Created July 2, 2019 © CC BY

Water Leakage Monitor

Particle Mesh-powered water leakage monitor for an entire building or entire community that can be used in a mesh network.

IntermediateFull instructions provided4 hours35

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Particle Argon

Particle Xenon

Particle Boron

Resistor 1k ohm

Jumper wires (generic)

SparkFun Pushbutton switch 12mm

Aluminum Foil

Software apps and online services

Particle Build Web IDE

Story

Ever had a leak in your house or your garden and not know exactly where it started? Imagine trying to find this leak in a 100-story skyscraper.

That's where this project comes in. With the capability to use just one device or many devices in a mesh network, this project allows homeowners and building managers to be notified of leaks immediately and know exactly where they occur before they cause significant damage.

The main sensor used to detect water leaks is a simple switch-like mechanism. Given that tap water conducts electricity, a water leak will close the circuit and act like a switch.

Prototype Circuit

This sensor will be connected to each Particle device in the mesh network, or to the single device if only one Particle device is being used.

The code that runs on the Particle devices varies whether the devices are being used in a mesh network or as a standalone device. The two versions of the code can be found below.

If you look closely, the only real difference between the code on the mesh network and the code on a standalone device is whether the publish command is being called under Particle or Mesh. Mesh sends the publish command to all the devices in the mesh network while Particle sends the publish command message directly to the Particle cloud.

One advantage of the mesh system is that it can be used without internet, and this functionality is important in large buildings or large gardens with massive sprinkler or pipe systems beyond the range of WiFi and do not need cellular.

The Mesh system, however does require a little bit more setup than the standalone devices.

Following Particle's guides linked here and here, the setup process is relatively easy.

1. Download the Particle app on your smartphone.

2. Set up the gateway first (Argon or Boron), and then select a button to create a mesh network.

3. Set up the other devices (such as the Xenon), and connect them to the mesh network within the Particle app.

4. Flash the program onto all of the devices from the Particle Web IDE.

This same project can be used for monitoring many different kinds of situations from a fleet of trucks to a set of computers.

Code

int sensor = D6; // Plug the sensor into pin D6 on the Particle device
int led = D7; // Pin D7 can be connected to an LED indicating status (optional)

bool leak = false; // make sure that the leak status is only changed once. a reset is required to change it back.
bool setupDone = false; // make sure that the status isn't published until setup() has been run

void setup() {
	pinMode(sensor,INPUT); // sets sensor pin to an input pin
	pinMode(led, OUTPUT); // sets led pin to an output pin
	digitalWrite(led, LOW); // sets the LED to off
	Particle.publish("status", "OK", 60, PRIVATE); // starts the status as OK
	setupDone = true; // indicate that setup has completed
}

void loop() {
	if (setupDone && digitalRead(sensor) && !leak) { // if the sensor returns true, setup has completed, and a leak hasn't already been detected, update status
		Particle.publish("status", "LEAK", 60, PRIVATE); // changes status to LEAK from OK
		leak = true; // sets variable of leak to true
		digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // turns led on
  } else if (setupDone && digitalRead(sensor)) { // for testing purposes: runs anytime the sensor returns true, even if a leak has already been detected.
      Particle.publish("test", "LEAK", 60, PRIVATE); // posts "LEAK" to "test"
  }

}

int sensor = D6; // Plug the sensor into pin D6 on the Particle device
int led = D7; // Pin D7 can be connected to an LED indicating status (optional)

bool leak = false; // make sure that the leak status is only changed once. a reset is required to change it back.
bool setupDone = false; // make sure that the status isn't published until setup() has been run

void setup() {
	pinMode(sensor,INPUT); // sets sensor pin to an input pin
	pinMode(led, OUTPUT); // sets led pin to an output pin
	digitalWrite(led, LOW); // sets the LED to off
	Mesh.publish("status", "OK", 60, PRIVATE); // starts the status as OK
	setupDone = true; // indicate that setup has completed
}

void loop() {
	if (setupDone && digitalRead(sensor) && !leak) { // if the sensor returns true, setup has completed, and a leak hasn't already been detected, update status
		Mesh.publish("status", "LEAK", 60, PRIVATE); // changes status to LEAK from OK
		leak = true; // sets variable of leak to true
		digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // turns led on
  } else if (setupDone && digitalRead(sensor)) { // for testing purposes: runs anytime the sensor returns true, even if a leak has already been detected.
      Mesh.publish("test", "LEAK", 60, PRIVATE); // posts "LEAK" to "test"
  }

}

Credits

Jerry Zhang

11 projects • 15 followers

Water Leakage Monitor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

Schematics

Diagram of the Water Leak Sensor

Code

Standalone Device Code

Mesh Network Code

Credits

Jerry Zhang

Comments

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Water Leakage Monitor

Water Leakage Monitor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

Schematics

Diagram of the Water Leak Sensor

Code

Standalone Device Code

Mesh Network Code

Credits

Jerry Zhang

Comments

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