How Smart Water Shutoff Valves Prevent Leaks And Save You Money

If you have a water leak in your home, you might not know about it right away because some leaks are in out-of-the-way places. A tiny water leak might seem like nothing important, but it actually can lead to significant damage in your home over time. A pipe that drips 10 times per minute can spill as much as one gallon of water per day, which can ruin flooring and drywall if left unattended. If you have a bigger leak, like a small crack in a pipe, it could cost you as much as $600 per month extra on your water bill. Bottom line: You should never ignore water leaks in your home.

How can you figure out if you have a leak without constantly checking your pipes? Better yet, how can you receive notice of a leak and have your plumbing system shut off the water automatically until you can fix it? Look for a Wi-Fi-connected monitor with an automatic shutoff sensor that can sense the leak.

With some of these models, such as the Moen Flo Smart Water Monitor (currently $496 on Amazon), you receive real-time notifications of any potential leaks by using a free smartphone app. You can manually turn your main water line on or off through the app as well. If you receive notification of a leak while you're away from home, you can use the app to prevent any further leaks until you're able to return home and determine what happened.

To install a typical smart water device that monitors for leaks, you'll install it on the cold water line of your home's plumbing system after the water meter and main shutoff valve. Unless you're extremely handy with plumbing, you'll need to have a pro do the installation because you must cut into the plumbing pipes. You'll also need an electrical outlet near the device. You must match the diameter of your pipe to the diameter of the smart water leak monitoring device, which for the Moen device ranges from ¾ of an inch to 1¼ inches.

The smart water sensor measures the flow or pressure inside your supply line. If it detects an oddity, which could indicate a leak, it will send you a notification. Depending on the settings you're using, the software could turn off your water supply or simply notify you of the situation and let you decide whether to turn off the water. Of course, you cannot just leave your water shut off indefinitely. You may want to quickly repair a leaking pipe with tape or epoxy putty to stop the issue until you can have a plumber arrive and make a permanent fix.

It's worth noting that these devices aren't perfect. They might not catch a very small leak because it doesn't noticeably change the water pressure, for example. But they still may be worth it for peace of mind against flooding from a burst pipe.