Smart Water Leakage Detection System Using Pressure & Flow Sensors

Problem statement

Undetected leaks in water pipelines and building plumbing systems lead to significant water loss, structural damage and higher utility bills. Manual inspection is slow and often only performed after visible damage occurs. A continuous monitoring solution that can detect leaks early can save water and maintenance costs.

Abstract

This project implements a smart water leakage detection system that continuously monitors water flow and pressure in pipelines using sensor nodes. Under normal conditions, the relationship between inlet flow, outlet flow and pressure is stable. The system learns or models this behavior and uses anomaly detection algorithms (threshold-based or ML-based) to flag leaks when unusual patterns occur. Alerts are sent to users via mobile app or SMS, and leak location can be approximated if multiple sensors are deployed along the pipe.

Components required

• Flow sensor (e.g., YF-S201) for measuring water flow rate
• Pressure sensor module suitable for water lines
• Microcontroller with Wi-Fi (ESP32 / ESP8266)
• Solenoid valve (optional) to shut off water automatically
• Power supply and waterproof sensor housings
• Cloud server / MQTT broker and mobile/web dashboard

Block diagram

Working

The system installs flow and pressure sensors at strategic locations (e.g., inlet to a building, after main valves, etc.). The ESP32 reads these values at fixed intervals and computes flow balance and pressure drop. Under normal consumption, patterns are predictable. If the system detects continuous flow when no appliances are expected to be running or observes a significant pressure drop without corresponding outlet usage, it flags a potential leak. Data is sent to a cloud dashboard where historical graphs help identify slow leaks as well. Alerts are delivered to the user’s phone, and optionally, the system can close a solenoid valve to stop water flow automatically.

Applications

• Residential and apartment water monitoring
• Smart campus and smart city water distribution
• Industrial water pipeline monitoring
• Utility companies reducing non-revenue water loss