Certainly an interesting concept ... sort of a 'gfci' for plumbing!
For those interested... here's an update:
This basement was finished to the same standard as the rooms above, and used as much. While the water never exceeded 1/2" in depth - a total of about 80 gallons was pumped out- the damage will cost about $5000 to repair.
The biggest part was the expense in removing the water and drying out what remained. Next was the cost of replacing the carpet, ane repairing the tiled floor areas. Removing the panelling, drywall, and soaked insulation accounted for most of the remaining expense - and a great deal of the labor!
One of the alarms - especially the self-contained one posted by Bill - would have prevented this flood; there was someone sleeping within feet of the water's entry point, blissfully unaware that there was an issue. The drain could have been cleared and the flood prevented.
More importantly, the homeowners themselves set the stage for these massive losses by reodeling this basement in the 'cheapest, simplest' way, as they imperfectly understood construction methods. Well, they sure saved over using a contractor, didn't they?
I can't help but ponder the business lessons in this story.
The first was: This home has an alarm system; the alarm contractor missed an opportunity to sell his flood alarm 'extra.' That's unforgiveable in my business book!
Related to this is that a lot of bad feeling could have been avoided had the insurance company been even more explicit in stressing that 'flooding' and 'water damage' were not the same thing. This might have also been a good time to mention the alarm option.
The next lesson is a bit more subtle. There is the challenge for the licensed contractor, to get out the message that his design, his work, is worth the extra expense. Some relatively minor changes in the construction of this remodel could have greatly reduced the damage, and simplfied the dry-out after the flood.
