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According to the Insurance Information Institute, two of the most common reasons for insurance claims are fire and water damage. While it’s difficult (if not impossible) to predict or defend against natural disasters, there are new smart tools that help protect against man-made disasters like water leaks and electrical fires. I’m using two of these devices and while they’re actively protecting me against some common threats, they’re also helping me rethink how I use the resources in my house. As these devices become more popular, they’re also becoming easier to install—and less expensive, too.
I will never forget waking up to a dripping sound, which turned out to be the water heater. I got lucky—I heard it early and knew how to turn off the water—but that’s uncommon. Most people have heaters located in basements. Pipes busting in winter due to a freeze, corrosion, or bad workmanship can all lead to major water damage when unchecked, but until you see water on your floor, you wouldn’t know it’s happening. There are smart sensors for the floor that can alert you when they sense water—but all they do is sound an alert.
How smart water valves work
A smart water valve monitors your water usage, learns your water habits and then constantly detects for anything outside the range. When it picks up on a water leak, it will first alert you, then turn the water off to stop the leak. It is, perhaps, the most proactive piece of smart home tech I’ve used.
Nine months ago, I had the Moen Flo installed. While some might attempt this on their own, it generally requires a professional installation by your plumber, who will install the device in line, on your water main. The device requires electrical access and wifi access, and gets to work immediately. For a week, Flo learned my water habits, doing dishes, showering, washing clothes. From there, it assessed my weekly water usage. Flo offers a $5 a month subscription that gives you $5000 of coverage and more advanced help diagnosing issues, but it’s optional and I found the device works perfectly well without it.
The Flo began running a nightly leak test, to make sure I didn’t have major plumbing issues. (I had a very slight leak, which Flo thought was normal). During the day, the device looked for behavior that was outside my normal activity. In the app that accompanies Flo, I could see every single water event in my home and classify it, since Flo was still learning. It understood my washing machine and shower, but handwashing dishes it sometimes thought was me filling a pool. After a few weeks, it learned from my corrections, and then I started drip irrigating my garden in the spring. This is an event so far outside my normal routine, with water running for 20 or so minutes, that Flo stepped right into action. First, I got text alerts and notifications, and when I didn’t respond (it was five a.m.), the phone calls started. That woke me up, and I was able to let Flo know things were all right. If I hadn’t, it would have shut the water off. In fact, at any time, you can simply shut the water off from the app.
The Moen Flo app shows useful stats about usage over the week
Credit: Amanda Blum
Monitoring devices affect behavior
I get a weekly assessment of my water usage, and even though I wasn’t actively trying to use less water, this report began gamifying the process for me. I was able to see how much less water I use in winter, when I’m not watering my garden. I’ve been able to see how much small events like letting the hose run impact my overall usage, and it has changed my behavior.
For a while, the Flo was the only device of its kind, but Aqara has just released the T1 Water Valve Controller, which has many of the same functions as the Moen Flo for dramatically less, while promising DIY installation. Since installation of the Flo was $400 on top of the cost of the Flo itself, this is a huge savings. The T1 does this by attaching to the turnoff valve itself, rather than needing to be cut into the water line. This device is new enough I haven’t tested it, but Aqara does promise most of the same benefits in terms of monitoring as Moen, if without the same fun interface. Aqara has another benefit over Moen: You can add the T1 to automations, which means you can tell your smart home system to only open the valve or to close it under specific conditions, perhaps while you’re away from home.
What I like about these devices is that more than simply alert me to a problem—they actually do something about it. While I have had to occasionally retrain my Moen to understand new events, overall I feel safer, having it in my home.
How electrical monitoring works
A month ago, I installed Ting, a monitoring device I’d written about previously that monitors your electrical system for potential fires. Installation is certainly easier than a water valve: You simply plug the Ting into an open outlet and connect it to wifi. For a week, Ting monitors your usage and then forms an understanding of what your electricity looks like.
Ting is looking for signals generated by electrical arcs, which is what leads to electrical fires. It’s unlikely you’d recognize these signals, as a human, but Ting leverages technology to look for these minor indicators.
Since arcs can be caused by a litany of problems, including damaged wiring, loose connections, faulty panels, poor maintenance and overloaded circuits, they can happen anywhere. Moreover, they can develop over time, not just after maintenance or a new installation.
Luckily, even in my incredibly old house, I have yet to have an issue, but if I did, Ting would notify me, and their Fire Safety Team would help me understand what to do next.
Subscriptions offer additional coverage, amortizing the cost
Unlike Flo, which offers a subscription you don’t need to use in order for the device to work, Ting requires a yearly subscription of $49 (the first year of subscription is included in the cost of purchase). Like the Flo subscription, Ting offers some form of monetary coverage. In this case, a $1000 credit towards remediation of a Ting-identified electrical issue, and lifetime replacement of the device.
The Ting app doesn’t show as much useful data—but it’s fun to look at.
Credit: Amanda Blum
Ting also monitors your home for power quality issues, which I expected to get alerts about since my house is old, but haven’t. When I log into the app I get a pleasing interface without any real data and in that way, it is vastly different from my Flo. Still, I know it’s working, and I have to trust it will catch problems if they arise. I’m comforted by the fact that the insurance industry also trusts Ting. Companies like State Farm give Ting to their subscribers and also offer a discount if you install the device.
When I was in my 20s, my parents had a house fire, and I still remember getting that phone call. While everyone was able to get out, the house was gone, and it was an event that affected every part of life for the next few years for my parents, even though they had excellent insurance. If there is anything, absolutely anything, I could do to protect my home, I would. These devices are a small way I’m doing that.
