The Latest in Smart Home Plumbing: Smart Home Leak Defense Systems

Ready for some surprising and disturbing statistics on the chances your home will be struck by water damage? Believe it or not, the following is statistically true:

• It’s is five times more likely that you will experience water damage than you will ever get robbed or experience theft.
• It’s six times more likely than you experiencing a fire in your home.

You have locks on your doors. You have smoke alarms installed. And yet, most homeowners don’t take precautions to protect themselves from water damage, which is far more likely than theft or fire combined.

A Whopping 40%

Here are the facts: 40% of homeowners experience water damage at some point. In addition to the high cost of water damage, most homes have undetected leaks that cost them money in water bills. This number is probably hard for you to believe, but the typical home loses 17 gallons of water a day due to hidden leaks, running toilets, dripping shower heads and faucets, and accidentally not turning the water off all the way.

The good news is this: you can do something about this, and it’s an investment that will pay for itself over and over because it doesn’t just protect against water damage; it also saves water and prevents your family members from wasting water doing things like:

• Forgetting the sprinkler is on for hours
• Not shutting off the water completely when done showering or brushing teeth

The solution? Smart home leak defense security systems.

How Do Smart Home Leak Defense Security Systems Work?

Smart home tools like Alexa exists for more than just telling you what the weather is or to answer trivia questions. Here at E.R. Services, we are big fans of smart home leak defense systems like Flo by Moen.

Smart home leak defense security systems (also referred to as leak defense valves, leak defense tools, and leak defense systems) work like this:

The guaranteed, all-in-one security system for your home’s water protects your home from leaks and water waste in the following ways:

• The system monitors your water use, establishing a baseline for water usage.
• When any variation occurs, the system identifies where the extra usage is happening and alerts you (via your smart phone or laptop) that extra water is being used. This enables you to check to see if:
  • One of your kids left the shower running or did not turn off a faucet all the way
  • You have a hidden leak somewhere
  • You left the sprinkler on and forgot about it
  • You have a dripping faucet or shower head somewhere
• The system is smart enough to turn off the water to the problem spot, so you can control (with the tap of an icon on your phone) the water even when you aren’t home. That means you can (remotely):
  • Turn off the water flow to a running toilet until you have time to fix it
  • Turn off the water flow to one section of your home or outside water fixtures

Once alerted of a drip, leak or unusual water usage, you can choose to turn off the water—no matter where you are.

You can also set the system to automatically turn off the water if something concerning happens, meaning you protect your home from catastrophic water damage when you are away from home. This feature is especially valuable when you travel out of town. Let’s say a hose connected to your refrigerator breaks while you are on vacation, causing a flood in your kitchen. The leak defense system will automatically turn off the water for you, minimizing the amount of water that ends up on your kitchen floors and making it possible for you to get a water damage restoration company to your home to prevent any long term damage before it happens.

Protection Against Leaks and Frozen Pipes

A leak defense security system means you won’t get caught if one of your appliances busts a hose or malfunctions while you’re away from home, resulting in costly water damage. It also means you won’t be losing money to ongoing dripping faucets (just shut off the water to that part of your home when you’re not using that faucet until you have time to fix it).

The system will also alert you if your water pressure is too high or low, or if pipes are exposed to freezing temperatures. A lot of people in Charlotte don’t think freezing pipes are a problem, but actually our calls skyrocket every time we get a few days with temps below freezing because most Southern homes are not set up for the cold weather. We've learned to increase the number of plumbing technicians available during these times because we get flooded with calls from folks with frozen and burst pipes. A system like this will let you know there’s a problem long before a pipe freezes all the way and bursts.

A Shocking Statistic

Believe it or not, 60% of homeowners immediately discover a leak they didn’t know they had once they install a leak defense security system. Yep, that means 60% of homes have a leaking faucet, running toilet, or hidden leak right now, and that there’s a 6 out of 10 chance you do, too.

Do I Need a Smart Home to Use a Leak Defense System?

No, you do not need an Alexa or any other smart home features already installed. In fact, many owners choose a leak defense system as their first move towards any smart home features. You will need a smart phone, a tablet or laptop to use leak defense system, though, as that is how you will be alerted of problems and issues. Your smart phone becomes the command central of your leak defense system, putting you in control.

Interested in a Smart Home Leak Defense System in Charlotte?

We pride ourselves on being on top of the latest and greatest cutting edge plumbing technology. We’ll gladly talk through leak protection options to help you find the best smart home solutions for you. Give us a call today!

Article Summary

Quick question & answer: How does a smart home leak defense security system work?

A smart home leak defense security system works to protect your home from leaks and water waste. It does this by:

• Monitoring water use
• Identifying source of extra water use
• Turning off water to the problem spot via your smart phone from any location