I'm searching for mains powered sensors that I can put in a crawl space. I understand that some of the battery powered ones can go for over a year before needing battery replacement, but I would rather have "never" instead of "annually".
Order of importance is humidity, temperature, then water leak.
The crawl space is closed/conditioned and has a concrete floor, so the environment is about the same as indoors.
My order of preference is z-wave/zigbee/WiFi/whatever. I've seen some sensors that have a USB port and can be powered from a 5V adapter (which is acceptable if that's the only option), but I would rather have something that plugs directly into a receptacle. I'm fine with devices whose primary use is completely unrelated, as long as it can also do humidity, temperature, and/or water leak detection.
I just buy temp/humidity sensors that use AAA batteries..
Like these...
THIRDREALITY Zigbee Temperature and Humidity Sensor with Digital LCD Display, ZigBee Hub Required, App Records, Remote Monitoring and Smart Home Automation, AAA Batteries Included https://a.co/d/c6iWtAh
And use battery eliminators to plug them in.
Like these...
For z-wave temp / humidity, I use these Zooz: Zooz Z-Wave Plus Q Sensor ZSE11 | Motion, Temp, Humidity, Light - The Smartest House
They work well, but you have to select either battery or USB powered. Even if you set them up as USB powered, they will just deplete the battery before they switch to using USB.
For zigbee temp/humidity, I've just ordered this one, but it has not yet arrived: Amazon.com
For leak sensors, there are numerous options for USB powered ones that detect at the device only, but I want one that has the detection cable.
I cobbled together a USB powered device using this:
This a dual sensor, but they are out of the detection cable. I bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Sensor-Cable-YoLink-Water-Leak/dp/B08SLQF4VK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
So far the combination appears to work well, but I'm not done fully testing. One key is that you MUST set up the device with the detection cable plugged in, and set it up powered like you want to power it (ie USB or battery) otherwise it does not work.
If you do find any mains powered devices, I'm 99.9% certain they are going to be USB powered. Personally, I feel this is better anyways. If the cable somehow gets busted, then all you have to do is go find another USB cable around your house. Better than a dedicated power supply that you would have order and wait for, and most small electronics are switching to the convenience of USB C these days anyways.
Your best bet here with the z-wave preference is most likely going to be Zooz. They have a long compatibility list with Hubitat, and generally don't cause any issues with mesh issues. The ZSE11, as others have mentioned, will be best for everything but water detection.
Not sure you will find ton of mains powered water detectors. Typically, dropping something mains powered in a puddle is not ideal. My guess is that manufacturers tend to avoid this design to limit potential electrical hazard. I'm surprised to see others have already posted a few different options, might be something out there that fits the bill.
Though, if your water main valve is in the room, you can get a Zooz Titan ZAC36 which has a wired water sensor, attached with a cable to the main unit. I personally have this, and it has been very reliable. I haven't had the need to use the leak detection part of it yet, but I do have an automation to cut water to the house when we are gone for more than a couple days.
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Now I need to think all this through.
I may go with my "old school" plan B. The house has an Elk M1G security panel, so I can use water sensors that are hardwired to M1G zones. Downside is that it will require a lot of wiring, but it's low voltage so not all that bad. In the long run, I think it will be more reliable and be less maintenance.
I may also go old school on the temp/humidity sensors and set up a 1-wire network solution. Looks like there is a driver that supports the EDS OW-Server 1-ware controller.
I also came across some interesting stuff from https://proteussensor.com/. Looks like someone got an HE driver working a couple of years ago. Seems expensive at $99/unit, but up to four additional sensors (for a total of five) can be added for about $20 each. Also, according to the doc, the sensors can be 25' away (50' away according to their support guy), so the main device could be located outside of the crawl space for easy access.
Proteus also has a plug-in temp/humidity sensor. Unfortunately, you cannot add additional sensors to the unit, so it is pretty expensive at $99/unit. Also, their support guy says the device must be within 25' of the actual sensor.
I found this just searching:
Ecolink Zwave Plus Flood & Freeze Sensor, White (FLF-ZWAVE5-ECO) https://a.co/d/gercJQ5
Not sure if it compatible but Ecolink is a pretty good brand.
For a crawl space I’d put a couple sensors down there, maybe a battery powered one wouldn’t be so bad near the entrance cause you could change it easily.
Would definitely recommend Ecolink products. I don't have this one personally, but I have 5 of their door sensors and they are awesome. Are 100% reliable, respond quickly, and their battery lasts for years. I have had some of them since May 2020, and I might have changed batteries in them only once. Not bad for almost 3.5 years of use. Don't recall 100%, but I think one or two of them I haven't even changed batteries in, and they are still going strong. Though not all of them get triggered very much, probably less than once a week.
