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E-Z Reach Inventor Creates Method To Prevent Home From Flooding

POSTED: 9:43 am EDT September 22, 2010
UPDATED: 5:43 pm EDT September 22, 2010

Local Man's Invention Stops Homes From Flooding

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- A local inventor is at it again.

Stu Lieberman has put together a device that is designed to prevent a house from flooding.

Lieberman said the concept is simple.

He says his device turns off the water pressure inside a home until someone sets off the motion detector strategically placed in the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room.

"That sends a signal over the wires to the outside, where there's an automatic valve ... and that's how it works," Lieberman said.

Lieberman said the water will stay on for any preset time between 1 minute and 2 hours; enough time for a dishwasher or clothes washer to complete its cycle. The system works 24/7.

Lieberman hopes his new invention will help reduce the chances of houses in Florida from developing dangerous molds and the owners from experiencing an economic catastrophe.

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Lieberman auditioned for the ABC show called "American Inventor. Lieberman introduced his 2007 invention called the E-Z Reach which can remove and replace smoke detectors on high ceilings with a pole mounted tool.

Deaths and falling injuries while attempting to reach smoke detectors are avoided with E-Z Reach.

Great work Stu! I find it funny how they included the slingshot clip in the report! Nice job man!

Gun Freak wrote:Great work Stu! I find it funny how they included the slingshot clip in the report! Nice job man!

You saw the video that I did not edit.

Lucky that it was here for you to see, but I removed the slingshot part.

That's a great idea!!

How long does it activate water pressure for after you walk by it?

whoa044 wrote:That's a great idea!!

How long does it activate water pressure for after you walk by it?

You can set it to anything between 1 minute and 2 hours.

I suggest 30-40 minutes to allow a dishwasher or clothes washer to cycle.


Since water pressure is off 95% of the time, small wasteful leaks will be reduced accordingly.

Actually, small water leaks cost a lot at the end of the month.

(I know someone who is paying off a $2,000 wasted water bill with no damage)

Do you know anyone who had water damage?

when my dad was installing the new floor boards, he eye balled the support beam in the floor and missed by 1-2 cm and and keep on going with that line, at the end we had like 15 holes in our water pipe

Water on Demand Invention

I think that I've heard of it before - yeah, it's called a tap jk

Neat! how much does installing a system similar to this cost for an entire house? and what is usually the savings over the span of a year?

I've considered something like that, but instead of a motion sensor, it was a water alarm coupled with a shut off valve on the laundry and bathroom fixtures. It would shut them off if water was detected under the fixtures.

Another option (can't use plastic valves) is a sisemic sensor to shut off both the natural gas and water lines in an earthquake.

The earthquake shutoff would be purely mechanical. A round weight like a bowling ball attached to a chain would fall off a small dish in an event and the the chain would pull a ball valve closed.

Pretty nifty idea. You may want to incorporate a fail safe of sorts that would default the valve in the open position in case the power was cut off...or at least a way to manually open or bypass the valve in an emergency.

starman wrote:Pretty nifty idea. You may want to incorporate a fail safe of sorts that would default the valve in the open position in case the power was cut off...or at least a way to manually open or bypass the valve in an emergency.

Water is automatically off when electric power fails. You just go to whole house solenoid valve and manually turn on the water. No problem.

Installed cost between $300 and $700 for entire house depending on the number of zones.

We might make DIY kits available.

Anyone who has had major flooding damage, is like a person who had a horse stolen from their barn without a lock.

We are looking for investors and dealers please pass the word.

Technician1002 wrote:I've considered something like that, but instead of a motion sensor, it was a water alarm coupled with a shut off valve on the laundry and bathroom fixtures. It would shut them off if water was detected under the fixtures.

Another option (can't use plastic valves) is a sisemic sensor to shut off both the natural gas and water lines in an earthquake.

The earthquake shutoff would be purely mechanical. A round weight like a bowling ball attached to a chain would fall off a small dish in an event and the the chain would pull a ball valve closed.

My friend Sam suffered $50,000 in water/mold damage from a leak in the wall.

His house had PB plastic and it was re piped with copper.

It took almost a year to complete the repairs and hassle with the insurance company.

It makes no logical sense to have the pressure on waiting for a leak when you can have the pressure off 95% of the time.

You just go to whole house solenoid valve and manually turn on the water. No problem.

yeah, unless you're in the middle of the zombie apocalypse

Personally I don't think a system like this is needed. If you've got iron/copper fittings and pipes it is almost impossible to damage them. Of course, solenoid valves on a dishwasher or washing machine can fail but it happens rarely.

Notice that it uses PIR sensors so if you keep a pet in your house the system will keep the valve open for most of the time

Cool stuff but it's a bit pricey for something that performs just one function. I guess you could cut cost if you introduce it in one of those automated houses as they usually have all the PIRs and stuff already installed.

boyntonstu wrote:(I know someone who is paying off a $2,000 wasted water bill with no damage)

I don't know about the cost of water in your city but, Los Angeles Dept of Water & Power was charging roughly $3.42 per unit (748 gals.) of water at the end of 2009.

$2,000.00 would be equal to 437,426 +/- gallons of water in Los Angeles during 2009. How could someone have a 'wasted water" situation of that magnitude and not notice a problem? How could they even get that much water through a 3/4" supply line into their house?

boyntonstu wrote: Water is automatically off when electric power fails. You just go to whole house solenoid valve and manually turn on the water. No problem.

Installed cost between $300 and $700 for entire house depending on the number of zones.

We might make DIY kits available.

Anyone who has had major flooding damage, is like a person who had a horse stolen from their barn without a lock.

We are looking for investors and dealers please pass the word.

The concept is great!

Have you done research on which type of sprinkler valves to use?

I for one would never consider anything less than a glass filled nylon valve or a brass valve. The reliability of of these valves is much greater than your average $13 to $15 sprinkler valve. The cost on high end valves is about 4 to 5 times higher. Putting in a cheap valve is just magnifying the possibility of one or more places for a leak to occur or defeating the intended purpose.

What about research on local and state codes for such a device on potable water systems?

I question the DIY approach because that brings up an even more complex issue. Insurance companies will never allow such a device unless installed by a bonded, certified plumber for liability reasons. Your back to square one with the insurance company hassle.

Not trying to discourage you but only express some concerns.

The statistical probability of the flood damage your friends had is like the once in a hundred year storm. You state the examples but did not explain the actual fault/problem that caused the flooding in the fist place.

So many times there are signs/symptoms of a potential problem about to occur that the average person does not comprehend and goes unchecked or further investigated.