Designing & Installing Devicebook Water Safety

Introduction

This section is about designing Devicebook Water Safety for a smart home, and subsequently installing devices. 

To learn about using Devicebook Water Safety, see Using Devicebook Water Safety

Designing Water Safety

The water safety solution has two distinct features: leak detection, and rain damage protection. Each can be used independently in any room.

Optional Feature Choices

When to use Water Leak Detection

The water leak detection feature uses smart Water Leak Sensors to raise alerts when water is detected somewhere it should not be. 

These sensors should be installed in common areas for water leaks. We recommend all of the following installation locations, as applicable to a home.. Depending on the layout of a room, a single leak sensor may satisfy multiple of the following.

- In bathrooms near a toilet, to detect leaking toilets

- In bathrooms in the cabinet below a sink, to detect leaking pipes

- In bathrooms on the floor near a sink, to detect an overflowing sink.

- Near water heater tanks (whether in a garage or closet)

- In kitchens in the cabinet below a sink, to detect leaking pipes.

- In kitchens on the floor near a sink, to detect an overflowing sink.

- Behind or on the ground near laundry washing machines, to detect leaking pipes.

- In garages, to detect a flooding garage, if the driveway is on a downgrade.

- In basements, to detect a flooding basement, if the home is located on a downgrade or in a flood-prone area.

- Anywhere else in the home where there is an exposed pipe, or running water.

When to use Rain Damage Protection

This feature uses Open/Close Sensors for doors and windows to detect when they are open. Devicebook uses local weather data to detect when it is raining.

If it is raining, and Devicebook detects that a door or window is open in the home, Devicebook will alert you of potential water damage caused by the rain.

Depending on the amount of rainfall and length of time that a window is open, a rainstorm can cause sever water damage to window sills, walls, flooring, and objects near an open window or door.

This feature is recommended for use in larger homes with many windows, in which it may be easy to forget that a window is open. It should be used in particular on windows and doors which are vulnerable to causing rain damage, based on the amount of overhang of the roof and the size of the window.

Device Choices

See the Device Selection Guide for more information about the different communication protocols and recommendations on specific device models. 

Installing Devicebook Water Safety

Install smart all devices following the manufacturer's instructions. Such devices are generally wireless, so take care to reduce the number of obstacles between the devices and the Devicebook Hub (or the nearest repeater, in the case of Z-Wave). Metal enclosures and objects in particular can significantly reduce wireless communication quality.

Setting Up & Testing Water Safety

Use House Check to set up all the devices in the home.

To verify that the Water Safety Solution has been installed properly:

1) Leak Detection: apply a small amount of water to the sensors of a water leak sensor. You may need to place the probe into a small cup of water to trigger the sensor. Verify that an alert is triggered in Devicebook. Clear the alert on the device. Verify that the alert is cleared in Devicebook. Repeat for all leak sensors in the home.

2) Rain Damage Protection: Open and close each window in the home. Verify that the status of the sensor in the Devicebook App is reported correctly for both open and closed states.