A slow leak under a sink or behind a washing machine can go unnoticed for days, especially in a basement you don't visit often. Smart water-leak sensors are small, battery-powered pucks that send an alert to your phone the moment they touch water. They're one of the simplest, most useful smart home devices, and fall in New Jersey is a good time to put them in.
Where to put them
- Next to the water heater. Tanks and their fittings can drip as they age.
- Behind or under the washing machine, where supply hoses connect.
- Under the kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Beside the toilet, near the supply line.
- Near the sump pump or floor drain, if your basement has one.
- Under the dishwasher or refrigerator water line, if you can reach the area safely.
Sensors work by touching water, so place them flat on the floor at the lowest spot where water would collect.
Add temperature alerts for cold snaps
Many leak sensors also read temperature, and separate temperature and humidity sensors are inexpensive. Set an alert for when a basement, crawl space or room with pipes on an outside wall gets close to freezing, so you have a chance to add heat before a pipe freezes.
Check the signal where the sensors live
Sensors are only useful if their alerts reach you. Basements and utility rooms are often where Wi-Fi is weakest. Depending on the sensor, it connects over Wi-Fi or through a small hub, so test the connection in the exact spot before you rely on it.
Make the alerts loud
Set leak alerts as high-priority notifications on everyone's phone in the household, and test each sensor once by touching it with a damp cloth. A quick test twice a year, when you change the clocks, is an easy habit.
Know where your main shut-off is
A sensor tells you there's water; it doesn't stop it. Find your home's main water shut-off valve now, make sure it turns, and show everyone in the house where it is. Some homes add an automatic shut-off valve, but that involves plumbing work and is a job for a licensed plumber.