Did you know there’s a tool out there that can save you money on water bills and plumbing repairs? It’s called the Flo® by MOEN, and it’s one of the newest additions to the line of helpful home products we carry here at Fowler Plumbing.
Today, we want to introduce you to this neat little gadget and tell you more about how it works. Then we’ll tell you how homeowners like you can use it to put more money back in their wallets.
What is the Flo®?
The Flo® Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff is an industry-leading smart leak detection system made by MOEN, the #1 faucet company in North America. It has two hardware components: a smart monitoring device and an electronic shutoff valve.
Flo® systems come with a few features that help them stand out from other smart leak detection systems on the market.
- MicroLeak technology. This innovative tech checks your plumbing’s moisture levels, flow rate, temperature, and other factors every day. It’s extremely sensitive to small changes, and it automatically compares each day’s data to that of the previous day to spot trends that might point to a leak.
- Remote shutoff capabilities. You can shut off the water in your home from anywhere with an Internet connection. You can also set the valve to shut off automatically when certain conditions are detected, such as freezing temperatures or abnormal levels of moisture.
- The MOEN Smart Water App. All the data from your Flo® system gets routed to your account on the MOEN Smart Water App. You can use the app to set notification trigger parameters or look over your system’s past alerts and historical water use data.
How the Flo® Helps You Save
1. Lowers Your Water Bills
Nothing makes a water bill skyrocket faster than a leaky pipe. Even a tiny drip can cost you a few dollars a month if it isn’t fixed. A larger one could cost you tens (or even hundreds!) of dollars before you realize what’s happening.
The MOEN Flo® system doesn’t just alert you to leaks – it uses automated protocols to shut valves off as soon as it spots a problem. This limits the amount of water that can escape from a leak, keeping your water use in check and your bills in line with your actual consumption.
If you want to take things a step further, you can even use the data from the system to optimize your household’s water use. You can set goals to help you save water and money and track your progress toward important milestones, all from within the Moen Smart Water App.
2. Prevents Property Damage
Undetected leaks can promote mold growth, weaken structural elements like wood and drywall, and cause cosmetic defects like warped floors and peeling paint. These problems can cost thousands of dollars and take weeks of work to fix.
The MOEN Flo® water monitor catches leaks before they spiral out of control. You might have a little clean-up to do around the affected area, but you won’t have to orchestrate a never-ending list of repairs.
3. Helps You Manage Your Investment Properties
Rental and commercial property owners know how stressful property management can be. You can’t control how your tenants live or work, but their actions (for example, failing to notice a leaky pipe early on) could have disastrous consequences for your finances.
With the MOEN Flo®, you can keep an eye on your investment property’s pipes from the comfort of your own home. Every day, the system delivers fresh data to the MOEN app, giving you all the information you need to protect your asset without any disruption to your tenants. You’ll also rest easy knowing that the system will shut the water off automatically in an emergency.
4. May Win You an Insurance Discount
Did you know that some insurers offer discounts for homeowners with smart leak detection systems installed in their homes? Ask yours if they offer something similar and how much you stand to save. It may be enough to offset a large chunk of the system’s cost over time.
MOEN also offers an insurance product of their own for those who want extra protection. FloProtect costs just $5 a month and gets you two benefits:
- Coverage for up to $5,000 of your water damage deductible
- An extra 4 years on your Flo® system’s guarantee, bumping the covered term up to 5 years in total
While it’s not a discount per se, that $5,000 deductible coverage could save you a lot of money if you ever need to make a claim.
Get Your Flo® System Today
Smart systems like the MOEN Flo® can only protect you if you install them before something goes wrong. If you want to make sure your home is protected from water damage, call Fowler Plumbing today. We sell and install several sizes of Flo® systems to suit every Windsor-area home, and we’ll be happy to help you find one that meets your needs.
