Screaming ‘leaky water’

Andrew Edwards

If only Stephen Van Druff had had his invention when he needed it.

A Costa Mesa business owner, Van Druff developed a pocket-sized

alarm after a silent water leak contributed to mold that ate into his

home and finances.

“We had mold back into the bearing wall behind [the refrigerator]

and it went into the foundation,” the XOX Industries owner said.

The damage to Van Druff’s home inspired him to develop the

Water-Warning Leak Detection Alarm, a battery-operated device that

screams like an electronic banshee when it touches water.

“It’s very simple -- whenever you have a leak, the earlier you

know about it, the better,” Van Druff said.

Van Druff’s insurance carrier did not cover the damage to his

home, and two weeks after the problem was discovered, he lost his

policy, he said.

Homeowners-insurance carriers typically do not cover water damage

claims that stem from slow, unnoticed leaks, said Peter Moraga, a

spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California.

“That would be a home maintenance issue, and that would not be

covered by the policy,” Moraga said.

The Water-Warning device took about 2 1/2 years to develop, Van

Druff said. His manufacturing company, XOX Industries, is a one-man

operation, and product development was accomplished with help from

hired professionals and Van Druff’s 83-year-old father, Jean, an

engineer.

“My dad helped a lot,” Van Druff said.

Van Druff plans to distribute his alarms through his other

company, ROI Inc., which distributes closeout and overstock software.

Van Druff currently keeps several computer games stacked in his Costa

Mesa warehouse, but he wants to refocus his efforts on the alarms.

Why get out of the software business?

“There’s no money in it,” Van Druff said. “Everything’s

downloadable or online.”

Downloading makes it tough for Van Druff to market old copies of

counter-terrorism shooters, while the hardest part of his new job is

selling a product designed to combat a threat he said many homeowners

are unaware of.

“The biggest challenge -- numero uno challenge -- is it’s very

difficult for us to sell a solution when people don’t know about the

problem,” Van Druff said.