I tried Flume. Super-easy to install. However, a complete failure. It recorded water flow rates that could probably only be matched at Niagara. Strongly considering Moen flo; first I need to find out what the plumbers round here want for install.
Contact Flume support. When I first installed mine, it was double-counting everything. After I contacted them, they were able to correct the problem, as well as the data that has already been collected.
Thanks - I did contact and work with Flume support. They very responsive and tried to do everything they could including recalibration and reorientation of the device.
We’re talking at least over 40 gallons/minute every minute of the day. Oftentimes more than that.
Hopefully just a local anomaly. With the good Flume support team and easy returns (if needed) I’d still recommend anyone try it.
We installed the Flo in our house in January and are generally happy with it. The device includes a water main shutoff valve that is controlled remotely from the app. This provides important “broken pipe” flood protections. When we are away from the house on vacation I can easily turn off the water from my smartphone.
The device also performs a “home health check” automatically each night. This test closes the main valve and monitors the pressure (in the house system) for several minutes. A drop in pressure indicates a leak in the system.
Flo provided us with a letter we sent to our homeowner’s insurance company to request a discount. The insurance company has not yet responded.
We opted in for the $5 / month “Flo protect” service that provides additional insurance and broken pipe monitoring protections.
Their machine learning “fixtures” feature is still in Beta test and needs work. It attempts to attribute water usage to specific fixtures in the house.
Our positive experience with Flo led to our decision to install the sense monitor. I have requested each company add features to share data between the devices. For example, the whole house humidifier and the ice maker have both a hydraulic signature and an electrical signature than can be cross checked.
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We paid a plumber $200 to install the Flo along with new shutoff valves on both sides of the device.
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For what is worth, Phyn just won the IOT award as the best device in this category:
https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2019/05/16/iot-world-awards-winners-announced/
Best Consumer IoT Solution: Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff. According to the Phyn, the product gives homeowners an unprecedented understanding of their water use, toward the goal of avoiding leaks, conserving water and saving money. It monitors a home’s entire plumbing system from a single location on the water line, measuring changes in water pressure 240 times a second. It alerts homeowners immediately upon detection of a leak, diagnosing potential problems before they wreak havoc. The Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff develops a “fingerprint” of each plumbing fixture in the home to be able to ID the source of a leak. If a home experiences a sudden large leak, the Phyn Plus can automatically turn off the water. The product has a mobile app that allows remote monitoring of water usage, remote control of water use in up to six properties, and integration with Alexa for voice queries and commands.
A review of the Phyn (and comparison to Flo), which seems accurate in my experience. Note that the Phyn price has gone down to $699
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I bought a Phyn recently. The Phyn folks have sent me a link that gives a $75 discount. It also gives me $25, but I don’t need that, so I can send it to you if you buy one with the code (with Venmo, Paypal, Google Pay – just send me a Personal Mssg with this system) and you would get a total of $100 off.
Overall I am very happy with the Phyn, and it is a good analog to Sense for water, plus the auto-shutoff valve capability in case of leak. Although as with Sense, there are many details that I hope they improve over time.
If anyone is interested, the link is at:
I just had a Flo installed. Had I looked here first I might have gone with the Phyn instead. Anyway, what’s done is done.
Like my Sense, the Flo is in “learning” mode but should be done with that in a couple of weeks…hopefully.
My insurance Co gave me a code for 15% off and I get 10% off my annual insurance premium so it’ll pay for itself in a couple of years.
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I just picked up a couple of these Flume devices for my houses. There’s an Amazon Prime Day Deal on them for $40 off today…$159.
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For those with both Flume and Home Assistant, I’ve created a prototype integration using Flume’s API.
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I posted in the other thread, but in case you only read this one, Phyn has released a newer and cheaper product. Check out the $299 Smart Water Assistant | Phyn Smart Home Water Leak Detector
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Almost a year with the with the Phyn (Water Sensor) and Sense (Energy Monitor)… I’m definitely pleased with their performance and actualized-savings!!!
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I have the Flo by Moen. I installed it in the spring of 19’. One thing to mention is it randomly died, no lights or anything within 1 month of usage. Their tech support was phenomenal and they sent me out a new unit immediately. Its since been a year and no issues to report. I am running it on a well. I dont have city water where I live. I pay the 5 dollars a month for the fixture breakdown. The UI is very nice and so far its saved me a few times. My daughter left a sink on one time (she’s 5) and one time the toilet flapper was stuck. I was alerted both times. On one of the occasions I did not receive the notification in time and it shut down which was good. If it senses a critical condition it will automatically shutoff at a predetermined time. Being on a well, its my only life line in preventing a pump burnout from overuse which could cost thousands. So while it is expensive, it was a no brainer for me. Being a HVAC guy, the installation was a breeze.
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I spotted the Flo a couple months back, but the price point gave me a big pause. The $5 per month subscription also angers me. The Phyn is interesting, but the water usage aspect is only 50% of the equation. I see why insurance companies would give a discount for installing a Flo as that can shut off in case of an emergency.
Did you buy your device purely for usage data or for data and shutoff ability?
You should have a Pan under the washer Made especially For that, Buy at home depot, That drains to the outside and change out the 2 supplies to Stainless covered supplies.
There’s auto shut off washer valves with leak detection.
So I’ve been using the Phyn for 3.5 yrs now, and I am happy with the product.
- It is a little over-eager to shut off the water when unsure. In particular it doesn’t seem to learn to recognize our drip irrigation system, which is controlled by a Rachio controller, and come on irregularly (when water is needed).
- I also got some “Smart Water Sensors,” which I’ve had for a year (https://www.phyn.com/smart-water-sensor/). These have contacts on the ground and beep when water is detected. But they can be configured to shut off the water to the house, if there is water on the ground. (I have some configured that way and others not, depending on location). they also have temperature and humidity alarms which are useful in some locations such as the crawl space.
- My main complaint is that their customer service is unresponsive. I’ve sent them many emails and they just don’t reply. I plan to call them in a few weeks, and see if can get through to them that way. Have others had that experience?
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I have a Phyn as well but it’s a recent acquisition. My homeowners insurance gave me a break on insurance rates and discounted install to add. I haven’t tried customer support but I agree with your first bullet - my son visited for a few day at Thanksgiving and the Phyn kept wanting to turn off the water when he showered at unusual hours. The good news is that it picked up on a slow drip in our shower in the guest room.
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