As you plan to head out on your summer vacation, I'm sure you have a checklist of things to take care of before you leave: make sure the post office holds your mail; change your thermostat settings; and make sure there's someone to look after your pets.
Some of the best smart home devices can further help you — a smart thermostat can let you control the temperature remotely, and a home security camera can let you keep tabs on your home, indoors and out. But there's one device that could save you a huge headache — and a huge bill — and you can get it for less than $50.
No matter where you are, a smart water leak detector can let you know if you have a burst pipe or water heater, or your basement has started flooding because of a huge rainstorm. These devices, which you connect to your home Wi-Fi, have metal contacts on the bottom, and when water touches both of them, it completes a circuit, and then sends you an alert to your smartphone.
While winter is a distant memory at the moment, the best smart water leak detectors can also monitor humidity and temperature, which makes them great for placing near pipes in unheated crawl spaces. So, if it gets near or below freezing, it can send you an alert so you can take preventative measures to prevent your pipes from bursting.
Most smart water leak detectors are fairly inexpensive, and cost around $30-$50 each. Some also come with sensor wires, so if your basement floods, it won't destroy the water leak detector in the process.
The only real disadvantage to this type of smart water leak detector is that, while it can alert you to a problem, it can't do anything about it.
However, a second type of water leak detector can help alleviate potential damage. It just costs more upfront.
Shutting off the water at the source
While not as common, several companies make smart water detectors with shutoff valves, so in the event of a water leak, it can automatically turn off the water coming into your house. It can't do anything about the water already in your pipes, but it can prevent more water from coming in, so that you don't have thousands of gallons of water pouring into your home while you're out of town.
These types of smart water detectors work by analyzing the flow rate of water through your pipes, so in addition to major leaks, they can also identify other places in your home where you might be wasting water — maybe there's a small drip from a faucet you weren't aware of, for instance.
Not surprisingly, these water leak detectors cost a lot more. Typically, they'll run about $400-$500, and then you'll also need to hire a plumber to install it on the main water line in your house. But, what you spend upfront you could make up in savings, not just in the event of a disaster, but also through insurance premiums; many insurance companies will offer you a credit for installing one in your home.
Regardless of the type you choose, a smart water leak detector could at the very least give you added peace of mind while you're on vacation this summer.
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