After a flood in the garage due to a burst hose fitting, I installed a Flo by Moen Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff in 2020 to protect against pipe bursts and help monitor water usage. The device installs in the water supply pipe, allowing it to monitor the duration and rate of water flows, and also shut off the water if a leak is detected. Over time (with my help), it learns to associate flows with various devices, displaying summary and detail information via the Flo website and app.
I have not had any pipe bursts but Flo has detected slow drips and leaving a tap running. Flo will call, send an email, and generate an app alert - if no-one responds, it will turn off the water after about five minutes. There is an 'Away' mode that immediately shuts off the water if the monitor detects even small flows. Checking the detailed logs, I noticed that a toilet was using about 50% more water than normal due to a sticky flush mechanism.
Flo is not able to group and identify multiple flows, such as a dishwasher or washing machine. I was never able to train Flo to recognise the water softener recharge cycle - I ended up defining an exception for the recharge time period, which reduces the ability of Flo to detect a leak during that period. For some reason, Flo thinks I spend too much time in the shower, although it has never 'left me dry'.
In early 2022, I started to see unusual flow reports - the toilets were intermittently reporting only half the expected flows, and the slow brining cycle of the water softener was broken up into dozens of short spurts. The monitor measures water flow with a plastic impeller that has two magnets on either side that are in contact with the water stream. Over time, these magnets corrode and prevent the impeller from turning freely or no longer activate the sensor, resulting in low or no readings. This is a known issue (https://youtu.be/C_bDgm7Bbg0) - in my case, cleaning the impellers did not help. Fortunately, Flo provided repair kits late in 2022. The variable flow readings requiring a period of re-learning
Flo added leak detectors in 2022 that can be installed on the floor or mounted in an accessible place and connected to a remote sensor. They are intended to detect leaks around toilets, dishwashers and washing machines. When triggered, the leak detectors sound an alarm, flash a red LED, and immediately trigger Flo to off the water.
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