Leak sensors: features of use and installation

The portal has written about the elements of the smart home system several times. We advise you to re-read our articles on motion sensors installed on floodlights, motion sensors for home security and gas leak sensors.

Leak sensors are no less important, because communications gradually wear out, and a leak in a heating or water supply pipe can lead to serious problems – repair costs in your apartment or house, as well as costs of restoring the finishing of neighbors below.

Any stationary anti-leakage system works due to the difference between the electrical conductivity of air and water. In any sensor there is a pair of ordinary electrodes, when water gets on them, the resistance decreases, the electrical network is closed. Information about the leak is immediately sent to the controller, which decodes the signal and gives the command to close the valve located directly on the riser. In this case, the inlet valve remains closed until the cause of the leak is eliminated and simple manipulations are carried out with the controller..

The anti-leakage system requires intervention only in case of problems, when it is necessary to eliminate the malfunction. The kit always includes:

• The sensors themselves with electrodes.
• Controller.
• And taps to shut off the water supply.

All leakage sensors are divided into the following types:

• Wired and non-wired. The latter are more modern, the information comes to the receiver thanks to a radio signal, it must be tuned to the same wavelength as the transmitter. The wireless sensor should be located at a distance of no more than 100 meters from the receiver; there should be no walls between them. In addition, you need to change the batteries in a timely manner or charge the battery of such a sensor. Wired devices can be active or passive. The former have a three-core electric wire, the latter have a two-core one, since they are provided with an autonomous power source, it is not required to connect to the mains. Active sensors can be placed 100 meters from the controller, passive ones – only 20 meters.
• By way of notification. You can configure a sensor equipped with a GSM transmitter to send messages to the phone, send a noise signal, and also simply set an indication of a leak on the controller display.
• By the number of taps that the system will automatically shut off in the event of a water leak, and the number of sensors associated with one controller.

The most popular anti-leakage systems in our country are Neptun, Aquastorozh and Gidrolock. There are small kits designed for local monitoring of the leak, with one shut-off tap, there are large-scale kits that allow you to control all the most important nodes and inputs of the heating and water supply system. The price, respectively, will be different and can reach 40 thousand rubles.

Note that a leakage sensor can be installed on the heating pipe only if there is a bypass, ball valves at the inlet and outlet of the radiator, as well as with a one-pipe system. Otherwise, the sensor will block the entire heating riser, if we are talking about an apartment building, then your neighbors will also remain without heat, which, of course, will cause their dissatisfaction and problems from the management company.

When choosing an anti-leakage system, pay attention to the following points:

• One tap is usually not enough, there should be two or three.
• Water shut off speed – the faster this happens, the better. There are systems that work in 3 seconds.
• Which crane is included in the kit – electromagnetic or electric. The former require a permanent power source.
• The ability to manually open the tap if there are problems with the power supply or the elimination process requires it.
• The presence of an automatic system for turning ball valves so that salts and dirt are not deposited on them.
• Availability of service centers for servicing the system in your region, as well as the duration of the warranty period from the manufacturer.

Leak sensors are installed where the threat of pipe breakage is especially great: in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the bathroom. There are models that are built into the floor covering, protruding no more than 4 millimeters, there are wall-mounted, and there is an open installation. The controller itself is located where water does not get on it, it can be in a plumbing cabinet, on the wall – the distance to the floor should be more than 50 centimeters. The wiring can be placed in the corrugation and hidden under the flooring.

For clarity, we will give you a video of the installation of water leakage sensors: