Hi, I'm looking to install a smart leak detector in my kitchen. From what I can see basically they are a battery operated unit with a lead that lies on the floor. As always there are some very cheap ones and some such as the Honeywell type that are around £65. Has anyone had any experience with these smart leak detectors that can offer me some advice on choosing one please?
Smart Leak Detector
- Thread starter dstill
- Start date
I didn't even realise that they exist.
My gut instinct is that they are "a product in search of a solution" that could potentially provide a false sense of security. As you are aware water finds it own level and no floors are perfectly level. You could position it at the lowest level on the floor and find that a leak on the other side of the room has simply run under the floor.
If you are the kind of person that spends long periods away from home, it might be more prudent to turn the main stopcock off, however if your lounge radiator springs a rust related leak then neither the Honeywell in the kitchen or stopcoak will make any difference.
I am not a plumber but a client recently rang me because they had a leak running down the wall in to the WC from the bathroom above. I turned up, removed the bath panel- no signs of a leak. I then ripped up the floor and discovered that some **** had crimped a three quarter inch pipe and wedged solder into the end. A leak detector in the next door kitchen wouldn't have tripped.
Sorry, I appreciate that I haven't been of assistance. Others may chime in and proclaim then as the best thing since slice bread. Personally I think a smart meter that you could remotely set to prevent the flow of water might be of more value, alas the whole expensive smart meter debacle suggests that the utility providers are quite up to scratch yet.
Best of luck.
My gut instinct is that they are "a product in search of a solution" that could potentially provide a false sense of security. As you are aware water finds it own level and no floors are perfectly level. You could position it at the lowest level on the floor and find that a leak on the other side of the room has simply run under the floor.
If you are the kind of person that spends long periods away from home, it might be more prudent to turn the main stopcock off, however if your lounge radiator springs a rust related leak then neither the Honeywell in the kitchen or stopcoak will make any difference.
I am not a plumber but a client recently rang me because they had a leak running down the wall in to the WC from the bathroom above. I turned up, removed the bath panel- no signs of a leak. I then ripped up the floor and discovered that some **** had crimped a three quarter inch pipe and wedged solder into the end. A leak detector in the next door kitchen wouldn't have tripped.
Sorry, I appreciate that I haven't been of assistance. Others may chime in and proclaim then as the best thing since slice bread. Personally I think a smart meter that you could remotely set to prevent the flow of water might be of more value, alas the whole expensive smart meter debacle suggests that the utility providers are quite up to scratch yet.
Best of luck.
Hi, please don't apologise, I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
I sort of agree it's probably more of a gimmick generally but for less than £15 I might buy a couple and put them in the most likely place a leak would occurr and at least they may be of some use in the future.
Interesting thought about a smart water meter?!
I sort of agree it's probably more of a gimmick generally but for less than £15 I might buy a couple and put them in the most likely place a leak would occurr and at least they may be of some use in the future.
Interesting thought about a smart water meter?!
I can see how that might be useful but if you have a combi boiler it won't tell you if your radiator has sprung a leak.
Hoping to get a Samsung one in my Xmas box
I will be connecting it to the inlet pipe as I would defo want to know if any of our water based systems have sprung a leak (rads, airing cupboard, under sink, fridge etc etc)
And in the meantime you risk Samsung spying on your activities and selling that data to marketing companies that want to know when you are at home. That said your "smart" electricity meter provider has access to that data and theoretically even knows what you watched on TV.
And no, seriously, this isn't me wearing a tinfoil hat. One of my siblings works for a UK broadcaster (£500k salary). They are actively exploring paying electricity providers to see what people are watching in real time (rather than the time delayed stats from the likes of Kantar). Each programme has a unique electricity consumption fingerprint. The tech is still in development but the whole of the Internet of Things is going to be a gold mine for targeted advertising.
But your heating circuit contains a finite amount of water so it is not as important as the mains feed.
I don't fret about such things - I feel that knowing when my home is flooding is a tad more important.
Fair point, nevertheless, it is a potentially a large volume of water.
For the record, IMO, device that monitors flow is possibly better than one that simply detects nearby leaks. However the impression that I get is that if you want an accurate reading, you need something that is plumbed in (such as the Belkin Phyn detector and that will set you back a grand once plumbed in).
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...nitor-leak-tracking-pressure-sensors-ces-2018