Best Buy Taking Preorders for $299 Smart Water Leak Detector

Best Buy, Belkin and Phyn began taking online preorders Wednesday for the Phyn Smart Water Assistant, said the leak detection device maker. The device alerts homeowners to leaks, ice crystals in pipes and poor seals, it said. The $299 do-it-yourself sensor lets homeowners track their water usage by daily and monthly consumption; it uses pressure-sensing technology that measures and analyzes microscopic changes in water pressure 240 times per second to learn and categorize a home’s water fixtures. The Assistant provides details by the fixture on how much water showers, sinks, washing machines, irrigation systems and other devices consume so occupants can make better choices about water use, it said. The average home in the U.S. wastes 10,000 gallons of water annually from leaks alone, said the company. Availability is late September.