The Top 4 Home Water Leak Detectors

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Written By Hassan Zaka

I'm an experienced expert in accounting and technical writing, skilled at simplifying complex topics with engaging visuals. Ideal for any organization in need of top-tier technical writing services.

Water is essential in our homes, but it can also cause problems. Broken pipes, leaking toilets, and malfunctioning appliances may ruin your day. According to the Insurance Information Institute, nearly one in every 50 insured houses makes a claim for water damage or freezing each year, with the average property loss costing over $11,000. The longer a leak goes unnoticed, the more damage it does, damaging furniture and décor, breeding mildew and fungus, and even jeopardizing structural stability.

A water leak detector can help lessen the danger by rapidly alerting you to concerns so you can take action to avoid serious harm. These are the smart water leak detectors we suggest after testing numerous over the last few months. Insurers adore them, so check with yours to see what they have to give or recommend, as well as whether adding a leak sensor will lower your rates.

Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector

Best for Most People

The Top 4 Home Water Leak Detectors

 

This flexible gadget, shaped like a drop of water, warns you within seconds of detecting a leak and includes useful features like temperature tracking at an inexpensive price. It was simple to set up using the app (Android or iOS), and it was quick and consistent in my tests, sending me a push notification, an email, and a text message whenever it detected water. (Alerts can be customized.) It also emits a warning tone and illuminates a red LED. The gadget comes with three metal feet for water detection, but you may also install it and use the attached wired disc sensor instead. A 6-foot leak detection wire ($22) from Moen can detect water throughout its whole length, and you may possibly save money by using it.

In the app, the Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector displays temperature and humidity values for the last 24 hours or seven days. Temperature and humidity thresholds can be adjusted to generate alerts. You can also reset alerts from the app, which is convenient because it’s not fun fiddling with a button on a hard-to-reach detector. In comparison to other detectors, the alerts are rather quiet. The gadget also requires a single CR123A battery, which is included in the box, and has no smart home functionality.

Upgrade option: The Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff (from view availability on Amazon) can detect leaks in your plumbing and automatically shut off the water supply to prevent serious damage. It also tracks your water usage, flow rate, pressure, and more, giving you stats in the app. We haven’t tested it, but it could provide greater peace of mind. It requires professional installation on top of the high price, making it way too expensive for most folks.

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Phyn Smart Water Sensor

Runner Up

The Top 4 Home Water Leak Detectors

The Phyn Smart Water Sensor, which has a set of features that are quite comparable to our top selection, proved to be dependable, alerting me to water promptly with a piercing buzzer, a text message, and a push notification. Unfortunately, the setup was inconvenient; the app was flaky, so I had to refresh and reenter all of my information. There are three metal feet on the hefty disc shape, and an LED that lights red when it senses a leak. You may purchase an Extension Node ($10), which is a wired disc that plugs in, or a Water Sensor Cable ($26), which is a 4-foot cable that can detect water along its length (you can daisy link up to three).

Temperature and humidity are also tracked by the Phyn Smart Water Sensor, with charts presented in the app and warning triggers set at particular levels. It wasn’t as fast as our top option, but in my tests, it was reliable. Two AA batteries are required (provided). Unfortunately, you must touch the device’s button to silence the alarm; an in-app option would be preferable. It’s also rather huge (the size of a hockey puck) in comparison to the other detectors I tried, which limits your options for placement. And, once again, no true smart home integration is available.

Upgrade option: The Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff (from view availability on Amazon) tracks water performance in your plumbing system and includes an automatic water shutoff to prevent damage when there’s a leak. It also requires professional installation, so it’s a pricey option. We have not tested this system.

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Eve Water Guard    

Best for Apple HomeKit

The Top 4 Home Water Leak Detectors

This is a wonderful choice for iPhone customers who have a home hub because it supports HomeKit (an Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad). There is an Eve app, but you can also use the Apple Home app to check the Water Guard and create notifications. It connects into an outlet and has a 6.5-foot wire that detects water and sends you an alarm on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, no directly where you are, as long as you have a functional home hub. It also features a 100-decibel siren and illuminates red. The Eve app allows you to analyze alarm history, test or mute alerts, and update device firmware.The Eve Water Guard can only detect water, but in my testing, the sensing cable functioned effectively, producing timely alarms and covering a vast area. It requires a power outlet, which restricts your positioning possibilities, but battery life is never an issue. The absence of Android compatibility, the necessity for a home hub for remote alerts and administration, and the somewhat costly price are all clear limitations, but if you already have a HomeKit setup, this is a good choice. 6.5-foot Sensing Cable Extensions ($20 each) may be added for a total length of 500 feet.

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Govee Wi-Fi Water Sensor

Best Budget

Govee Wi Fi Water Sensor

You may acquire a three-pack of Govee Wi-Fi Water Sensors for the same price as one of our two top recommendations if you want to stretch your budget. These are simple to set up and send out alerts via push notifications and emails. They also had the most powerful sirens I tried (100 decibels). Thankfully, the app’s ear-splitting volume can be turned off. The sensors are modest, with drop detection on top and metal feet for leak detection beneath them, but no possibility to connect a disc or wire.

You may acquire a three-pack of Govee Wi-Fi Water Sensors for the same price as one of our two top recommendations if you want to stretch your budget. These are simple to set up and send out alerts via push notifications and emails. They also had the most powerful sirens I tried (100 decibels). Thankfully, the app’s ear-splitting volume can be turned off. The sensors are modest, with drop detection on top and metal feet for leak detection beneath them, but no possibility to connect a disc or wire.

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More:

Govee Alexa Commands

Eve Home Smart Home Products and Services

What to Think About?

What to Look for in a Water Leak Detector

Here are some things to consider while shopping for smart leak detectors and installing them in your house.

Placement and Sensors: 

Unless you only want to monitor a single trouble site or appliance, you’ll probably need many leak detectors. The majority have sensors on the end of the wires, while others include water-sensing cords and some are self-contained.  Extension nodes with some detectors are also a possibility. 

Consider the locations you wish to cover, as well as the type of detector you’ll need and how many you’ll need.

Alert:

When there is a leak, all of the smart water leak detectors we tested deliver push notifications, but some also send emails and SMS. 

Check that your device supports disconnection warnings, which will notify you if the connection is lost, which might happen if the power or Wi-Fi goes out.

Power:

Most detectors are battery-powered, but you can get some that plug directly into outlets. You can set and forget plug-in detectors, but batteries give you more flexibility with placement, and the companion app will typically warn you when the batteries need to be changed.

Wi-Fi Access: 

Smart water leak detectors connect directly to your Wi-Fi router or a hub, so make sure that you have a decent signal wherever you are installing them. All the devices we tested connect only to Wi-Fi on the 2.4-GHz band. Remember that they need internet access to alert you to any leaks or problems. If your internet goes down, they will simply act as local alarms.

Smart Home Integration:

While companion apps and mobile notifications are typical, some detectors support smart home standards, which allows you to access detectors in your chosen smart home app and set up triggers or automation. For example, you could set a water alert to flash your smart lights or maybe have a particular temperature trigger heating or air conditioning to turn on.

Automatic Water Shut-Off:

You may install a water monitoring device with an automatic shut-off feature on some high-end systems, allowing any leak detection to shut off your water supply. However, these systems are costly and need expert installation.

Temperature and Humidity Monitoring:

Some smart water leak detectors can also monitor temperature and humidity, warning you to the dangers of frozen pipes or moist conditions, which might suggest a leak nearby. You may look at the temperature and humidity over time to see if there are any noticeable variations that need to be investigated. When used in conjunction with smart home automation, you may also set heating or fan levels to decrease the danger of damage.

 

 

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