Michael Gray, Grohe UK Product Manager, explains how the latest smart technology can help minimise water damage caused by a burst pipe.
The cost of water damage can run into the thousands for homeowners. Not only can water damage ruin the home, it can also affect respiratory health. After just 24 hours mould can start to build up due to humidity, causing respiratory problems, asthma and allergies.
According to The Association of British Insurers, escape of water causes approximately £2m worth of damage every day, and statistics suggest that 54% of households have experienced mains-related water damage.
Grohe’s Sense & Sense Guard is an intelligent solution for the smart home. Made up of two key parts, the pocket-sized Sense smart water sensor monitors humidity, detects leaks and alerts homeowners instantly in the case of a problem.
“Sense & Sense Guard can now be combined with Nest’s Home/Away Assist to improve household safety and limit water damage.”
Temperature and humidity are known indicators of damp and water damage. Using smart technology this smart device tracks the temperature every hour, senses humidity and detects flooding providing instant alerts to the homeowner’s smartphone. Its sister product, the Sense Guard, can be installed to work in harmony with the Sense, instantly shutting off the mains water supply to prevent a flood from escalating.
App control
This compact and intelligent solution allows consumers to protect their house from anywhere in the world, anytime, and stay in control with the free to download Grohe Ondus app on a smartphone. With 65% of all home flooding cases relating to pipes, multiple Sense leak detectors can be placed in ‘high risk’ places, with expected levels can be adjusted relevant to the room it is in; for example, we would expect more humidity in a bathroom.
The system can be placed in, or by, risk areas in the home such as the washing machine, under the kitchen sink, or in the basement tracking frost risk. An investment into the Sense system from developers is a worthwhile and easy prevention method for water damage.
Connected solution
Sense & Sense Guard can now be combined with Nest’s Home/Away Assist to improve household safety and limit water damage. When no one is in the house, the units can automatically shut off the water pipes based on indications by Nest’s Home/Away Assist that there is a flooding risk – and vice versa.
The Home/Away Assist uses input from a users’ mobile phone, activity sensors in products from Nest, and ‘Works with Nest ‘products. For housebuilders, property developers and even landlords, this is an effective and preventative piece of technology that could be a real game-changer in the industry.
