Water Leak detection

 In a previous post, I had talked about vibration sensors from Aqara and mentioned that I had also bought some leak detectors. Since then, I've also implemented an Eve Leak detector.

Eve Water Guard

The Eve Water Guard came out in 2020 and is a plugin device that connects to HomeKit via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Why they'd use that for a device that is powered from the mains, I do not know, except maybe a common chip set across all devices. There are no documented plans to enable Thread on it, but I have noticed that all the devices that Eve have announced that will have Thread, or already do have Thread, were all models from 2020.

It comes with a cable that hangs down from the device and is about 2m/6ft 5" long. This cable is the actual water sensor and can be extended to 150m/492ft. That's a lot of area you can cover and it gives you a fair amount of flexibility on how you want to deploy. e.g. you can deploy in a straight line through the bottom of your cupboards, surrounding a water tank, as a snake shape inside an area. Basically, as long as there is a power output near by, there are plenty of options on how this can be deployed to maximise the coverage.

Setup

I'd say my one criticism of the Eve Water Guard is in the implementation for HomeKit. They've put the QR code on the bottom of the device, near where the cable comes out. Now this is aesthetically pleasing, but a massive pain in the arse in terms of setting it up in HomeKit. So, remember folks, write-down that HK code first!

Other than that, integration is easy, as it always is with Eve products, and there is no registration in another app. There was no firmware update, I'm guessing based on my experience with other Eve products, that you need the Eve Home App to update if needed.

Testing to make sure it works.

Very nicely, Eve have added an Alarm test capability inside their App. You can even set up a reminder so that it will tell you every so often to test the sensor.

When the device detects a leak, it actually pulses red.

To stop the leak notification all I had to do was to dry the sensor cable with a tea-towel.

Implementation 

I've used mine in the Laundry area of the house, which is the back porch, just off the kitchen. I'd say this is even more important if your washing machine is somewhere not frequented, like the basement.

In my case, I have an extension on the sensor cable and I have snaked the cable under the sink, the washing machine and dryer to cover as much area as possible.

Automation 

In my case, what I have decided to do is to turn off the washing machine, in this case it is actually an Eve Energy but it doesn't have to be. I then play the Star Trek Red Alert sound on all the HomePods in the house. Fun or what!

Aqara Water Leak Sensor

in a previous post I mentioned that I bought the Aqara leak detector, mostly, as a way to reduce the cost per widget of the Aqara hub which I needed to buy for the Vibration detectors.

These are very different from the Eve device. To start off with, they are very small at a diameter of 5cm/2" and 1.5cm/0.6". If you flip them over, you'll see two little metal hex screws. These are actually the detectors and they can be changed to suit your implementation. 

By default the leak detectors require about 0.5mm of water to set them off. Aqara states that wires can be attached to these sensors to extend their reach, but I can't find any info on how long those wires can be, or even a link to what they are or where to buy. 

Aqara claim 2 years for the battery which is a CR2032. It comes with a Panasonic battery. However, my experience has been that I've had to replace the battery in only a few months and, worse than that, the battery had run out and yet there was no warning in HomeKit as the battery is not exposed by the Aqara hub even though it knows! Bad Aqara!

Set up

This has to be done in the Aqara app. Pairing directly with the hub via Zigbee just by telling the hub there is a new sensor, and pushing the top of the sensor itself until it has flashed 3 times. For me, the Aqara hub responds in a refreshingly nice English voice, not American to tell you what to do, and that connection is established. It also sets up a simple Aqara automation that sets off the alarm built into the Aqara hub.

If you want to see how good the connection is, you touch the sensor in the Aqara app and it will tell you the signal quality. My Master bathroom isn't that far from the hub but it is, admittedly, through 3 walls and so the signal quality is "Poor".

Adding it into HomeKit is actually not required. It just magically appears! Very similar to teh way Hue works.

Testing to make sure it works.

There's no fancy Testing prompt like there is with Eve, but it's really quite simple. I dropped dit into a small plastic container and then start flooring water in. Really didn't take very much and the alarm went off! Damn it's loud!

This is another gripe I have with Aqara. Their hub is so big that it actually ends up making the 2nd outlet impossible to use. I had to put in an adapter between the hub and the wall socket so I could use the other socket. Annoying!

It also changed the icon in HomeKit to show a leak had been detected.

Good Aqara!

To turn off the alarm, you have to go into the Aqara app, and confirm it. Then to get rid of teh leak detection, it was just dry out the sensor, again, with a. tea towel.

Implementation

Because of the nature of the devices, having a limited catchment area... that is the water essentially needs to flow through the sensor and that the señor is in a single place... it does limit the use. How can I use it in teh Laundry, or the basement? However, the fact that it is battery powered gives it some flexibility that the Eve does not have. I have placed these directly under the sinks and specifically under the u-bends/faucets/valves - anywhere where a drip may start. In my house, except the kitchen sink, there is not any power there at all. With my Kitchen sink, all the power outlets are already being used.

Final Thoughts.

I think there is a place for both of these products in the market place. They both have their uses. That ability of the Eve Water Guard to stretch the sensor to 150m is amazing! You can really use that in a long row of kitchen cabinets, in a basement to cover the entire thing. The Aqara is also great for a point solution, or where there isn't a power outlet.

What I'd really like, though, is an automated water valve that I could switch off. There's plenty of them out there, just not HomeKit compatible. It seems to me that the Eve Aqua could be adapted to be used under sinks, but I'd also like to see a powered version.