Water leaks in a property are not always easy to detect but the damage they cause can be expensive and disruptive. According to the Association of British Insurers they estimate payouts for water damage of around £1.8 million per day for domestic property.
Common causes of water leaks include: faulty plumbing, old plumbing infrastructure such as shower valves, deliberate and accidental damage to the property, and roof damage.
Humbrix has deals with all these types of cases and has expert plumbers available when the call out is requested.
We have been looking at water leak detection, and we asked one of our lead plumbers and heating engineers Ashley – from 21degreeheating.com for his thoughts and advice.
‘Knowing that there is a leak can help stop damage if you get it on time. If you can detect slow leaks which can cause a lot of damage over time as well this is a great help as well. The difficult bit can be in knowing what is causing the leak and fixing it correctly’
We decided to test the Clas Ohlson water alarm leak detector – which when it detects a water leak it produces a 65dB alarm sound which is just above the sound of people speaking to each other.
Should you install a water leak alarm?
Most water leak alarms and detectors are easy to install. They will not prevent leaks but will give you more time to prevent further damage and call out a plumber if you need to.
Best place to install
Near any potential water leak source for example a washing machine, under a shower tray if accessible and under a sink which is a common source.
If you have recently had work done for example a sink tap was replaced it could be worthwhile to have the detector nearby to ensure that the install or fix has is working as planned.
Get Humbrix smart building detector
Humbrix is investing in technology to improve the delivery of alerts from smart devices such as water leak detectors. This is designed to link to available plumbers and heating engineers, it works by instantly sending them a message alert when a leak is detected and you can decide to book them.
To be part of this service signup below and we will talk you through the set up process.
Example Recommendations:
Basic kit – https://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Water-Alarm/Pr363029000
- Battery does not last long as per reviews but is good for post work to detect any other leaks after works have been completed
Price £9.99 (2019)
Note: Reviews indicate that they need battery replacing often
Smart kit – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Wi-Fi-Water-Sensor-Detector/dp/B078TG5NT2
- Smart kits such as the Simple Plug & Play by Wasserstein allow for notifications to be sent to a phone whenever a leak is detected
Price £29.99 (2019)
Note: Reviews indicate that they need to be near a router (the box that sends the Wifi signal to get you on the internet) to be able to send alerts via the App. If the router is not on or the App needs updates you might miss an important alert about a leak or flood