Leak Detectors

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1

I have 17 of the Zooz leak detectors. They are eating batteries and just all round giving me issues. Can I have recommendation for Zwave..... just Zwave leak detectors? Thanks

2

I don't know what it is but they can't seem to get battery reporting right. I have three of their contact sensors and a humidity sensor that have had dead batteries for like two months, but are still reporting in.

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3

at right about 25% mine quit reporting

4

All mine are Zigbee except for an Aeotec Water sensor Pro 7. I got it because I wanted the sensor on a cable. I have the main body under my sink and the sensor is up under the dishwasher. Installed it in April of last year and it still says the battery is at 100%.

It's a bit expensive, I really like the Aeotec which is the-rebranded Smartthings sensor, Zigbee though, with the tabs on top and bottom. I just had one catch a leak in my shower drain under my house. If not for setting up the sensor it would have been a while before I caught the leak.

5

My Homeseer ones have been rock solid for 5 years and easy on batteries....

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Looks good, but seem to be out of stock.... bummer

7

Are they the Zse41 version 1 with the 2032 battery? Those were a rare-but-total miss by Zooz - bad battery choice and bad leak-sensor (structural) design.

The new 800LR v2 is a much better design all-around and uses a bigger 2450 battery - it's a nice sensor, and battery life has been good so far for me (I bought mine as soon as they were released).

9

I meant to reply to OP, but I also meant to say ZSE42 (not 41), so that's 2 strikes on me!

10

Ditto on the Homeseer ones, both battery and AC types. I've had some for about 5 years and all but one are still going strong (and that one dead one might have been damaged by an unrelated repair in that location). The AC version (can also operate on battery, but I've never used them that way) utilizes a cord-type sensor that is exceptionally sensitive. Great for leak detection but unusable in areas of high humidity (e.g., our well room). The little triangle-shaped battery version takes the uncommon 1/2 AA battery, but those last well over a year for me and can be purchased online. Reports actual water well. Battery level reporting for ANY home automation device is suspect, I find. I had one of these that reported 1% for well over six months, but worked fine. I can't comment on inventory, but hopefully back in stock soon.

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11

I have both Dome (Z-wave) and Samsung/Aeotech (ZigBee) leak sensors and both are doing great with batteries. About 3+ years on the Dome, about 2+ years with the Samsung. Dome is out of business now, like them because they had a extension sensor so I could mount the unit on the wall and then put the sensor pad on the floor.

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12

Same here- I don't know if they are eating batteries or just reporting dead when they still work.

13

@ginnyaction
Since you insist on zwave, I decided to look for myself, and to be honest, I didn't find very many reasonably priced alternatives.
One approach is to use the excellent Yolink devices, with a Yolink hub, and the interface into Hubitat. However, that's a lot of work.
Another alternative is to take a chance on the Chinese manufactured devices:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32787289062.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.45adTcBHTcBHb0&algo_pvid=716eb414-a102-476e-8ed5-e498ccb23fb3&algo_exp_id=716eb414-a102-476e-8ed5-e498ccb23fb3-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis!CAD!59.55!38.71!!!42.97!27.93!%402101d00017080146189677954e0880!12000028179292007!sea!CA!1769431292!&curPageLogUid=78pvwTwYrMjm&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

In case you can't see the link, it a NEO Coolcam Zwave sensor with a remote sensor (like the Dome). They aren't the least expensive, but they are zwave.

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14

Interesting… FWIW I have a handful of the ZSE42’s and have been pretty happy with them. The battery reporting isn’t worth much, but I was under the impression that was the case for most battery powered zwave devices. I use Device Watchdog to alert me to devices that haven’t called home in a while. Then I replace the batteries. Using that process, i haven’t noticed them chewing through batteries.

Just my experience.

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15

One thing to remember like with any "detector" you need to test them on a regular basis. Here at home we test all detectors every 3 months. I never knew one of my smoke detectors was dead until I actually put a smoking match underneath it. The test button was just fine. I know that isn't supposed to happen but better to be diligent vs. sorry.

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16

I'm also looking into z-wave devices for leak detection. The problem I am finding is that the operating temperature is usually around 32° – 104° F and that's a NO-GO for me. They are needed in areas known to freeze and blow lines in the winter. Maybe a main wired unit is the answer.

17

Ran into the same issue. Recommend installing the custom app [RELEASE] Device Activity Check - Get notifications for "inactive" devices to alert you when one stops pinging (dead battery or bad mesh).

I ran into the following issue when I tried to replace the batteries with Duracell:

We recommend using Energizer, Panasonic, or Maxell brand batteries which are confirmed to work well in the sensors. Our techs have been looking into a battery issue with the XS sensors and have confirmed that for an unknown reason at this point, Duracell batteries are not working well to power the XS sensors.
ZSE42 Water Leak XS Sensor FAQs - Zooz Support Center

I gave up on Zooz leak detectors and replaced them with with Aeotec Water Leak Sensor (Zigbee) and have been pretty happy with them (even with the high cost).