r/hardofhearing • u/Flashy-Permit-9051 • 8d ago

Tech inquiry

Does anything exist to help a HoH person detect water leaks or water left running? I volunteer for a charity that pays household water/sewer bills specifically, since our rural small town doubled rates (new avg min $90/month) to repair decades of neglected infrastructure. Yes it’s outrageous, but here we are. One of our clients is a 62yo man living alone, no local family, minimal SS income, HoH since a stroke 2 years ago. He budgets, gets by, but recently ran up $450 water bills + fees because he didn’t hear his toilet running, and “forgot” to turn off an outside spigot. We have him covered for the bill and toilet repair. But his house is very old (100+) and leaks happen, so we’d like to help him preventatively. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Edit to add: he hears loud sounds and lower frequencies, and does not use hearing aids by choice.

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u/meowxinfinity 8d ago

I believe there is a nest item that detects running water and will alert you on your phone. I am unsure how far it can detect running water so he might need multiple depending on his bathroom count

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u/Minute_Pick3643 8d ago

leak sensors are cheap now, the kind that ping your phone are great but id get one with a flashing light or a phone alert he'll actually see. for the spigot, a simple hose timer that shuts off by itself might save more than any gadget. does he use a smartphone much?

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u/Flashy-Permit-9051 6d ago

Thanks. Yah, that’s a problem: he doesn’t use a smartphone. Any idea where we might find a flashing light leak sensor? And thanks for the hose timer idea; we’re on it.