the supply line. The electrician will find the rest of the system as easy to rough in as the doorbell system and thermostat. If the house is finished and has no crawlspace, it may be difficult to use hardwired sensors. In this situation, we recommend the wireless (remote) option. The valve and transformer will still need to be wired to the controller. In a finished house with an unfinished basement, it is often possible to run the wires up the attic via the cold air return risers and then down through inside walls to the locations desired. Outside walls frequently have horizontal blocking, which would prevent wires from being fished down to floor level. Return to top of pageYes, each product comes with an installation/operation manual. As discussed above, however, your access for running wires may be limited if your basement is finished with no crawlspace. Discuss your options with us at C & H Floodstopper System. You may decide that having us provide expert installation is a better choice, and it offers a longer warranty (5 years versus one year - see warranty question). Alternatively, you might use the wireless (remote) option since it is easily installed by a homeowner. Keep in mind that the valve and transformer will still need to be wired to the controller. This may limit where the controller is located and how much of the installation you choose to do versus using an expert. Return to top of pageWhat if I can't run wires? Is there an alternative? Yes, there is a remote (wireless) version available. Return to top of pageNo, the wiring can easily be concealed through crawlspaces or vents. Return to top of pageWhat is the maximum number of sensors that can be installed? For a One Zone System, 250 Hardwire Sensors and 32 R/F wireless Sensors For Multi Zone Systems, 1000 Hardwire Sensors and 128 R/F wireless Sensors Return to top of page1 Year Parts Warranty with each product purchase 5-year Warranty on systems installed by us on new homes and 1 year for all other home types. Return to top of pageWhat happens in the event of a power outage? While the power is off, the valves stay in the same position they were in before the power interruption. The chance of a flood occurring during a power outage is very small. When power returns, the valve remains in the same position, unless water comes in contact with a sensor after power was lost, in which case the valve will close when the power is restored. The controller will maintain the last function. If the valve was open, it will stay open. If it was closed, it will stay closed. Return to top of pageWhat happens in the event of a fire? The system will not shut the water off in the event of a fire. Valves must be installed AFTER any fire protection systems (i.e. fire sprinklers). Return to top of pageDoes The FloodStopper™ System valve replace my main (manual) water shut off? No, the valve is mounted after the manual shutoff, pressure reduction valve, underground sprinklers, etc. Return to top of pageHow does The FloodStopper™ interact with my underground sprinkler system? It will not interfere with your sprinkler system as long as the FloodStopper shut off valve is installed after the takeoff for the sprinkler system, which we recommend. Return to top of pageCan The FloodStopper™ System be used to detect fuel oil leaks? Sorry. No it can't. The sensors can be used to detect any conductive liquid, such as water! Electricity must be able to flow through a liquid to activate the controller. However, we don't recommend using the stock sensors for corrosive liquids. Check with us. We may be able to provide custom-made sensors for the application desired. Return to top of pageCan The FloodStopper™ System be used as a sewer backup alarm? Yes, it can ... but it may be more practical (cheaper) to find a system that was made specifically for the purpose. There are products on the market that will do it for less money. Having said that, The FloodStopper™ System can be beneficial when installed with certain types of sewer systems. In a septic tank system, a fully installed FloodStopper™ System can have a sensor installed in a riser pipe on the sewer pipe out to the septic tank. If that sensor comes in contact with water(sewage), the water valve will be shut off, preventing more water from going down the drain and ultimately ending up on the basement floor. In a system connected to a municipal sewer system, the cause of the backup would usually be from outside of the house. With The FloodStopper™ System installed, the water will keep coming in regardless of any action taken within the house, if it is due to a backup of the municipal system. However, if it is due to an obstruction or freeze-up of the connection from the house to the main sewer, The FloodStopper™ System will sense the backup and stop further internal flooding by preventing any more water from going down the drain. It will sense the problem at the lowest point of the system where there is a sensor. The best location will be the sensor in the drain pan under the water heater, if it is connected to the sewage system. Otherwise, a toilet or shower located in the basement wi1l overflow slightly before the system senses water and shuts down the supply. Return to top of pageCan The FloodStopper™ System be used as a sump pump controller? No. Return to top of pageHow does The FloodStopper™ System affect my water pressure? You do lose (marginal) water pressure when you install the valve. The pressure drop depends completely on the amount of water flowing through a given valve at the time in question. For example, if 5 gallons per minute are flowing through a 3/4" VC valve (Cv= 6.3), less than 1 PSI will be lost. If 12.6 gallons per minute are flowing through the same valve, 4 PSI will be lost. If the supply pressure is 5O PSI, this represents 8% of the supply pressure, but it is possible that there is nothing in the average house that would use 12.6 gpm. As an example, our Marketing Director was installing an underground sprinkler system. He used three sprinkler heads rated at 1.5 gpm on a supply pressure of 30 PSI (His house is on a mountain). This gives a total flow of 4.S gpm. The pressure drop through our 3/4" valve would b 0.51 PSI at this flow rate, or about 1.7%. It is doubtful that any of us as homeowners would notice the difference. If the supply pressure was higher, say 50 PSI, he would have used 3 gpm heads, for a total of 9 PSI. The loss in that case would be 2 PSI, or 4% .. still not a big difference. The bottom line is there is not a big difference for most applications. Return to top of pageAt the present, it is not possible to control two valves separately with any of our controllers. If there is enough demand to justify the cost, it may be possible to program replacement microprocessors to use the AUX relay as a second valve output controlled by specified sensor zones. This would, of course, eliminate the possibility of interfacing the system with a monitored alarm. Return to top of pageCan I Control More than One Valve at a time with my FloodStopper™ System? Yes, by using our Dual Actuator System which is intended for properties that have separate hot and cold water services. In the event of a water leak, the FloodStopper™ controller will close the hot water service followed by the cold water service (to ensure no scalding). Return to top of pageCan my neighbour's transmitter trigger my system? Even if your neighbour has a system installed with the remote package, their transmitter is not programmed into your receiver. Each transmitter has a unique number. You could arrange to program your neighbour's transmitter into your receiver if you are house sitting while they are away (it would trigger both systems), but other than that, you will not experience any interference. Return to top of pageNo. The remote components are FCC approved for security applications on this frequency because the power output is very low and will not interfere with military communications. Return to top of pageNo. Each transmitter has a unique a number code to trigger the system. Each transmitter is programmed into the receiver when the system is set up, so that the receiver can recognize it. A passing jet would have to transmit one of the unique transmitter codes on the correct frequency before it could interfere with your system which is highly, highly unlikely! C&H Floodstopper System
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