One of my most traumatic childhood memories was returning from a family vacation, exhausted from a red-eye flight, to find our basement flooded by a broken water pipe The smell of mold lingered even after the vacuum cleaner had pumped out the murky liquid and the garbage truck had collected our belongings

It wasn't until my parents sold the house and we moved out that we smelled its dismal odor It was a basement so humid that I thought we had moved to the Bay instead of 90 miles east of New York City [There are multiple bedrooms, a bathroom, a gym, and a small den However, in order to enjoy these rooms with breathable air, the dehumidifier needs to be monitored and controlled to match the air quality of our home near the beach, which changes throughout the four seasons

As we thought about how to create the ultimate DIY smart home, we asked ourselves how we could streamline and simplify daily maintenance and presence in the space For example, we were installing too many separate light fixtures; we were installing too many separate light fixtures So we took the time to install smart switches instead of smart lights and a one-stop smart control panel by the front door

So instead of running down to the basement every time we wanted to know if we should adjust the dehumidifier, or holding our breath until we heard someone shout ecstatically from the back of the stairs "no flood" when we returned from a week away, we decided to install the best water leak detector available

If you've been following my smart home series over the past six months, you may have read about the fancy Alexa-controlled faucets from Moen's smart plumbing product line The company also manufactures water management devices under the Flo by Moen brand

Flo by Moen has two routes: first, a $499 smart water shutoff device Or, a series of $49 smart water detectors that cannot control your home's pipes, but can warn you of potential leaks and read indoor humidity levels

But which makes more sense? The ability to remotely shut off the water in our home was great for my father, who manually turned off the water every time he knew the house would be empty for a few days However, the DIY nature of the smart home would be compromised because a plumber would be needed to install it in our home's water pipes We could install the faucet ourselves, but tampering with the water pipes is outside the comfort zone of our handyman skills Besides, I'm trying to save thousands of dollars, so the cost of a water shutoff and installation help would not be cheap

Sticking with DIY, we opted for Flo by Moen Smart Water Detectors This little leak detection pack can be installed anywhere in the house, but is designed for laundry rooms, basements, and other places where detected water might be a problem

We installed two of these $49 devices on opposite sides of our basement They can be mounted on the wall or left on the floor, but we want to place them close enough to the ground so that the remote sensing disks can detect early signs of flooding

Each smart water detector recognizes leaks and emits an 85-decibel alarm when it detects water contact; the Flo by Moen app sets up notifications when it detects water, excessive moisture, high humidity, or abnormal temperature The pack is also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so it can ask if the readings are normal at any time

The leak detector is not the most attractive or flashy smart home device, but it has instilled a sense of security against water disasters since a flood in our previous home a few years ago Also, monitoring the humidity in my basement is no longer a chore

For more gadget recommendations, be sure to check out my guide to the best smart home devices (and best inexpensive smart home devices) If there's anything you'd like to see covered on Connected Spaces, please email me at katekozuch@futurenetcom or leave a comment below