Review of Glentronics, Inc. BWD-HWA Basement Watchdog Water Sensor and Alarm

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List Price: $19.95
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A year ago I got into a bit of a "emergency preparedness" mode, and among other things, bought one of these devices, installed it in my water heater pan and then forgot all about it.

At 12:30 a.m. a couple of nights ago, an alarm began ringing. I had no idea what it was, except that it wasn't a smoke detector (not as loud as that) but after wandering around the house for a bit, I followed the sound to the basement and found a small amount of water in the water heater pan. The alarm turned off as soon as I pulled the sensors out of the water.

It was soon obvious this was no small leak. Over the next 12 hours until we got the water heater replaced, we easily bailed 30 or more gallons of water out of the bin we placed to catch the overflow from the pan.

Had the alarm not sounded, it could have been 24 hours or more before the leak was noticed. The basement storage room where the water heater is located, and the adjoining (carpeted) rec room would have been flooded, requiring a major effort to dry them out and damage/destruction of a number of items. Drying out the basement to prevent mold would have required the rental of some high-powered dehumidifiers (been there, done that).

This item did exactly what it was supposed to do. After reading some of the reviews indicating some lack of reliability, I may well install a couple of extras in the basement as backup, and putting some in other locations, such as under/near the washing machine, under sinks, and under the dishwasher, seems like a good idea.

Important tip learned during the water heater replacement:

The expansion tank intalled with the water heater has a shorter life span than the heater itself, and when it fails, the pressure from expansion of heating water then causes damage to the water heater tank itself, shortening its life. To test whether the expansion tank has failed, tap along the side of the tank starting from the bottom. There should be a noticeable change of pitch between the bottom (which contains the bladder full of water) and the top, which should contain air. If it sounds the same all the way up, the bladder has failed and the entire expansion tank has filled with water, preventing it from doing its job of relieving pressure in the water heater tank. Replacing the expansion tank is much cheaper than replacing both it and the heater, and may keep your heater going for years longer.

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The Water Alarm also has a 6-foot sensor wire, so that you can extend the sensor into a sump pump, or the alarm will sound before water spills out onto the floor. The alarm plugs into the wall plus has a 9 Volt battery backup. We use ours for the sump pump & it works wonderfully!

When the alarm goes off...we pull up on the sump pump floater string & the sump pump starts right away and the alarm turns off right away.

The alarm is loud. Our house is a ranch style, a bit over 1,100 sq ft...the sump pump is in the basement...opposite corner than our bedrooms on the main floor...I could still hear the alarm going off in the middle of the night.

This item works as it says it will, I'd purchase this item again. We purchased our's at a major hardware store in our area for about $10

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Why is this better than Leak Frog:

1) 5-yr run time on each battery, provided that battery's expiry date is not earlier than that. Leak Frog? 1 yr. Maybe 2~3 yrs if you use Li batteries (my assumption only see my Leak Frog comment).

2) $9.95 @ my local hardware store and this is widely available. Leak Frog? Almost $15 now and seems like it's Amazon's exclusive offering.

3) Audibly louder than Leak Frog.

4) No screwdriver needed for battery compartment door, Leak Frog needs screwdriver to access that supposedly annually too! I dislike.

5) Slender form factor makes it easier to snug in underneath fridge and dishwasher.

6) Remote (if desired) sensor placement within 6' makes it super versatile. I inserted this remote sensor far deep underneath my fridge with ease. Leak Frog? Where it is located is where it senses.

7) Less toyish look I didn't pay a premium for the latest stainless appliances so that I can place a green toy there in plain sight. I wish that the Watchdog was black (or stainless) and smaller than this, but this is still acceptable.

8) 5-yr manufacturer's warranty. Leak Frog's 1 yr.

9) Leak Frog maker seems to be a one hit wonder. This one's mother company makes a wide assortment of other basement flood prevention goodies. This seems more pro.

I already own 4 Leak Frogs & now 2 Watchdogs, I still need at least 2 more water alarms, I'll get the Watchdog from now on...

Honest reviews on Glentronics, Inc. BWD-HWA Basement Watchdog Water Sensor and Alarm

I bought 2 of these from Lowe's today for $13.58 (model BWD-HWA). Each requires a 9 volt battery, has a 6 foot sensor wire and a 5 year warranty, although no guarantee it will work. It can stand alone or be attached to a wall with the sensor wire extended. The sensor wire can be spliced up to 100 feet, if you supply the wire. It's also claimed that the alarm sounds up to 3 days.

This thing needs to be in a puddle of water (1/32" minimum) to work because it has 2 sensors on the bottom that need electrical current flow between them the water being the conductor. It's not going to sense drops of water, but it should work in a flood situation where water is covering the floor.

I tested the ones I bought and they do work in a puddle, but the alarm needs to be a bit louder. It claims to be 110 decibels, and if that's true, then it's louder than most similar alarms.

It has a constant (non beeping) high pitch sound similar to a smoke detector but not nearly as loud. It can be heard if not too far away, but to be effective, it should be heard everywhere in the house and waken you while asleep. So depending on your hearing, the size of your house and where you are when it sounds, it may work well for you. However, none of these devices work if you can't hear them.

Should one of these devices fail, it would be wise to place more than one where a lot of flooding could occur and cause major damage to your house. Where your washing machine is located is a prime candidate.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Glentronics, Inc. BWD-HWA Basement Watchdog Water Sensor and Alarm

I installed this in my sump pump basin. Over the winter condensation collected to the extent that it set off the alarm. This happened twice. The contacts should have been designed to dangle separately from a support. The support collected the moisture causing the two contacts to complete the alarm's circuit.

There is no switch to turn off the alarm so while it is screaming LOUDLY you have to take the battery out. I don't know why it didn't stop after I dried the moisture from the contacts.