Smart Leak Detectors

Intro

A lot of us have been there. A leaky faucet, a broken hose on a toilet, or the dreaded frozen pipe. Water can do a lot of damage, especially if you do not catch the leak immediately. According to HomeAdvisor, the average clean up costs for a leak is $3,120 - and this doesn't even cover the cost to fix the plumbing itself. At Knome, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when water runs unabated while a homeowner is away. In a recent case when a pipe burst, thousands of gallons of water filled the main floor ruining rugs, furniture, drywall and dozens of personal items. Getting the house back in order took about four months and tens of thousands of dollars. Sure insurance paid for most of it, but it was a major inconvenience, to say the least. I think we can all agree that unexpected leaks and flooding stink. Well, what can we do about it?

Our first foray into preventing or stopping water leaks started by investigating wireless leak detectors that can alert you via your phone of a possible leak. Starting at about $30 a pop, you can place them anywhere you anticipate a leak - like below the washing machine, underneath a sink, or in the utility room. These relatively cheap devices will give you ample warning of any sort of water that hits the sensor. When installing the sensors, you want to make sure you place them where they won’t get knocked around or where your kids don’t pick them up to add to their toy collection. The main downside with these detectors is they don’t provide you with any immediate recourse or action. What happens when you get a leak alarm and you aren’t home or you’re asleep? 

My installed Moen Flo

So, that’s why we moved on from leak sensors to this recently discovered product line that we like to call Smart Water Shutoffs. These devices come in a variety of sizes and installation methods, but essentially they all do the same thing - allow you to remotely or automatically shut off the water to your entire house in case of a leak. Some of these devices can pair with the leak detectors mentioned above, while others operate as a unit alone. The ones that most intrigued us were the ones that use an algorithm to learn your water use habits (much like a Nest learns your HVAC habits). These smart shutoffs can then alert you or proactively turn off your water if anything seems “out of normal.”

Install

After a lot of research, I ordered and installed a Moen Flo for my home. I should note that to install this unit or ones like it, you’ll need to be rather comfortable with plumbing. And if you’re not, call a professional plumber. First, you’ll need to cut your main water line downstream of the meter and splice in this unit. I used a couple of brass push-to-fit fittings to get my ¾” Moen Flo installed. You’ll also need an electrical outlet nearby, although you can splice together up to a 100 ft of the Flo’s cables to make that happen. Of course, a local plumber or HomeCheck can help with the install and set up. Check out my install above.

Data

My water use as shown in the Moen Flo app

What I’ve liked about the Moen Flo is that it uses water pressure, flow rate, and temperature to come with all sorts of data on your water use. It’s smart enough to recognize what’s a shower, what’s a toilet flush and what's an appliance. That’s all without any sensors. It’s already started a battle between my wife and me on who can take a shorter shower. Check out our data from May 13th (yes, that’s a couple of long showers). Has it changed our water habits drastically? No, but we have been able to reduce our water usage through the use of the goals on the app. 

Protective Features

Everyday between 1am and 5am, the Moen Flo shuts itself off and waits 3 mins to see if there is any drop in pressure. If it sees a drop in pressure, it probably means there is a running toilet or faucet. It could also mean there is a pin-hole leak somewhere. While I haven’t received this alert, one of our customers did and they later discovered a running toilet in their guest suite. 

A critical alert I received after watering the lawn.

Another protective feature is that Moen will alert and automatically shut off your water if it sees water use outside of your normal use. I’ve received one of these alerts while I was watering a newly seeded lawn late one afternoon. I received an email and in-app notification that the Flo detected unusual activity and it would turn my water off in 5 minutes, unless I took proactive action. I was pretty sure I was causing this unusual water, but shut off the hose anyway and opened up the Flo app to make sure no other was running at the same time. A false alarm, yes. But it met the criteria of a possible leak. 

Summary

Moen claims they can prevent 96% of water damage claims, which your home insurance company should love. In fact, many home insurance companies will give you a discount or even help pay for an auto water shutoff. The Moen Flo will run you somewhere between $400 and $1000, depending on your water main size and whether you install it yourself. Given the damage I’ve seen from water, I think it’s worth the cost and the added peace of mine.