Of all the gadgets in a smart home, few offer a better return on investment than a water leak sensor. And the most common mistake? Buying just enough for the obvious spots — and having no spares when water comes in somewhere unexpected. How-To Geek’s Tim Brookes found that out the hard way.
After nearly two weeks of rain in Brisbane, water entered through a known problem area at the front of his house in the middle of the night, soaked through the floorboards and into the garage — where a $500 garage door opener sat directly in its path. The opener survived this time. The lesson stuck.
Garage door opener with its cover removed (Credits: How-To Geek)
Where To Place Water Leak Sensors
You don’t even need a smart home to benefit — sensors with a built-in speaker sound an audible alarm you can act on immediately. Paired with a platform like Home Assistant, they can trigger phone alerts or even shut off your water automatically via a smart valve.
Start with the classics: under sinks, behind the washing machine and dishwasher, and near the water heater. But Brookes’ storm taught him a bigger lesson — place sensors wherever water might come in, not just where pipes are. Window sills, attics, basements, known trouble spots, and even the car in the driveway all qualify.
Why Spares Matter
His mistake was simple: he owned exactly enough sensors for the riskiest rooms, with nothing in reserve. He has since reassigned the sensor from the water heater to cover the new problem zone — a stopgap, not a fix. Keep two or three spare water leak sensors on hand, and when storm warnings start, deploy one at every spot you know is vulnerable. It is the cheapest insurance your smart home can buy.
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Source: How-To Geek — read the full story there.
