Leak detection is a costly issue for countless housing providers across the United Kingdom.
Every day, 3,113 million litres of water are leaked across England and Wales. The average cost to repair a leak is £632.80, with some paying as much as £12,000 per leak.
Weather events aren’t solely to blame for leaks either. 53% of non-weather water damage claims are related to plumbing issues. This makes addressing pre-existing plumbing problems a must for asset owners who don’t want to shell out big bucks to fix leaks.
Fortunately, there is a way to mitigate costly and damaging leaks: the Sonic water valve by Hero Labs, which is now supported by SmartRent’s smart home automation platform.
Preventing Leaks with Hero Labs’ Sonic Valve
While water leaks may seem unavoidable, it is possible to prevent them before they reach catastrophic proportions. Hero Labs’ Sonic valve is a smart and sleek way to accomplish this.
The Sonic water valve detects continuous, very small leaks that can be damaging over time, like a dripping pipe. While conventional solutions cut off the water supply on the entire floor, Sonic differentiates itself by only shutting off the water in the affected apartment. This prevents disruptions for other residents, while also minimising the level of repair work needed.
How Sonic Works
Whenever an issue is detected, Sonic feeds the information to SmartRent's management dashboard. The device will then send an immediate alert to the resident and operator, so both parties know that there is an active leak in their unit.
In order to prevent further damage, the Sonic valve will close. Because the flow of water is only ceased in the affected unit, no other residents will experience service disruptions.
SmartRent will then generate a maintenance work order. Because the work order generation is automatic, no on-site team member has to facilitate the work order, saving time and maximising efficiency.
Finally, once the leak is fixed and the water supply is ready to be turned on again, the maintenance team will reopen the valve using the SmartRent platform. Once reopened, water service is successfully restored to the unit.
Get a Clear View of Water Usage
Even when there isn’t a leak problem, Sonic is helpful to housing owners and operators. Thanks to the device’s ultrasonic technology and machine learning capabilities, Sonic provides a detailed picture of every apartment's water use. This information can be accessed through the user app or management dashboard. Operators with fair use policies will find this data particularly helpful.
Prevent Legionella Outbreaks
In addition to increasing water efficiency, the Sonic valve can also remotely flush void water units to prevent Legionella growth. Sonic, when used in conjunction with the SmartRent platform, mitigates Legionella growth by flushing out water units at risk of becoming stale. The result is a water supply that remains fresh and uninhabitable to disease-causing bacteria.
Chat with Us About Sonic
The Sonic water valve from Hero Labs is a game changer for housing owners and operators. It offers an innumerable amount of benefits to asset managers and even to residents, who can handle water leaks in a contactless and convenient manner. Sonic also makes water reserves less conducive to Legionella growth, so residents and on-site team members may avoid illness.
SmartRent is excited to introduce Hero Labs’ Sonic valve to our clients in the United Kingdom. To learn more about Sonic and whether it’s right for your asset, request a demo with our experts.