How to find out about any leak in the house in a second, so as not to flood the apartment and neighbors

For some reason, it’s customary that when we talk about a smart home device for beginners, we mean all sorts of light bulbs, buttons, strips and other things whose benefits can be felt immediately.

But we must speak differently. One of the first, if not the first smart home device that is worth buying is leakage sensor.

No other device, even if located in an apartment, has such potential for saving your money, nerves and time. If there were leak sensors in every room under communications and household equipment, the frequency of “flooding” of neighbors in the country would be reduced significantly.

As with all aspirations for a better life, you have to start with yourself. I installed several sensors at home and want to tell you how they can be usefulwhat is best to choose, how to connect it and configure it in a smart home. And the main thing is how to make the groove go down faster than you yourself can react to it.

How to use a leak sensor in Russia

The easiest way to use the sensor is to place it under the washing machine.

💜 Instantly create a leak. The sensor will react to contact with the liquid long before it gets somewhere else – for example, it leaks outside the washing machine and becomes noticeable to you. No person is required to observe a leak before a sensor installed directly under leaking utilities and household appliances.

💜 Will notify you and all those responsible about a leak. The notification is immediately sent to all users of your smart home, reducing the time between certain events and decisions.

💜 Stops the leak automatically. Thanks to the signal via the smart home chain on other devices, for example the electric ball valve (ball valve) or smart sockets and relays, the sensor’s activation will lead to the shutdown of the water supply, as well as to the shutdown of all devices – both during guaranteed contact with the liquid and those , which may cause the appearance of ducts.

💜 Prevents significant damage both the apartment and the neighbors. Instant notification and quick response from both machines and other smart devices, or you personally, allow you to avoid panicky incoming calls and messages in the LCD chat about “you are flooding them.” The amount of money for subsequent repairs and compensation after a flood can be astronomical, but you won’t expect it in the first place must.

Which leak sensor to choose

Aqara Smart Home Kit – Protection against leaks.

The Russian smart home market is rich in leak detection and repair systems. These devices use tools for hopefully obvious reasons. In order not to explain the cost of them, describe below the three most common solutions to issues.

Most advanced: Aqara Smart Home Kit – Protection against leaks. Includes the M1S Gen 2 smart home center, T1 leakage sensor, single-channel T1 relay with neutral, two ball electric drives and additional accessories for connecting and placing the kit. This is a complete set of devices designed for many owners of things or protection. But the main thing is two ShEPs at once, ready to automatically shut off the standing water supply even in the absence of an Internet connection. Here’s our review, by the way.

It is worth noting that the Aqara kit is not a kind of radical “full cycle” leak problem. Even individual articles are not enough to describe the multi-level systems for stopping, leaking and responding to them available in the Russian Federation. Just among the quality solutions, this option is a win-win. Regardless of the fact that the installation must be done by professionals, the price is steep: up to 29 thousand rubles. rubles

Water flow sensor Yandex.

The most adequate: Water flow sensor Yandex. It’s simple in appearance, a compact device that is placed or mounted in an area where there is likely to be a water plug: under a washing machine or dishwasher, under kitchen radiators and water risers, under a bathtub, and so on. Operates up to 2 years on CR2032 battery, supports Zigbee 3.0.

Fully integrated into the Yandex smart home ecosystem: when working, we will receive not only ., but also (if desired) a phone call directly from Alice with a warning. Don’t miss it for sure. On its own, it was not able to stop the leak, but it can and ideally should work in a “team” with other devices through scenarios – ShEP, smart sockets and lighting. It costs only 2000 rubles.

Noname leakage sensor, there are thousands of them and they cost the same – around thousands of rubles.

The most budget: Any noname sensor is cheaper than 1000 rubles. For example, this one. Their operating principle is no different from sensors in “boxes”, as in Yandex above, they just come in other forms. If there is Zigbee 3.0, the reviews are generally positive, then you can take the risk. Just remember that without the support of a major money maker, no one is guaranteed to work. There are also no guarantees that automation and scripts will work correctly.

Installation and repair will be discussed in the future Water flow sensor Yandex. But this instruction, with minor modifications, is relevant for most other sensors.

How to connect and configure a leak sensor in a smart home

Before holding the sensor anywhere, it needs to be connected to your smart home control system. I am a user of the Yandex ecosystem, in which such tasks are solved through the House with Alice application (App Store or Google Play) – it’s convenient, you can control it by voice through the Yandex Station speakers or manually from the program from anywhere in the world. Accordingly, further I will also quote from it.

1. Remove the sensor from the box. If it is wireless, then it should have a battery compartment – usually at the bottom.

2. Remove the cover and check the presence and correct installation of the battery. Put everything back the way it was for you. If there was a “tab” in the battery, remove it.

3. Open application Home with Alice. If adding a new device is not displayed there, click on the offer “plus” in the upper right corner, select Smart home deviceand then to the menu Yandex click on Sensor.

The process of adding a Yandex sensor to the Home with Alice application.

4. The sensor is in connection mode. U Water flow sensor Yandex This is done like this: press hard on the “drops” picture and hold your finger on it for 5 seconds.

5. Follow the on-screen prompts in the app Home with Aliceuntil the sensor is added to the smart home system.

Options for placement of sensor ducts. Pay attention to the napkin: contact with a metal sensor may give false promises, so it is better to put something under it.

The sensor can now be stored. It can be installed under a water pipe, a heating radiator, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a bathtub, and so on. If you have a country house with a heating and/or water purification system, sensors will be very useful there too.

When placing the sensor, try to choose a place where, in case of protection contact with water may occur first – The closer to junctions and communication centers, the better. I also recommend offering the device so that it is “flooded” long before wires, sockets and, in general, any electrical equipment are exposed to water.

What commands and scripts are recommended?

The command checks the charge level:

Alice, what is the charge level (name of the flow sensor)?

Sensor processing command:

Alice, what’s wrong with the leakage sensors in my house?

Options are used to automatically notify about leaks in the house.

Scenarios:

🤖 Switching off electrical appliances during a leak. Useful for sensors placed under large appliances (washers, dryers, and dishwashers). To do this, you need a smart socket or relay, to which an electrical appliance must be connected in advance. In the section Scenarios applications Home with Alice We create a connection between two additional devices and customizable operating conditions:

◆ if the leakage sensor is triggered, the smart socket turns off

🤖 Shut off water in case of leakage. For the network to work, it is necessary to install an electric faucet, to which a smart relay will then be connected. In the section Scenarios applications Home with Alice We create a connection between two accessories and customizable operating conditions.

◆ if the leakage sensor is triggered, the relay turns on

The relay will shut off the electric valve, eliminating the leak. I warn you that leakage sensors placed in open communications from cold and hot water must be installed on the tap every day so that the water in the leaks is accurately shut off. Both taps can have one relay.

The call function from Alice is available only to subscribers Yandex Plus.

🤖 Call and SMS from Alice during a leak. A subscription is required for the script to work. Yandex Plus. It includes 20 SMS and 20 calls per month, and no more than 5 SMS and 5 calls are available per day. In the section Scenarios applications Home with Alice We create a connection between two accessories and customizable operating conditions.

◆ if the groove sensor is triggered, you will receive a Push notification
◆ also send SMS or make a call from Alice

For calls from Alice it is better to use water flow sensors Yandexdirectly connected to Yandex smart home. Sensors added here from other ecosystems from other manufacturers may not support this feature.

🤖 Voice and light notification about protection. You need a Yandex Station column and smart lighting (strips, light bulbs). In the section Scenarios applications Home with Alice We create a connection between two additional devices and customizable operating conditions:

◆ if the leakage sensor is triggered, the lights will start flashing (and/or change color to red)
◆ also Yandex Station reads aloud the text “The groove sensor has tripped (location)

Is it worth buying

The more such sensors under everything, the calmer the protection in the house can be.

If you still don’t have a single leak sensor in your apartment or country house, then you like to take risks and don’t spare your wallet.

A smart leak sensor is a thing in itself. It is invisible, independent and will not require anything from you except replacing the battery once every year and a half. And if it works, that is, fulfills its purpose, then pay for itself more than tenfold.

By equipping basic communications and water-consuming household devices such as sensors, and then connecting additional smart devices to the mix, you can sleep peacefully even when you’re away from home. If something happens, the damage will be minimized automatically, and unpleasant consequences will be dealt with even faster than you could react to the situation if you were nearby.

Of all the smart home sensors on the market, the leak sensor takes first place in terms of usefulness and return on investment. He may never touch water in his life, and that’s wonderful. But if he does, I will be immensely grateful to him. Just like your neighbors are getting stronger. And along with them – all those whom you do not need to limit to limit their appearance.

🏡 More about smart home:

▪ How to make any radiators (batteries) in Russia smart, so as not to twist them with your hands to set the temperature

▪ In the kitchen it lights up on its own, in the bathroom too, it doesn’t react. Why do you need a smart tape in your home?

▪ The washing machine says it’s finished! Why do we need smart sockets in the house and what settings are recommended?