Many smart home devices focus on the convenience or automation of what are normally manual tasks. However, the Flume Smart Water Sensor offers a potentially much more important service: the ability to track water usage and alert you to possible leaks in your home’s plumbing. The company just released its Second Generation Flume Smart Home Water Monitor ($ 199)The device is easier to set up and use, and smarter than ever.
The basics
The Flume Smart Home Water Monitor consists of a device that you attach to your water meter and a gateway that connects it to your home WiFi network. Installation is very simple and doesn’t require any installation or home improvement skills. The Flume app will guide you through the installation. In most cases, you should be up and running in less than 10 minutes. Flume also offers live support via chat via the app in case you get stuck.
The Flume Monitor provides up-to-date information on the water consumption of your entire home, including the consumption of indoor or outdoor faucets, pipes and fittings. It can notify you when it detects suspected leaks based on water behavior and help you budget your water usage if you want to save on your electricity bill or simply save more water by using it more efficiently.
Design and functions
The flow meter is a very impressive example of a technology that can be used by almost anyone, anywhere. It doesn’t have its own display or user interface and instead works entirely through the app, but that simplicity is part of its genius. The water monitor itself is housed in a simple gray plastic box, which you attach to your water meter externally with the rubber straps supplied. All it needs is to be placed on the side where the display of your meter is located. It is then activated by simply letting water flow through your system by turning on a faucet. It reads the magnetic field generated by your water meter, which the company claims can capture any water usage up to a hundredth of a gallon – that is, a slowly dripping faucet.
Credit: Darrell Etherington
The meter is powered by four pre-installed AA batteries. The battery status is displayed in the app. However, these should last a very long time. The meter communicates with a Flume Bridge which, while plugging in to power, can be set up virtually anywhere within Wi-Fi range of your home. The last component is the app, which is available for iOS and Android, and that provides a dashboard that visualizes your usage and push notifications that you can set up when the Flume system detects a leak.
In practice, setting up is a breeze and it’s truly amazing how much detail and information Flume can provide, given how easy it is to install and use. The data itself is also incredibly fascinating and has made me more aware of my general water usage, the impact on my monthly electricity bills, and the potential for future water savings. For example, my home didn’t have a dishwasher when I originally installed the Flume 2, and I realized how much more water I was using to wash my dishes than using a small, water-saving 18-inch dishwasher instead, as evidenced by the Flume data .
Bottom line
You may not know that you need a smart home water sensor, however Channel 2 is a strong argument for anyone investing in one. The simple, practical design and easy-to-use app make you a much better informed water user right away and can save you a bunch in the long run by detecting leaks early and preventing more serious and damaging flooding events. It also just feels good to be aware of what you’re using and translate that into direct action to save a little water here and there for the good of the environment and your monthly expenses.