Photo: Michael Murtaugh
TNMA Product Page
Compatibility: Google Home, IFTTT
The D-Link DCH-SKT Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor Kit is our top water leak sensor because of its comprehensive leak-sensing capabilities, helpful and fast notifications, and overall versatility. We especially like that while most sensors use either a leak-sensing puck or a cable, this D-Link kit includes both options, which makes it more likely to catch leaks than other sensors.
It offers more options for sensing water. The DCH-SKT kit primarily senses leaks by way of a 19-inch-long cable that connects directly into the D-Link hub, which you plug into an electrical outlet. The cable can detect water at any point, and you can extend it further with an included 39-inch extension cable. You can run the cable under an appliance or cabinet, though we did encounter some annoyances when we attempted to do so (see &#;Flaws but not dealbreakers&#; below).
Also included in the kit is a Sensor Pod, which you can place underneath an appliance or water heater or near a toilet or sink in a bathroom. The puck-like Sensor Pod has an IP65 waterproof rating, which means it is resistant to dust and has limited water protection. It has four bottom-mounted sensor probes (most competing puck sensors top out at two or three) to maximize its detection ability&#;the more probes, the greater your chances of catching a leak. You can pair up to 16 Sensor Pods to the hub for full-home coverage, and with a height of only 0.8 inch, they&#;re as low-profile as the D-Link kit&#;s sensor cable.
It has near-instant response times. The DCH-SKT kit excelled throughout our sensor testing&#;the Sensor Pod and cable detected water in less than a second. It also offers multiple notification channels for leak alerts. Since the Sensor Pod relies on the hub in order to send out alerts, you have to make sure that it is within wireless range of the hub. We tested it about 30 feet away from the hub, between multiple floors, and had no issues.
It gives you multiple useful alert options. Unlike many other leak sensors, the DCH-SKT sends follow-up notifications after it no longer detects water, so you&#;ll know when your leak or flood has stopped or has been contained. That&#;s an especially reassuring option should you receive an alert when you aren&#;t home to do anything about it.
D-Link&#;s Mydlink app also notifies you if the hub goes offline. In our tests, we received instant push notifications when the hub went offline and back online, while the Mydlink app took around three minutes to detect our unplugging the hub.
The hub has a light that flashes when leaks are detected, and it includes a blaring alarm for another layer of notification coverage. From a distance of 6 feet, we measured the alarm at 83 decibels, about the same as the volume of a lawn mower or vacuum cleaner and loud enough to be readily audible from nearby rooms.
D-Link backs it with lengthy support guarantees. D-Link has tended to cycle through its leak-detector systems&#;the DCH-SKT is the third D-Link leak system we&#;ve tested since , and both of its predecessors were discontinued. But according to the company, the DCH-SKT will continue to get firmware support until at least March .
D-Link&#;s battery-powered Sensor Pods can keep tabs on remote spots around a home.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh
D-Link&#;s plug-in hub has a water-sensing cable and can support up to 16 remote Sensor Pods.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh
D-Link&#;s app shows you which device was triggered by water and provides an option to mute the siren.
D-Link&#;s battery-powered Sensor Pods can keep tabs on remote spots around a home.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Offline notifications for the Sensor Pod are relatively slow. In our tests D-Link&#;s hub quickly notified us when it went offline, but the Sensor Pod&#;s offline notifications weren&#;t as responsive. We weren&#;t able to get an offline notification right when we pulled the Sensor Pod&#;s batteries; during our testing, it took around 48 hours to trigger an offline notification from the Sensor Pods. We reached out to D-Link, and a representative confirmed that the company is looking into the issue. We will update this guide when we have an answer.
That said, the Mydlink app did quickly detect when the Sensor Pod was offline after we unplugged the D-Link hub. The Sensor Pods stay in a power-saving mode to maximize their battery life&#;they use two AAA batteries, and D-Link touts a maximum lifespan of up to five years&#;but that makes them slower to pick up on anything that isn&#;t an active leak. Fortunately, the Sensor Pods quickly spring into action when they detect water, and the Mydlink app conveniently shows their remaining battery life, but we wish the D-Link kit&#;s offline-notification abilities extended to the Sensor Pods too.
Securing the sensor cable can be tricky. Out of the box, the leak-sensing cable tends to coil up like a pigtail. Although that doesn&#;t affect the cable&#;s responsiveness, as it needs to have contact with water at only a single point to trigger an alarm, its resistance to straightening out can be a pain if you want to maximize its range. D-Link includes some adhesive-mounted clips to help hold the cable in place, but if you want the cable to fully lie flat on the floor, it&#;ll take some extra work.
The kit offers only basic smart-home coverage. Though the DCH-SKT supports Google Home and IFTTT, its abilities are slightly hamstrung by Google&#;s platform limitations. We got leak alerts through our Google speaker within four seconds, but the system gives you no way to create Automations to trigger other devices or custom notifications. And if you have an Amazon Alexa&#; or Apple Home&#;powered smart home, you need to look elsewhere for leak coverage.
Privacy and security snapshot
- D-Link offers two-factor authentication through the Mydlink app.
- User data is stored in region-specific secure databases, and data access is limited and monitored.
- No internet service is required to get audible alerts, though an internet connection is needed for app alerts.
- User data is not shared outside of D-Link without granted permission.
Review D-Link&#;s privacy policy for more information.
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EXPLORING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOLING SYSTEMS
How Cold Do You Need Your Chamber To Be?
Across manufacturers, you will find two types of cooling systems: single-stage and cascade (two-stage) systems. A single-stage compressor refrigeration system typically supports temperatures as low as -37 °C (- 34.6°F) and conforms to many commercial and military standards for low-temperature tests. A cascade refrigeration system should be used to operate with temperatures lower than -40°C. It can generally support temperatures as low as -70°C to -80°C (-94°F to -112°F). The low temperatures obtained with cascade systems occur when two separate, closed refrigerant circuits run concurrently, each using a dedicated refrigerant. As the first stage brings temperatures to a designated low point, the second compressor kicks in to get the first compressor's coolant down to a lower level. This process allows compressors to have a recovery period decreasing stress on the entire system.
The design of the mechanical refrigeration system is critical to the performance you expect. Check that the compressor is self-contained; hermetically and semi-hermetically sealed compressors are virtually maintenance-free. Cooling systems may have a scroll compressor, primarily for smaller test chamber workspaces and small temperature ranges. Because scroll compressors do not have valves, they are significantly more efficient with precise cooling. Discus compressor technology has changed substantially in recent years, making them more efficient. They are still necessary to overcome active live loads and large workspaces. You will find scroll and Discus compressors used in single-stage and cascade cooling systems. It's essential to communicate your low and high-temperature requirements along with the length of time your test will soak at these high and low temperatures. Staying at the extremes on either side for extended amounts of time may change the cooling system configuration.
Choosing between an air-cooled or water-cooled condenser is easier: With water-cooled condensers, the chamber requires a dedicated conditioned waterline. All test chambers can be air- or water-cooled. However, water-cooled units will lower the temperature in the chamber workspace faster than an air-cooled test chamber. Connecting to your existing water-cooled condenser is always an option, or you can consider asking for a self-contained water-cooled condenser onboard your test chamber.
Condenser Comparison
Air-Cooled
Water-Cooled
Heat rejection
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Gas Meter Water Leakage Test Bench.
Positive heat rejection
Little to no heat rejection
Energy efficiency
Less efficient
More efficient
Footprint
Larger space requirement
Smaller space requirement
Pull-down times
Slower rate
Faster rate
Purchase price
Less costly for small units
Less costly for large units
Installation
Easy
Must supply conditioned water cooling loops
Cooling Systems: Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Boosts
Liquid nitrogen (LN2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) cooling systems include an attached storage vessel, called a dewar, of either liquid, which is injected into the conditioned airflow area of the chamber, known as the plenum. These liquids evaporate into gas on contact with the inside air of the chamber workspace.
CO2 can lower the chamber's internal temperature rapidly to -70 to -80°C (-94°F to -112°F), while LN2 can quickly lower temperatures to a cryogenic temperature of -185°C (-300°F). LN2 and CO2 boost kits for mechanical refrigeration systems will rapidly decrease the total time to cool down and are often used to rapidly cool your product under test. If you plan to use liquid gas for continuous cooling, you will want a facility line to an outside storage supply, as the test chamber will consume a large amount of coolant. Liquid cooling systems can also act as a backup to mechanical refrigeration systems if they fail.
If either LN2 or CO2 is used, ensure the test chamber is used in a well-ventilated room. Air quality is lowered to dangerous levels as liquid gases dilute the oxygen content, even though both compounds are natural components of the air you breathe. If your facility pipes the gases in, then its ventilation system most likely already vents to the outside directly. Purchasing bottled gas is an option, but consumption could be high, and again, the room must be vented to the outside to ensure the safety of personnel working in the surrounding area.
Environmental Safety
Today, most reputable test chamber manufacturers utilize environmentally friendly hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant and chlorofluorocarbon-free (CFC-free) insulation. Check with your manufacturer, though, as using environmentally friendly chemicals is not required, and moving toward these refrigerants aligns with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement to address climate change. Occasionally, compressors will need to be "recharged." If your facility is in a rural area, check that the refrigerants you need are available.
Temperature Change Rate
Temperature cycling is a method used for accelerated life and stress testing, as well as HALT and HASS tests. Therefore, the temperature change rate of an environmental test chamber will be significant when determining which test chamber to purchase.
Variables that affect the pull-down and ramp-up rates include the workspace size, ambient room temperature, clearance around the chamber, temperature range, relative humidity, and power of its heating and refrigeration systems.
Typically, the larger the chamber, and the more extreme the temperature range, the longer the workspace will take to reach the maximum (ramp-up) or minimum (pull-down) temperature.
Usually, more powerful heating and refrigeration systems will be used for larger chambers to keep these larger chambers' change rates consistent with smaller test chambers within the same series.
Another factor that can affect the pull-down rate is whether the refrigeration system is water- or air-cooled. Water-cooled systems of the same size typically lower temperatures faster than air-cooled systems of the same size.
Depending on the temperature range and workspace size, some chambers will take up to two hours to reach the maximum temperature. For example, eight-cubic-foot test chambers can take up to two hours to get to 538°C (°F), while workspaces smaller will take about one hour.
Likewise, chambers can take up to an hour to reach their lower limits. With CO2 or LN2 boosts, workspaces will reach -75°C (-103°F) in 15-60 minutes. The time savings add up to around 10 hours based on a 40-cycle testing period.
Chamber manufacturers usually offer options to increase ramp-up and pull-down rates, such as more powerful heating and refrigeration units.
Finally, how air moves around the product and workspace is crucial in environmental testing. As discussed in the "Choosing Chamber Size" section, the general rule of thumb is only to fill one-third of the internal space with products. Always ensure that the product under test is centered in the workspace so air can circulate freely around all sides. Airflow that moves freely through the workspace ensures that the conditioned air can flow evenly through the workspace for accurate and speedy heating and cooling of the products.
If multiple or many smaller products are in the workspace, it's best to spread them evenly throughout the chamber to maximize airflow circulation. When selecting a test chamber, order fully adjustable shelves so you can freely arrange products throughout the workspace with air circulation in mind.
For more Gravimetric & Piston Method Water Meter Test Benchinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
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