Customer story · Madison, WI

“The pad went wet at 3 a.m., not the freeze night”

How a Wisconsin household used a ThermalTrace flood contact under a garage water heater to catch a slow drip before it soaked the slab and ruined stored boxes.

Blue PEX and copper water lines with valves in a basement ceiling
Supply lines in basements and crawlspaces are the freeze risk that history charts prove. Photo: Tomwsulcer. CC0

The setup

  • ESP32 already pushing garage temp; added a cheap wet/dry contact on the heater pan
  • Ingest kind flood: auto-alerts when wet (no custom rule)
  • Email + Pro SMS; freeze threshold still watching the same bay

Timeline

  1. 3:08 a.m.: Flood contact reported wet; SMS + email fired while vacation mode was on for a trip.
  2. 3:20 a.m.: Neighbor with a share link confirmed a drip at the drain valve.
  3. Morning: Plumber tightened the valve; slab stayed dry enough that boxes were salvageable.

“The pad went wet at 3 a.m., not the freeze night”

Homeowner, Madison, WI (name withheld)

What happened

Freeze and flood share one ingest path. Vacation muted threshold noise; the wet contact still woke the household.

Typical Pro trial → Member or Pro subscription after winter. Your results depend on sensor placement and alert thresholds.

Story FAQ

Do flood alerts need a custom rule?

No, when alerts are enabled, wet flood/leak contacts notify automatically. Use Rules → flood only to combine with door or temp conditions.

Where should the contact sit?

On the pan floor away from normal condensation drip lines. Test with a damp cloth, then dry so you do not leave a sticky wet state.

Try it on your space

Start free with live charts, email alerts, and one family live share link. Upgrade when you want CSV history (Member) or SMS, push, and expanded share scopes (Pro: 14-day trial).

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