A review of some smart water meter devices to help you save money and the environment (San Antonio: coupons)

[txbullsfan]

With people's water bills going up and SAWS projecting to increase the amount charged per gallon of water now and in the foreseeable future (SA population is increasing and drinkable water is a diminishing resource) and with the tiered structure of the SAWS equity lens (you use more you pay more per gallon), now is a good time to ensure you are not overusing on your sprinkler system and anywhere else and that you do not have any leaks.

Here are some good products to help you to cut your water use to help the local environment and your wallet (get you in the lowest SAWS tiers and use less water per day) here in San Antonio. I purchased and have both of these products and they have saved me money and detected leaks already.

These products allowed me to see I am using a tremendous amount of water for my irrigation system (almost wasteful to keep that grass emerald green), that I had a big hidden irrigation system leak and that I was losing water through a defective flapper in my toilet.

First, my favorite of the two devices, the Moen Flo.

Pros:
1. The Moen Flo can proactively and automatically help you check your home daily (it runs its diagnostic automatically each night) for leaks. It does so by doing a daily automatic (or manual at any time) pressure check (for drops), something that is very expensive for a plumber to come out and check.
2. It will help you keep tabs on water pressure (a really big deal) and water temperature
3. It will automatically intervene and shut off the water to your home should your washer line hose break, you leave the tub or faucet on, you develop a small (or big) hidden leak in the walls, or you are on vacation or at work should one of these (or other things) happen.
4. It will save you tremendously from expensive water line breaks and leaks and help you in the short term see where you are using the most water as it breaks down which device (faucet, shower, appliance etc) uses water and when.

Cons:
1. Expensive upfront (currently $500 at Home Depot, Amazon or Moen)
2. Does not monitor the irrigation system as the device is installed on your main water line right before it branches off to the the different lines in your home
3. While the unit will still shut off the water automatically if it detects a leak, it requires a monthly $5 fee if you want to do the automatic check every night for leaks and if you want to see a breakdown of fixtures and devices using the most water
4. It requires cutting into plumbing so you may need to hire a plumber


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlfEF28Yo6k


The second device is the Flume device.

Another great device. While it does not have all the great features the Moen Flo has it is absolutely a great device.

Pros:
1. Monitors the irrigation system as well as the house water usage (so basically everything if you have an irrigation system)
2. Much cheaper (currently) then the Moen Flo - $199
3. Much easier install (sits over your water meter) and no cutting of your plumbing is required
4. Does not require a $5 per month subscription to get access to additional features. The features it has are the features it has


Cons:
1. The Flume will NOT, help you keep tabs on water pressure (a really big deal), water temperature nor do automatic daily home plumbing pressure checks to check for hidden leaks.
2. It will NOT automatically intervene and shut off the water to your home should your washer line hose break, you leave the tub or faucet on, you develop a small (or big) hidden leak in the walls, or you are on vacation or at work should one of these (or other things) happen.
3. It will NOT tell you which device (faucet, shower etc) or appliance is using water. It just detects water running or not running.

Probably the biggest con with the Flume for me is:

4. The device works by sitting over your water meter and detecting variations in the meters magnetic field and because of this any small variations in the meter will detect as water running even if it is not. This may result in regular "small leak detected" alerts when in fact there are no leaks. It may also result in the water the device says was used for the day/week/month being different from the actual amount of water used. Both of these thing regularly occur for me which almost defeats the purpose of having a smart meter in the first place.

Despite the drawbacks of the Flume I still have it because it allows me to keep tabs on irrigation system leaks and irrigation system use and waste.

Here is a video of the Flume Smart meter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXsxCLkJD_o


Oh, I almost forgot to mention, if you get any of these devices you qualify for a $150 rebate from SAWS:
https://www.ksat.com/news/saws-offer...or-water-usage

So, after the rebate, that Flume device will cost you $50 and the Moen Flo will cost you $350. Not bad considering some people's monthly water bills are that much and that expensive water leaks are so much more expensive (and stressful).


Final recommendation and verdict:

If you don't have an irrigation system, go with just the Moen Flo.

If you do have an irrigation system, go with both the Moen Flo and the Flume device.

[txbullsfan]

Moen Flo and Flume Smart water meters are not the only games in town. There are other smart water meters that qualify for the $150 rebate from SAWS. Here is the link to the SAWS rebates and to SAWS list of approved devices:
https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.co...sensor-rebate/

[txbullsfan]

Here is another product similar to the Moen Flo. This device is also on the list of devices approved by SAWS. I don't own this one (just the Flume and Flo) but this one seems good as well:

Phyn Plus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nch89zQsPCI

Whichever device you chose, please make that jump and get a smart water meter so that we can all collectively help our local aquifer levels, the environment and your pocket book in the long run. San Antonio's population will continue to boom and drinkable water will continue to be a diminishing resource here and all over the world. Lets all do our part in regards to reasonably reducing consumption! We can do this San Antonio!