September 11, 2020
by Ezlo Admin

We all know how costly water damage caused by regular wear and tear of pipes, failed couplings of washing machines or clogged utility sinks can be. The good news is that you can prevent or minimize all of this, at a fraction of the cost you would pay for the actual damaged goods and property, by getting a smart leak sensor and a hub to monitor your home for water.

But why not a regular $10 water alarm system over a smart home sensor and hub? Well, most of the leaks start slow and can go from dripping to full-blown pipe burst at any moment and that can turn into a disaster really quick especially when you’re not at home to hear the water alarm.

The main benefit of a smart leak sensor is that it’s always connected to a cloud, so it can send a notification to your phone as soon as a leak is detected. Even if you aren’t home, this usually gives you time to take the required measures before a little leak becomes a big problem. Another benefit of a smart leak sensor is that it can connect with other smart devices, like a water shut-off valve that automatically shuts off the water to the whole home—potentially saving you thousands of dollars in repair costs.

Sounds great. How do I start?

The easiest thing to do is start small and build on your smart home setup over time. A good example is to start with an affordable smart home hub like the Ezlo Atom ($29.95) and add one or more Z-Wave leak sensors, like the theFotrezz Flood Sensor ($49.99) for each room you want to monitor for leaks. You’ll have to turn off your water manually if you get an alert, but over time you can add a water shut-off valve and other smart devices.

How do I set up an automated scene to notify me?

With the new dashboard in the Vera app, it’s easy to fully control, manage, and adjust your whole smart home system. Creating a water leak notification or water valve automation takes just a matter of seconds, as shown in the following two examples:

Scenario 1- Water Leak Detected Notification

This is the fastest and easiest way to prevent potential water damage because if a water leak is detected it will instantly send a push notification to you or your family members wherever you may be. For this automation, you will only need a connected smart home hub and at least one flood sensor.

To create this type of scene you’ll have to go to Scenes -> Tap the + symbol in the top right corner, then in the Triggers tab, tap the + symbol again, and select the Device to use as a trigger (our Flood Sensor) and choose the action “Whenever a leak is detected” then press on Done

Now that we’ve selected our trigger it’s time to tell our hub who should be notified. To do this, while in the scene editor taps on the Finish button and tap on Notify these people… and choose which of your family members that are assigned to the controller, should receive the Leak Detected Notification. Now press Done, then Save and Finish.

Congratulations, now in case of a water leak, your smart sensor will notify you or your chosen family member.

Scenario 2- Water Leak Detected Notification + Water Valve shut off.

This second automation adds more security to your existing water leak detection system by using an automated water valve that shuts down the home’s water supply when a leak is detected, even if you aren’t home

Now that we’ve selected our trigger it’s time to choose the Action (out Water Valve). To do this, while still in the scene editor tap on Actions, then tap the + symbol again, choose an immediate action , then select your water valve from the list and hit Next , press the slider for turning off the Valve then press Done then Save , and after you choose a name for your scene and pick who should be notified, then press Finish

Congratulations, now in case of a water leak, in addition to your smart sensor notifying you, it will also prevent damage by shutting off the main water pipe.

If you’re interested in protecting your home from water damage there’s no easier way to do this other than starting with any of our inexpensive but powerful bundles or building your own hub + sensor + valve setup by browsing our Ezlo Shop.