What does it cost to hire out "Put leak detectors under everything that holds water"?

A fair national range is $100–$200; local labor costs move that number up or down by county.

How often should this be done?

Once is enough — it's a one-time job.

What should I ask before hiring someone for this?

Worth asking: If we ever go to an automatic shutoff valve, does my main shutoff location work for it, and what's the realistic installed price? Which spots in THIS house have quietly leaked before? (Techs see the water stains you've stopped noticing.)

How do I know I'm being upsold on this job?

Watch for: A $1,500–$3,000 'whole-home leak defense system' pitched as the entry point. Puck alarms are $15 and catch the same drips — the big system is a fine upgrade someday, not the price of admission. Monitoring-subscription contracts for what a Wi-Fi puck does free through its own app. Insurance-discount promises used to close a sale — the discount is real with many carriers, but verify it with YOUR carrier before it justifies anyone's invoice.

Safety

Put leak detectors under everything that holds water

One-time · any month works

Why it matters

Every water disaster starts as a drip you couldn't see: the washing machine hose weeping behind the machine, the water heater rusting through at the base, the supply line sweating inside a vanity. Water damage leads home insurance claims nationally, and the size of the bill tracks one variable — how long the water ran before someone knew.

A leak detector is a $15 answer to that variable. It sits in the drip path and screams (or pings your phone) at the first puddle, turning week-six rot into a day-one towel job.

What skipping it costs

$1,000–$15,000

Water damage is the most common home insurance claim there is — ahead of fire and theft — and the average claim runs five figures. The difference between a $50 drip and a $10,000 claim is almost always time: a supply line seeping into a cabinet for six quiet weeks versus an alarm screaming on day one. Fifteen dollars per screaming.

Two ways to get it done

Do it yourself

~20 min · difficulty 1 of 5

You'll need: 4–6 water leak alarms ($12–$20 each basic, $30–$50 each smart/Wi-Fi), Spare batteries.

Buy 4–6 alarms. The honest buying advice: basic screamers ($12–$20) are plenty if someone's home most days — they're smoke-alarm loud. Wi-Fi pucks ($30–$50) earn their price if you travel, own a second home, or want the water heater watched from anywhere.
Place them flat on the floor in the drip path: under the water heater (in the pan if there is one), behind/beside the washing machine, under the kitchen sink, under bathroom vanities, near the dishwasher's front corner.
Test each one with a wet fingertip across the contacts — you want to have heard the sound once before it matters.
Batteries: most run 2–5 years; add them to the battery-check habit you already have for smoke detectors.
Tell your insurance agent they're installed and ask about a discount — many carriers give one, and on Wi-Fi systems it can be meaningful.

Hire it out

$100–$200National fair range — local labor moves this number.

There's nothing to hire for pucks — they're placed, not installed. The visit worth paying for ($100–$200 as part of a plumbing call) is a walk-through where a plumber shows you your house's specific weep points and confirms your main shutoff works, because every leak alarm's second sentence is "now go turn off the water."

The upgrade path, told straight: automatic shutoff valves (a motorized valve on your main plus sensors, $500–$1,500 installed for the reputable brands) genuinely work and genuinely earn insurance discounts — the right call for frequent travelers and second homes. It's step three, though. Steps one and two are fifteen-dollar pucks and knowing where your shutoff is.

Ask the tech

If we ever go to an automatic shutoff valve, does my main shutoff location work for it, and what's the realistic installed price?
Which spots in THIS house have quietly leaked before? (Techs see the water stains you've stopped noticing.)

Red flags you're being upsold

A $1,500–$3,000 'whole-home leak defense system' pitched as the entry point. Puck alarms are $15 and catch the same drips — the big system is a fine upgrade someday, not the price of admission.
Monitoring-subscription contracts for what a Wi-Fi puck does free through its own app.
Insurance-discount promises used to close a sale — the discount is real with many carriers, but verify it with YOUR carrier before it justifies anyone's invoice.

The call

DIY this afternoon — it's placing hockey pucks. Basic screamers if you're home most days, Wi-Fi pucks if you travel; the $2,000 auto-shutoff system is a someday upgrade, not the starting point.