Wireless Leak Detection Prevents Water Damage

Wireless Leak Detection Prevents Water Damage General Electric’s SmartHQ™ Home Leak Detection Kit provides round-the-clock monitoring and instant alerts to help protect your home from water damage. “This innovative leak detection system provides early warning when water reaches one of the sensor’s detection probes,” says Wendy Treinen of GE Appliance Public Relations. “The sensor communicates with a connected gateway, which sends an alert through a SmartHQ app so the user can investigate and respond.” The gateway can support up to five sensors, each of which can be placed near common water-risk areas, such as under sinks, beside water heaters, near washing machines, toilets, refrigerators or HVAC drain pans. The system is designed for straightforward, user-installable setup. “No plumbing modifications, specialized wiring or professional installation are required,” says Treinen. “The user plugs in the gateway, connects it to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network through the SmartHQ app, and places the battery-powered sensors in the areas they want to monitor.” Maintenance is minimal, and each sensor uses two AAA batteries that typically last about 3 years under normal operating conditions. The leak sensors are designed to work with both the SmartHQ Home and the SmartHQ Management systems. “The core function remains to detect water and notify the user,” says Treinen. “Our SmartHQ Home is designed primarily for individual homeowners, while SmartHQ Management is designed for property managers who need centralized visibility across multiple units or properties. “They can monitor leak alerts centrally and turn an alert into an assigned maintenance task. The sensors aren’t appliance-specific. They can be placed near water sources regardless of the appliance or plumbing fixture brand, making them useful in homes and properties with different equipment.” Bluetooth capability lets it seamlessly integrate with the GE Appliances SmartHQ Home app and Management software. In this way, the equipment aims to keep home and property owners aware of potential issues as early as possible.   “The greatest value of leak detection is time,” says Treinen. “A sensor cannot repair the source of a leak, but it can shorten the time between water appearing and someone becoming aware of it. Earlier warnings help users respond before the problems become severe.” Customer reviews indicate the equipment works as promised, and buyers are generally happy with the sensors, noting that they’re surprisingly easy to install and use and that the “water on” alerts work as intended. Many found the system continued working for multiple years after purchase. The SmartHQ Leak Detection kit with three sensors costs $99 and is available on the GE Appliances website and on Amazon. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, GE Appliances (www.geappliances.com).

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