Re: Damned Projects!

On 27/12/2024 6:29 am, Cursitor Doom wrote:

Gentlemen,
 I'm currently in the process of building a device which will shut off
the power to a washing machine in the event of a hose failing and
spewing water out all over the floor. This is an eventuality which has
always caused me considerable angst, so I finally decided to do
something about it. After all, those flimsy 'exhaust' hoses go brittle
over time and having one split 'in action' could cause a significant
amount of damage to the surrounding area in a very short time. Having
something to cut the power off instantly as soon as the water hits the
floor would be a very worthwhile addition to the utility room and
beyond.
I came up with a pretty simple design which I've already proven to
work first time at the breadboarding stage. However, turning this
concept into a practical proposition is taking *far* longer than I'd
imagined. I am getting there, but *slowly* and was wondering whether
other people here have the same sort of problem as I invariably do
with these little personal projects they undertake?
 Your hydrophobic pal,

The last time my hot-water tank pin-holed through and spread water all over the floor, the plumber that replaced the tank put a shallow water-catching tray underneath the new tank and put a battery-operated stop valve into the cold water feed. The stop valve can with a water sensor that sat in the tray, and turns off the cold water feed if there water in the tray.
It's one more thing that screams at me when it's batteries get close to running out, but that's less of a pain than a lot of water wrecking the carpet, or the parquet that replaced it.
Talk to your local plumbing supplier - it's madness to waste time on design when you can buy something off the shelf.
--
Bill Sloman, Sydney