Smarthome Security19 May 20261 min read
The cheapest sensor in the house is the one under the sink
Water damage is the most common home insurance claim in Europe. A puck and a valve cost less than the excess.
Fire is what people insure against emotionally. Water is what actually happens. A washing machine hose, a dishwasher seal, a joint behind a wall - a slow leak can run for a day before anybody notices, and the repair is measured in floors and cabinets rather than in plumbing.
The technology involved is unglamorous and cheap. A puck with two metal contacts goes under the sink, behind the machine and beside the boiler. A motorised valve goes on the main. Water bridges the contacts, the valve closes, and then your phone rings - in that order, which is the whole point. A notification you read an hour later is not a solution.
Two details separate a system that works from one that fails at the moment it matters. The valve should exercise itself periodically, because a valve that has not moved in three years may not move on the day it needs to. And there should be a manual lever, because plumbers arrive with wrenches, not apps.
Whether your insurer discounts for it varies by market. Whether it earns its price the first time a hose splits does not.
