Set a water leak sensor under each sink and beside your water heater. For under $50, it sounds an alarm or alerts your phone the moment water touches it. Many homeowners policies exclude damage from a leak that seeps for weeks, so the slow drip nobody noticed can be yours to pay.
Homeowners claims for water damage and freezing averaged about $15,400 from 2019 through 2023, according to the Insurance Information Institute, and only wind and hail claims were more frequent.
Slow leaks start out of sight. A loose hose drips inside the sink cabinet, and the first sign is a soft cabinet floor weeks later.
That delay is the expensive part. Many homeowners policies exclude water damage from “constant or repeated seepage or leakage” over weeks, months, or years, so an insurer that pays for a burst pipe can deny the claim for a slow drip. Look for that wording in the exclusions section of your own policy.
A sensor cuts the delay to minutes. You find a puddle instead of a ruined subfloor, and the leak never becomes the slow kind policies leave out. Renters get the same early warning before a leak soaks their belongings or the unit downstairs.
Put sensors where water runs and nobody looks:
- Under the kitchen and bathroom sinks
- Beside the water heater
- Behind the washing machine and each toilet
- Next to the dishwasher and the refrigerator’s ice-maker line
- Near the sump pump
A battery alarm sounds on the spot, which is enough if someone is usually home. If you travel or the risk sits in a basement, choose a smart sensor that alerts your phone. Consumer Reports found smart models for under $50. An automatic shutoff valve is the step up, because it stops the water instead of just reporting the leak. Test each sensor and change its batteries once a year.
Then ask your insurer about a discount. Some, including Amica, offer one for leak detection devices, though not in every state, so the sensor can start paying for itself before it ever gets wet.
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