[Originally Posted November 8, 2015. Updated and reposted October 4, 2018]
Tammy once said to me, "You know we're old when we get excited about appliances."
I'm reminded of that observation when I login to my Hydro-Com water control unit and get excited about something most people haven't even given a thought about.
The insurance company we chose for our Frisco, Colorado home requires a water monitoring and auto-shutoff system. Something that monitors water flow and if it runs too long or excessive amount it automatically shuts off the water. Makes sense when the insurance company shared - Water damage is the #1 insurance claim - it made sense.
While most water damage is from outside water getting inside (leaky roofs, broken windows, basement flooding, etc.) there is clearly a risk inside the home from busted pipes, leaky hoses from washing machines, leaky dishwashers, and ruptured hot water heaters.
After conducting some research (I love doing research) I settled on Hydro-Com from several reasons:
Internet Connected - I wanted to be able to remotely view and control my Water Controller. To enable "Away" mode when I've forgotten and remember 2 hours after leaving the property.
SMS Alerts - I wanted Tammy and I to be notified instantly when something unexpected happened. Timely notification is critical to prevent damage and the Hydro-Com will notify our mobile phones AND our emails.
Zero monthly cost - the alternatives hooked to monitored Alarm Systems which would require a monthly fee.
Wireless Moister/Temperature sensors - I wanted to place discreet wireless sensors in the laundry room and utility room. The option remains to add additional wireless sensors in the kitchen and bathrooms in the future. The need for additional sensors are mitigated by #5 and #6 below.
Monitoring Volume AND Duration - water leakage can come in the form of slow leaks and fast leaks. Slow obviously is constant over a long period o time (constant flow). A fast leak would be high volume instantly. I wanted a Controller that measured both to maximize my protection.
Proactive Temperature protection - when a sensor detect temperatures approaching freezing I am altered and the shutoff kicks in and prevents frozen pipes from flooding the house.
While other systems had some of these features none had all of them.
I had the pleasure of speaking with two excellent representatives of Hydro-Com - Tim Meyer and Mike Luciano. During my research they were great about answering all my questions thoroughly. They help expedite delivery of my unit as I failed to provide adequate shipping time before I was to leave the property. They answered the few questions my plumber had when installing the unit. Following installation they were great about supporting my follow-on questions and taking feedback on their iOS application.
I am delighted with my decision to purchase a Hydro-Com unit. I've been able to remotely change from Away to Home when guests stayed at the property and turn it back to Away when they left. I've been able to monitor room temperature to ensure the home is well above freezing as I turn down the heat to conserve energy when no one is home.
If you are in the market for a Water Controller I highly recommend checking our Hydro-Com.
[Update October 4, 2018]
Last year when my wife and I arrived at our Frisco home for the summer, I proceeded to turn on the water as we settled in.
NOTE: I leave the water off when the property is vacant “just in case”. The only time this is a problem is when the hot tub support team is servicing my spa. They often need to top-off the water or conduct the twice years flush and refill. When that happens I simply turn on the water remotely until they are finished.
After awhile the water shut off automatically. I thought, “That is strange … maybe I have the thresholds set to low and its tripping the shutoff.” I checked everything and it look normal. I turned on the water again.
After awhile the water shut off again. Now my alarm bells are going off and I start searching for a leak. I quickly checked the bathrooms and kitchen and found nothing wrong. I went outside and check the outdoor faucets finding them in proper working order. Reluctantly I turned the water on again.
After awhile the water shuts off a third time. Now I KNOW there is a problem - I just don’t know where. After some searching I explore the crawl space and lo and behold I have a “lake” under the house. Making matters worse the crawl space is sealed to prevent Radon gas buildup and that “sealing” is done with plastic sheeting. So I have a lake and no way to drain the water.
I contact a plumber who finds the leak - a pin hole in a copper elbow of the hot water leading to the kitchen faucet. The plumber resolves the pool of water by slicing holes in the plastic. We leave fans blowing into the wet crawl space for two days and everything is fixed.
The product worked flawlessly and the incident reinforces exactly why I have this device.
FOOTNOTE: The plumber’s fix for the pooled water of slicing the plastic … when we returned for the Christmas holiday the house had elevated Radon levels. Turns out the Radon Remediation system actually works when you have NO HOLES! I had the slices repaired and everything is now back to normal (and healthy levels). Lesson learned - force all the repair people to respect all the systems in your home.