Track your water consumption to detect leaks
Water is the only energy that we don't follow. However, a leaking toilet costs €500/year.
Recommended Materials
- Connected water meter
- Or Pulse module (if compatible meter)
Steps to follow
Step 1
The invisible problem: A slightly leaking toilet flush costs €150 to €500 per year. A leak under a slab costs thousands of euros and immense damage. The problem is that we receive the water bill once a year, when it is too late.
Step 2
The manual method (Free): In the evening, just before going to bed, make sure that no one is going to use water (dishwasher finished, everyone in bed). Go read the numbers (black and red) on your water meter. The next morning, BEFORE flushing the toilet or opening a faucet, flush again. If the numbers have moved (even the last red numbers), there is a leak somewhere.
Step 3
The connected method (Automatic): There are modules to attach to your existing water meter (if it is a model compatible with a 'transmitting head' or a rotating magnet). For example, the 'Lixee' module for Linky meters (electricity) has its equivalent for certain water meters, or DIY solutions with an inductive proximity sensor.
Step 4
Intelligent analysis: Once connected to your home automation box (Home Assistant, Jeedom...), you can create an alert: 'If water consumption > 0 Liter/hour for 3 consecutive hours THEN Leak Alert'. Indeed, it is abnormal to consume water continuously for 3 hours (even a shower or a machine does not last that long).
Frequently Asked Questions
My meter is in the street under a cast iron plate ?
This is the difficult case. The WiFi is not working. You must use long-range technologies such as LoRa or Sigfox, or check if your water supplier offers a remote reading service with leak alert (often for a fee).
Precautions
- Check the tightness of the sight glass if the meter is outside.
- Do not modify the supplier's meter.
