It took 18 months and over $15k to put my basement back together after a black-water backup caused by old, failed drain lines. That is an experience I never, ever want to go through again. Still, I resisted paying nearly $100 per unit for leak detectors. If I'd needed just one, the decision might have been easier but in the basement alone there's the laundry area (washing machine and utility sink), the utility closet (water heater and humidifier), and the bathroom (toilet and sink) to monitor. Then there's the main floor which has hardwood floors. I can't even bear to think of the havoc a leak would cause. Between the kitchen (fridge, sink, and dishwasher) and two more bathrooms, that's a lot of potential leaks to monitor. I started by doing a ton of research. I decided I wanted smart devices. My old-school leak detector might have saved me some headaches if it had been plugged in (the technicians who replaced the water heater had removed it) but I still wouldn't have been alerted to flooding until I got back home. If and when I spring another leak, I want to know about it ASAP -- no matter where I am. So I narrowed my search to Homekit-friendly smart detectors. I initially went with a different brand -- much less expensive and enthusiastically hawked on Y*uT*be -- but they require a hub. The hub wasn't expensive, a 3pk of detectors were still much less expensive than a single Eve unit, and the dudes hawking the other brand were convincing so I went cheap. Those detectors are in the form of little battery powered pucks you put on the floor and if both terminals get wet, the circuit is completed and the alarm goes off. I tested the pucks and they work (once you finally get the hub to connect). But the problem with pucks is that the water has to pool right under the puck. If you know for certain 1) that water will pool and 2) where it will pool, the pucks are a good, less expensive choice. The problem is, I'm not confident that water will pool under a puck. I want to be alerted if there's a spray of water. And, more importantly, I want to monitor a much larger area than is possible with pucks. So I finally decided to give try an Eve leak detector. Aside from the cost, I had two additional hurdles to get over for the Eve monitors to have any chance of working: 1) a power source, and 2) distance between a power source and the potential leak source. Customer support provided the solution to issue #1: they confirmed that the detector could be plugged into a power strip. So I purchased a couple of high-quality, heavy-duty power strip/surge protectors. I ran these from the two outlets where I only had one spare plug. I got the type with keyhole slots on the back so they could be secured off the floor. This gives me a few spare outlets and means there's plenty of room for the Eve monitor to be plugged in. I found the solution to issue #2 in the Q&A section: the distance between the Eve power source and the water sensing cable can be extended using a simple audio cable extension cord! I just happened to have one among my random cables. So now my power source is closer to the potential water hazards and the rest of the distance is spanned by an extension cable. That means that the entire 6.5' of water sensing cable can be used on the floor for maximum coverage. My plan is to purchase one or two additional water sensing cables and add them to the detector in my laundry area. The utility closet is on the other side of the wall from the laundry area and the bathroom is next to the utility closet. Two tiny holes in the baseboards will allow me to thread the cable from the laundry area into closet then next door into the bathroom. I should be able to use a single detector to monitor all three areas. Based on my positive experience and successful testing of the first Eve detector, I bought a second unit to put upstairs in the kitchen to monitor the fridge, sink, and dishwasher. When that's all done, I'll take place the pucks in my other bathrooms. Those bathrooms are smaller and any leaks they might spring are likely to actually pool in specific areas. Therefore, I feel puck detectors will provide sufficient protection. I now have a few additional Eve devices in my home. The quality is excellent. You really do get what you pay for. All of the devices have connected immediately and I haven't had a single issue with any of them in 6 months, even after a power outage and updating to a new mesh router system. The instructions provided with the Leak Detector tell you to test the cable after installation and to test at least every 3 months. They are quick to sense water, even when I spray with a spray bottle instead of plunk it in a container of water or a puddle. Once moisture is introduced, the response time is surprisingly quick, the alarm is loud, and the alert comes through on my mobile devices nearly instantaneously. In addition to the devices working as they should and the Homekit integration being simple and stable, I also really appreciate the privacy policy offered by this company. I give this Eve Leak Monitor my most hearty recommendation. If you're serious about protecting your investment, invest in the right tools for the job.
