I want to put one of my moisture sensors in my sump so that I know that the pump is working. I don’t want to put the unit at the base of the sump though since it does of course get water in it since the sensor itself isn’t water proof. I’m thinking of connecting a pair of alligator clips to the sensor pins and dangle those in the pump instead, I think it should work but just wanted to know if anyone else has tried this and had any luck.
The moisture sensor is easy to take apart and then you can more reliably attach extension wires.
There are alternative brand sensors that come with a wired extension already built in.
My guess is that there will be no problem with this, unless the length of wires or the connections causes any resistance issues that throw off the water detection sensitivity.
@gschrader – I don’t think any of us at SmartThings have done that with the FortrezZ moisture sensor, but both Everspring and Aeon Labs make remote-probe Z-Wave moisture sensors that work with SmartThings, though I’m not 100% if Aeon Labs’ sensor is available for purchase yet.
Dan, The Aeon moisture sensor is supposed to be in general release mid-August, its beta now but was release to production. No word on pricing (officially) yet.
I am interested in the same kind of setup, so let us know what you end up doing and how it works.
I was planning on trying this same modification to use it to keep track of my dogs’ water dish. Unfortunately, the instructions on the moisture sensor say to replace the battery if it has been sitting in water, which makes me worried that it is running current through the contacts all the time and will use up batteries very fast if it is always wet.
I haven’t had a chance to test this.
You might be better off getting the Everspring water sensor or waiting for the Aeon one for this use.
@ducan:
I presume in a sump pit where the pump is working properly, the contacts will NOT be wet for a significant duration, and thus, battery life is not a concern.
Also, if we make the modification to the device sensor wires, then the device itself can possibly live quite a distance away (and dry, of course), and also very easy to replace the battery with an AC adaptor.
I don’t see any reason that running extension wires from the contacts (preferably from the internal connections to be more secure) will be a problem. Heck: I’m willing to do it with one of mine (I have 2).
…CP.
Float switch to a zfm80?
Just wanted to post back here to say that this did in fact work for me.
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I didn’t notice this thread when I posted a few days ago, but I happened upon what I believe is a rebranded Everspring water sensor for $30 at Lowe’s:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_422362-45367-TST01-1_4294684454__?productId=4740940
I think this does what you’re looking for. It actually has quite a long cord between the Z-wave unit and the water sensor electrodes–I believe it’s about six feet.