Step 1: Plan Your Deployment

Place sensors at every potential water leak point:

Under kitchen sink
Under bathroom sinks
Behind toilets
Under washing machine
Under dishwasher
Near water heater
In basement/crawl space
Under refrigerator (if it has a water line)

Step 2: Pair Each Sensor

Press and hold the reset button on the sensor for 5 seconds until the LED flashes
In Home Assistant, go to Settings > Devices & Services > ZHA > Add Device
The sensor should appear within 30 seconds
Rename it descriptively (e.g., “Kitchen Sink Leak Sensor”)
Repeat for each sensor

Step 3: Create a Sensor Group

Group all leak sensors for easy monitoring:

# configuration.yaml
binary_sensor:
  - platform: group
    name: "All Water Leak Sensors"
    unique_id: all_water_leak_sensors
    device_class: moisture
    entities:
      - binary_sensor.kitchen_sink_leak
      - binary_sensor.bathroom_sink_leak
      - binary_sensor.washing_machine_leak
      - binary_sensor.water_heater_leak

Step 4: Create Critical Alert Automation

automation:
  - alias: "Water leak critical alert"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.all_water_leak_sensors
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          title: "WATER LEAK DETECTED"
          message: >
            Water detected at {{ trigger.to_state.attributes.friendly_name }}.
            Check immediately!
          data:
            priority: high
            push:
              sound:
                name: default
                critical: 1
                volume: 1.0
      - service: tts.speak
        target:
          entity_id: tts.google_en
        data:
          message: "Warning! Water leak detected!"
          media_player_entity_id: media_player.living_room_speaker

Step 5: Add Auto-Shutoff (Optional)

If you have a smart water valve (Zigbee or Z-Wave), add auto-shutoff:

automation:
  - alias: "Auto shutoff water on leak"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.all_water_leak_sensors
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.main_water_valve
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          title: "WATER SHUTOFF ACTIVATED"
          message: "Leak detected. Main water valve has been automatically closed."

Step 6: Dashboard Card

Add a monitoring card to your dashboard:

type: entities
title: Water Leak Monitoring
entities:
  - entity: binary_sensor.kitchen_sink_leak
  - entity: binary_sensor.bathroom_sink_leak
  - entity: binary_sensor.washing_machine_leak
  - entity: binary_sensor.water_heater_leak

Troubleshooting

Sensor shows unavailable: Check battery level and Zigbee mesh coverage. Water leak sensors are often placed in low, enclosed spaces with poor signal. Add Zigbee router devices nearby.

False triggers: Condensation on cold pipes can trigger the sensor. Elevate the sensor slightly on a small platform if placed near cold water pipes in humid environments.

Battery level not updating: Battery reports are sent infrequently. Trigger a report by pressing the reset button briefly.

Setting Up Aqara Water Leak Sensors with Home Assistant

Prerequisites