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A water sensor that works with Alexa can be one of the smartest decisions you’ve ever made to protect your house. Did you know that the probability of having a flood is twice compared to fire and theft? Yes, it is a big deal. In the following article, I will break down the best water sensors for Alexa and how you can make the most out of them! The best water sensor for Alexa, Flo by Moen The whole point of having a Water sensor that runs with Alexa skills is that when it detects a leakage, the virtual assistant talks to you alarming what is going on, right? Because there are other options like buying a regular water sensor and connect it with a smart plug that is Alexa compatible. But it’s not as helpful as I wanted, I would prefer listening to this: “There’s a water leak at the basement” And also receive a push notification on my phone in case I’m not home. That’s why I chose Flo by Moen. This little water sensor is the holy grail to protect your house. Literally. There’s no water sensor in the market right now that can perform like Flo. First, Moen is an extremely well-recognized company that is responsible for creating incredible smart products. If you haven’t seen them yet, take a look at their website! They have a lot of cool stuff. Now, going back to the sensor let me tell you that besides telling you that there’s a leakage it can also close the water coming inside to your house! Think about this for a second. If you’re not home and your water sensor detects a leakage, what do you do? Call a neighbor? Going back home? If you get this water sensor, keep in mind that is also a shut-off. So, if you experience a push notification telling you that you have a leakage at home, with the use of your smartphone you can close the water that is coming inside your home immediately. No worries. Pretty cool huh? Ok, it’s super cool to have a water sensor that can also close itself when it detects water, But besides this, did you know it has three more sensors? Built-in Sensors Yeap, we’ve read that right. Flo has: Water flow: How much water is being used in your house. Pressure: This sensor will detect if you have a burst pipe Temperature: to measure and detect if there’s a pipe clogged. But you may be wondering, Hey, I just need a water sensor to detect floods, why would I need three more sensors? I’m a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in hydraulics. When you have this kind of information you can calculate and prevent damages to your house if you do it properly. But it doesn’t mean that you have to learn about fluid mechanics! Moen has developed an algorithm that is on the water sensor to make this kind of calculation by itself. It will tell you when it is detected if there’s a burst pipe, a clogged one, an excessive amount of water being used. If you’re traveling it will show you on your phone if the water inlet is used. I mean, this sensor takes the protection of your house to a whole new level! As my house is my biggest investment yet, I want to keep it as safe as possible. Check out this video so you can see by yourself how it works: As my house is my biggest investment yet, I want to keep it as safe as possible. https://youtu.be/xlfEF28Yo6k Installation tips A water sensor that works with Alexa that has so many features requires a little bit of work in the installation, right? If you get it, prepare your handyman skills to be tested. Because as it is a shut-off as well, you’re going to install it in-line with your main water pipe. Now be aware that you need to match the diameter of your water pipe and the water sensor. Both diameters have to be the same because of numerous reasons: If you don’t get the same one, the installation it’s going to be harder than already is. You would need to get couplings and more sealant. In hydraulics, you need to avoid changes in diameter. Why? Because the water flowing inside the pipe will experience a phenomenon called cavitation. To avoid boring you to death with this, when a fluid cavitates inside a pipe it corrodes it very fast and generates vibrations. The flow sensor is going to be compromised: as you reduce the diameter of the pipe, the flow that is going inside your house will experience variations. It’s not like water is going to behave differently but it can raise the temperature and vary the flow as well. Besides this important advice, installing this sensor only requires a good sealant and the correct tools. Cons of the Moen Smart Shutoff I love this sensor, and it’s my best recommendation for most homeowners out there but like everything in life, nothing is perfect: Monthly subscription: for 5 dollars, you can access all the premium features that the sensor has, and even though it’s not that much, it should be free. You can control practically everything within the free app, but for some data junkies like me, you have to get it. The installation: Compared to other sensors, this is the hardest one to install. We’re used to the plug and play model that when I saw it first, I knew I had to get my hands dirty. I enjoy doing DIY projects, but for some people, it’s an issue that can be quickly solved by hiring a plumber. It can’t work with a Smarthings Hub: For me, this was a big issue. I wanted to automate this shut off with an alarm to make extra noise when it detects water but as I can’t pair it with the hub I’m pretty much screwed. Wi-Fi: This didn’t happen to me, but I can see that is an issue for some people. If you don’t own a good router, the chances that the Wi-Fi signal reaching down your Water sensor are very low. Make sure on your smartphone that where you are intending to install the sensor there’s Wi-Fi signal. Get the Best Overall Water Sensor FLUME Smart water sensor This is a water sensor that works strictly with Alexa. A perfect solution for somebody who doesn’t want to crack up a pipe to install a sensor. You can attach around the pipe and start monitoring water flow in no time! It has this beautiful screen where you can see all the information that you want quickly. As a good water sensor should be, it’s monitoring water flow 24/7. As soon it detects an unexpected increase in water use, it will notify you on your phone and through your Alexa smart speaker! There’s water leakage inside your home As it can measure how much water is used, you can know if your kids are using way too much water in the shower! It will detect and warn you every time the water is wasted. Which at the end of the road will mean that your water bill is within a reasonable price. I can’t remember how many times the water company charged me for water that I didn’t use. The bill increased so much that was ridiculous! But thanks to these kinds of awesome water sensors that work with Alexa, we can prevent this from now on. Now, going with the same trend of thought, you can check which appliances are the ones that use more water than others. After turning your dishwater machine on or doing your laundry, verify how much water is used for each of them! Now that you know which device uses the most, try to optimize the process to save you a couple of bucks every month. Again, the installation is so simple that is the best reason why you should get this sensor. Flo by Moen is an excellent choice because you can control the water with the tap of a finger With flume instead, you only will monitor it. And how it works? With 4 AA batteries, you can turn it on and start measuring your water usage extremely fast. Cons of Flume smart water sensor When I’m blogging about smart home technology I love to expose the defects of the products. Because nothing is perfect and we should be all informed before getting any kind of device! Control: Okay, my water sensor detected that I have a leakage, but if I’m not home How am I supposed to control it? Call a neighbor? Drive back home? When someone finally closes my water inlet, my house appliances will be already flooded. Wi-Fi: Again, these smart devices suffer from this dilemma. If your Wi-Fi doesn’t reach your water sensor you’re going have to change your router for a better one. Price: For 200 bucks I would like to have more features. Batteries: You need to be sure when your traveling that it has plenty of juice to work when you’re not there. Get The Flume Smart Sensor Water sensor that works with Alexa: The cheapest water sensor out there A simpler solution for simpler problems. When I started looking for water sensors that work with Alexa, I ended up getting a super-powerful model that has plenty more features. If your primary goal is to receive a notification with your Alexa device telling you that there’s water leakage, this is your safest bet. For around 30 bucks, you can get a water sensor that works with Alexa and help you control any floods since the moment it detects it. Of course, once you get the notification you have to check immediately what the heck happened and addressed the problem quickly, but hey it’s better than not knowing right! I consider this sensor an excellent choice because you can install it strategically so when it detects water it won’t get damaged There are other types of water sensors that can flood themselves and get damaged! This is not the case. Globe electric kept things simple and if you find it useful, it’s a win-win situation. It won’t work with IFTTT so forget about creating routines, but if you own other Globe electric devices such as a lamp, inside the app you can control it and create routines. For example, if the sensor detects water, turn on the lamp to let you know. One cool feature that it has is that the battery according to the manufacturer it lasts around 5 years! So, you are going to let that sensor monitor your basement or your laundry room and pretty much forget about it. Get the Cheapest Offer Phyn Plus smart water sensor Hands down, the most stylish design above all this list. It looks like it was taken from a UFO movie Phyn has really nailed down how you should address water leaks in 2020 It comes with the full integration with your Smart Home and especially with Alexa to gain control over your water inlet and most of all, save money along the way. This sensor is for the premium user. The resolution of the sensors for water, pressure, and temperature is higher compared to any other in the market. In case you don’t know, the resolution of a sensor means how accurate it can be a measurement. I know, I get carried away with engineering facts. So, it means that the precision of the sensor is higher which means that the results of the calculations are more precise. I mean, when it’s time to calculate if you have a burst pipe or a leakage the sensor will measure 240 times in one second! That’s high. And besides that, it’s machine learning capabilities let it take decision by itself and control a leakage without your intervention. If you don’t attend Alexa alarming you on the speakers or the push notifications in your smartphone. After some time, it will close the valve and protect your home instantly! How cool is that? A house is a big investment to not protect it with this kind of technology. Only in the U.S., there are millions of dollars and trillions of water wasted because homeowners weren’t attending a simple leakage, it’s incredible. Once it detects a possible leakage at your home, Alexa and your smartphone will give you a quick solution to address the problem. Other super cool features are that this water sensor learns your water consumption behavior. After some use, the sensor will identify the showers and faucets to identify how you use water. And how does it do that? you may think Well, just by measuring the flow that is being used it can learn and help you understand where your water is going and how you can save some money. Besides learning your water patterns, PHYN has in its algorithm information from hundreds of thousands of beta testers using regularly toilet flushes, laundry loads, and pipe leaks to feed the program and make it work as a professional smart sensor. This is top-notch. And did you know that it doesn’t have monthly fees? A huge win if you ask me! You can ask Alexa: Alexa, how many gallons of water I used today? And if by chance there’s a catastrophic failure of a pipe, this water sensor will close the valve by itself. Another cool option. If you really want to protect your home, this is the way to go. Now, for the installation, you need to step up and use your handyman skills or hire a plumber. This is necessary to have full control of your water inlet. It’s relatively the same process that I explained above for Flo by Moen because both of them are installed the same way. Get The Phyn Smart Sensor Conclusion There you have it guys, Smart home technology is driving us to a world where we can value one of the most important earth resources we have right now: Water And with everything that is going on our planet, it is mandatory that we start valuing more this precious liquid and also save a couple of thousands of dollars on home repairs. If you want a sensor that just tells you that there’s a leak, go ahead and get yourself a globe electric. But if you want to address this issue as a real go-getter, my best choice is to get Phyn. All of the sensors in this list are the best for you, so feel free to choose the one that fits your needs and desires.