If You Make One Investment to Winterize Your Home This Year, Let It Be These $35 Smart Leak Sensors – Experts Say They Can 'Prevent a Five-Figure Mess'
Get ahead of the severe incoming storm
With a major winter storm rolling in, homeowners are being warned to act fast. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and pressure on pipes dramatically increase the risk of sudden leaks and burst plumbing – often striking with little to no warning.
That's why experts say these $35 Govee smart leak sensors, from Amazon, are more than worth the investment. These small devices detect moisture the moment it appears and send instant alerts to your phone, allowing you to intervene before a frozen pipe or hidden leak turns into a five-figure disaster.
Why Every Home Needs Leak Sensors
This water leak detector is equipped with a powerful WiFi connection gateway, allowing you to connect up to 10 sensors simultaneously. Simply connect the gateway to WiFi, and the water detector will instantly send emails, app notifications, and alerts to your phone when water leaks occur.
With the worst storm of the season heading into cover half of the US in the coming weekend, according to CNN, preparing a home for extreme weather has never been more important. And, say experts, smart leak sensors are a key part of this.
While it is always best to stop pipes from freezing in the first place, accidents happen, and severe weather can bring unpredictable temperatures, making it far harder to keep a home warm all day and maintain the perfect temperature to stop pipes from freezing over.
Smart water sensors, such as the Govee sensors from Amazon, help to detect small water leaks before they become a more serious problem, so you are never left floundering trying to work out what to do if a pipe bursts as water gushes all over your home.
Paul Vacquier, CEO of Beagle Services, warns, 'Frozen-pipe failures are one of the most expensive cold-weather losses, and they usually start in places people don’t think about: Crawl spaces, exterior walls, unheated utility rooms and mechanical closets,' proposing smart leak sensors as your best option against thousands of dollars of damage.
Simply locate them in any high-risk areas of your home, such as those less insulated or those where you use the water the most. They will send a quick alert to help you find and fix household leaks far more easily than having to hunt for them manually, wait for mold, or wonder why your home smells musty.
They're not just good for pipes, either; they are great for your attic in winter, too. Garrett Maxwell of Brown’s Roofing explains, 'Ice dams are one of the biggest causes of winter leaks. They happen when snow melts and refreezes along the roof edge, trapping water behind it. Once that water has nowhere to go, it usually finds its way under shingles or flashing.
'This is something we see a lot after cold snaps, even on roofs that didn’t have obvious issues beforehand. Snow buildup itself can also be an issue. Heavy snow adds weight and creates more meltwater sitting on the roof.
'A little preparation ahead of time can save homeowners from dealing with leaks and interior damage later.'
Fitting Smart Leak Sensors Correctly
Consider water sensors anywhere where you use water in your home.
In order for these smart home must-haves to work correctly, you need to install them in the right spots and, importantly, remember to check on them.
Paul warns, 'A smart valve only protects a home if it’s installed in the right place, fully connected and correctly provisioned, and that requires someone who understands plumbing layouts and knows how to assess a home's weak points.
'We’ve seen sensors stuck where they’ll never detect actual risk.' To mitigate this, it can be a good idea to call a pro to help you find the best spots.
Otherwise, Paul advises, 'Check that smart leak sensors are powered on, connected, and sending alerts. Up to half of the devices are offline during insurance claims. A lot of people don’t realize their devices went offline after a Wi-Fi change or a tripped breaker. Five minutes of checking can prevent a five-figure mess.
'We’ve seen quick action turn what could’ve been a $15,000 claim into a minor cleanup and a plumber visit. Installation is everything.'
What to Shop
Upon water detection, this sensor will instantly send emails, app notifications, and alerts to your phone so you can act quickly.
Should a leak occur, you'll need a dehumidifier as part of your treatment plan to help dry the area thoroughly to prevent mold.
These foam pipe covers conveniently come in an affordable pack of six, and can be used for insulating both hot and cold water pipes.
This insulation tape offers gorilla-strength adhesion and wraps around your pipes in seconds for a quick insulation fix that will last all season long.
This backflow cover comes in multiple sizes for a universal fit, and is built with durable, weather-resistant materials to protect against rain, snow, wind, and ice.
These bestselling outdoor faucets are reusable and waterproof, and are both easy to install and remove as the weather cools down and warms back up.
Meet the Experts
Paul Vacquier is the CEO of Beagle Services, a plumbing technology company using IoT smart valves, sensors and fixtures to prevent costly water damage.
Alongside installing sensors, it is also wise to identify your mains water valve at home and learn how to operate it, so you can quickly turn off the water supply and spot a leak getting worse.
