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Cracked pipe, leaky faucet? This app could save you money and stop water damage

ATLANTA — Protecting your home from water damage before it happens could save you thousands of dollars.

Channel 2's Consumer Adviser Clark Howard found several companies that promise to do just that.

Matthew Davison found out first hand how much major damage a leak can do.

“Came back and walked right in, saw about an inch of water just sitting here right on the hard wood floor,” Davison said.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, 1 in 50 insured homes deal with water damage every year.

The average cost of repairs? Nearly $10,000!

Atlanta-based Stream Labs hopes to help bring down those costs with their smart home water monitor.

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Streamlabs is a whole home water monitoring and leak detection system.

“Simply take the monitor and attach it to the outside of the inlet main water supply pipe coming into your home and attach it with two zip ties,” said Streamlabs’ Jeff Long.

From there, an app will walk you through the install process. Using soundwave technology, the device will monitor your water usage in real time and send you alerts if it senses an uptick.

“This is going to let you know of issues before they become major problems,” Long said.

While Streamlabs monitors how much water you're using, devices like the Lyric WiFi Water Detector from Honeywell, will alert you when it senses water or changes in temperature and humidity.

Just put the device near your refrigerator, washing machine, or sink-- and connect to your homes WiFi.

This type of protection is something Davison wishes he'd known about sooner.

“It would of saved us money, in terms of replacing the floor and getting the pipes fixed,” Davison said.