If the environmental impact of wasted water from a burst pipe doesn’t keep you up at night, the hassle of repairing the issue almost certainly will. Here to help ensure that you don’t have to feel any guilt or be inconvenienced is a new smart home solution for all your plumbing needs. Meet Flo from Flo Technologies, heralded as “the world’s most advanced and intelligent home water-monitoring and conservation solution.”
At CES 2018, Flo announced not only its product’s commercial availability, but also brand-new, nationwide installation, leak detection, and repair capabilities through a partnership with American Leak Detection (ALD). Thanks to this collaboration with ALD’s network of more than 1,000 plumbers, Flo is now heralded as “the first end-to-end solution for home water management, able to prevent, detect, and repair faulty plumbing, all while saving money and the environment.”
Flo claims the product senses water pressure, flow rate, and temperature, all while leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities to learn your water-usage patterns. These capabilities proactively detect potential problem areas or even minuscule leaks to prevent small issues from becoming big headaches. Rather than relying on moisture sensors or flow measurements to determine when there’s already a leak, Flo instead works to get ahead of the game, and will automatically shut off water supply should a problem present itself.
To use Flo, homeowners are asked to install a small Wi-Fi-connected device on the main water supply line, and connect this piece of hardware to a smartphone app. This system is continuously monitors the water in the home, and makes use of “sophisticated algorithms” (the nature of which are unknown to us) to keep tabs on any abnormalities.
For example, if Flo realizes that temperatures are dropping, you’ll be alerted to the potential for freezing pipes that are prone to bursting.
Flo also runs tests on a daily basis to ensure that your entire plumbing system is up to snuff, and should you feel that something is particularly concerning, you can have Flo run a test on command as well.
“With the ability to dramatically reduce the risk of water damage and help conserve water use, reaction to Flo has been overwhelmingly positive from consumers coast to coast, plumbing professionals and the insurance industry alike,” said Gabriel Halimi, CEO and co-founder of Flo Technologies. “With 13 percent of a home’s water being lost each year in leaks, the Flo system can pay for itself over time.”
Flo will be available in February 2018 for $499, and ALD will be helping folks install the new smart home solution.
Update: Flo will be made publicly available in February 2018 for $500.
