Phyn Plus promises iPhone-connected water pressure monitoring

AppleInsider

Phyn -- a joint venture between Belkin and plumbing supplier Uponor -- has announced the Phyn Plus, an accessory that monitors home water systems for leaks and other presssure-related problems.

The Plus checks pressure 240 times per second, using algorithms to gauge normal flow versus threats, the company said. As a result it can detect issues ranging from pinhole leaks to frozen pipes. In the event of a major leak, the Plus can shut off water entirely to prevent flooding.

The accuracy of the device is designed to improve over time. In the interim it can trigger iPhone and iPad notifications, and perform daily "Health Checks" that warn users of future issues.

A built-in receiver connects the Plus to 2.4-gigahertz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. Apple devices must be running iOS 9 or later.

The Plus will launch in the U.S. in late spring for $850, and exclusively through a team of installers, the Uponor Pro Squad. Even then the Pro Squad will be offering the device in just 30 markets such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Toronto, with varying installation costs.

securtis

Is this a Joke? Who would buy this? This is worse than juicero.

sflocal

I've had this technology for decades.  It's called a "puddle on the floor".  And it's eco-friendly, requiring no electrical power.

Amazing that companies come out with such gimmicks.  It's a solution in search of a problem.

eknight

My parents left town for three days. At some point a hose connected to a toilet on the second floor broke and water poured into their house for hours or days. 

The water destroyed two bathrooms, three bedrooms and their kitchen.   They had to move out of their house for 8 months and had close to $100,000 in damage. 

I have learned that this type of water damage happens more often than you would think. 

Just ask ServPro!

There is a HUGE market for this type of product!

Insurance companies should give discounts to people who install systems like this. 

avon b7

Flood detection is quite common and numerous companies offer solutions ranging from simple water detection via local sensors with alarms, some of which can send you emails/SMS, to the ability to detect leaks and cut off the system at the mains.

For this type of detection the pricing is competitive. I have been looking for a solution of this type myself.

This is another example:

https://shop.grohe.co.uk/smarthome/sense-guard/

JFC_PA

Similar to above I had a neighbor off on vacation have an upstairs bathroom pipe fail: devasted the apartment. 

I understand a classic failure is a clotheswasher feed hose: the rubber can’t take 24/7/365 pressure. Auto-shut offs at the faucet are the other solution there where the line isn’t pressurized unless the washer is running. 

airnerd

Just had a faucet freeze and didn't realize it until I tried to use the hose and my wall became soaked and water seeped into the breakfast area.  There is a market for this. 

HOWEVER, their rollout plan is ludicrous.  No quicker way to fail a product than to limit who can buy it, who can sell it, and who can install it.  "Hey, let's create something and then tell people they can't have it for absolutely NO reason.".  Put it online and ship it worldwide.  I'd buy one and I'd install it myself in no time flat, considering I just replaced my water heater and an outdoor faucet in the last week.  This would be a piece of cake.

StrangeDays

securtis said:

Is this a Joke? Who would buy this? This is worse than juicero.

You exhibit symptoms typical to techie "Everyone is me!" personality disorders. Where I live in the south this has value. We have a lot of problems with water pressure dips, leaks, frozen exposed pipes leading to bursts, etc. 

StrangeDays

sflocal said:

I've had this technology for decades.  It's called a "puddle on the floor".  And it's eco-friendly, requiring no electrical power.

Amazing that companies come out with such gimmicks.  It's a solution in search of a problem.

Nope. You just forget that you aren't everyone. People in entirely different parts of the country with entirely different housing stock and construction have different use cases than you. What a concept, huh?

My house is over a century and a half old, and you can imagine some of the unique scenarios such a structure has. Friends with a similar historic home came home one day to an upstairs waster leak that trashed the bathroom and downstairs foyer. Original plaster is not easy or cheap to repair, often it is simply lost forever.

But yeah, just a "gimmick" because you personally don't need. Cool story bro.

airnerd

StrangeDays said:

sflocal said:

I've had this technology for decades.  It's called a "puddle on the floor".  And it's eco-friendly, requiring no electrical power.

Amazing that companies come out with such gimmicks.  It's a solution in search of a problem.

Nope. You just forget that you aren't everyone. People in entirely different parts of the country with entirely different housing stock and construction have different use cases than you. What a concept, huh?

My house is over a century and a half old, and you can imagine some of the unique scenarios such a structure has. Friends with a similar historic home came home one day to an upstairs waster leak that trashed the bathroom and downstairs foyer. Original plaster is not easy or cheap to repair, often it is simply lost forever.

But yeah, just a "gimmick" because you personally don't need. Cool story bro.

On top of that a lot of homes here in the south have their pipes run through the concrete slab.  Not everyone has a basement/crawlspace (to which I'm actually glad) so you don't always know when there is a leak.  A previous house of ours had a pinhole leak on the hot water side in the slab.  We only noticed it when I realized "hey, this part of the floor in the closet is warmer than the rest of the closet".  Plumbers said it had calcified around the pinhole so it had been leaking for some time.  

volcan

I like the idea that it could shut down the main supply in case of a leak, especially while on vacation, but also while at work or any time you are away from the home. Here in Southern California there is always the risk of an earthquake which could cause a ruptured pipe, although unlikely in my case because we have a PEX system which is very resistant to damage from seismic activity. I wish there was a similar device for the natural gas line. When we go on vacation I always shut the gas off at the meter, but shutting it off when just leaving for the day would be pretty paranoid because it does take a while to get all the gas appliances running again once it is turned back on.

securtis

StrangeDays said:

securtis said:

Is this a Joke? Who would buy this? This is worse than juicero.

You exhibit symptoms typical to techie "Everyone is me!" personality disorders. Where I live in the south this has value. We have a lot of problems with water pressure dips, leaks, frozen exposed pipes leading to bursts, etc. 

My solution to frozen pipes is to leave a little trickle of water flowing. If you want to pay $850 + install fees thats your business I guess

securtis

JFC_PA said:

Similar to above I had a neighbor off on vacation have an upstairs bathroom pipe fail: devasted the apartment. 

I understand a classic failure is a clotheswasher feed hose: the rubber can’t take 24/7/365 pressure. Auto-shut offs at the faucet are the other solution there where the line isn’t pressurized unless the washer is running. 

This is why its good to have access to the water spigot near your washer so you can just turn it off when not in use. 

TomE

It helps a lot to replace the $10 washing machine hoses and the $5 toilet supply lines, etc. with braided stainless steel flexible hoses.  Money well spent.  This might help some people, but not so much help me.  I live in a 1 floor house with a concrete floor covered with Italian Porcelain tile.  In the case of a real leak, it would most likely run over the door threshold, but would certainly wet everything in the house.    I think another component would just be something else to concern me.  I have a new alarm system that would pick up the leaks, but it does not shut off the main water supply line.  The sensors are about $20 (I won't give them free advertising on this site).  I keep the hoses replaced more often than needed.   I wish I had PEX with a distribution panel more than I want one of these sensor / cutoff devices.  I have to go out to the street to turn off the main , codes vary in small towns.  I do like the idea of a sensor that "learns" my electrical appliances and their consumption.  Sometimes installation is easy , sometimes not.  Hope it is a successful venture. 

A good camera system that is high definition, each to put in , records the intruders before they get inside and also blinks the lights on and off as it calls the police would be nice.  Belkin WeMo's could be made to handle the blinking lights, but we all need good cameras even though we live in what is considered to be a "higher" end neighborhood. Good luck.