More Whole House Water Monitor + Shutoff Goodness

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A lot has been going on in the background here.

No, I’m not backing off from Alfred coverage–I still have a few more posts/videos to go, and likewise on the door series, because I still have to show how to repaint after a door lock gouges into the paint (leaving the old footprint for all to see after the new one is installed).

I have also been updating some of my old posts with updates on usage, performance, videos, etc.

But since you all are my loyal readers (thank you!), I’m going to summarize and give you a sneak preview into what’s coming up!!!

Whole House Water Monitor Updates

Unfortunately, my 2.75 Flo kicked the bucket– I can’t truly say it is my third Flo because the second one was preemptive on the company’s part due to a firmware update although it did die on it’s own about two weeks before we got back in town and put on the replacement. It only takes a few minutes to setup and a few seconds to install.

It takes longer to find the adjustable wrenches around here…

But sadly, about a week before I planned on doing an all out series on water monitors, the third one died. After another painless debug session, customer service had another on it’s way.

If a company is putting good faith out there and backing their product this way–it’s a breath of fresh air and that counts for something. Especially in this environment.

That being said, at this point, Flo isn’t meant for the extreme temperatures in the desert. Really, not much is. It is unfortunate that builders find it OK to put some heat conducting copper lines on our houses. Even the new neighborhood around the corner has this setup.

Even my janky sun shade structure I was able to create in 5 minutes of borrowed kid time wasn’t enough.

Just to put it out there, I built this temporary cover, had Flo on a GFCI protected line, changing out the box around the outlet so it was protected from the elements, and threw on a new outlet (since, why not since it was off for the box install), AND had two of the low voltage Flo power extensions. This unit was installed and protected as well as I could possibly do within my power.

Now, since I’m shooting a video on Flo’s features (not a review, just laying the facts out there), I went over in detail as to where you should (and shouldn’t!) place Flo:

DO NOT install the Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff on fire sprinkler or suppression systems and hot water distribution lines. (copied and pasted directly from Flo’s website here)

Super sneak preview there because, what I realized as I was speaking to the camera was…wait for it…when the ambient temperature of the air is 115 and the sun is beating on copper, which conducts heat…I’ve essentially installed Flo on a freaking hot water distribution line.

Seriously.

When we wash our hands in the middle bathroom in the summer, we don’t need to turn on the hot water. Within 10-15 seconds it is seriously hot. My two-year-old daughter says “hot” every time!

Flo may be advertised to handle 140 degrees, but that seems a bit positive. For reference, water heater temperature may be set at 140°F (60°C) by most manufacturers. 120°F (49°C) is a recommended temperature for economical reasons and to prevent scalding.

There is no other place to install Flo. I only know my cold water trunk and branch plumbing system is hidden inside the wall behind the middle bathroom bathtub because we had to open up the wall to rerun PEX when the main hot water line failed below the slab foundation.

Not a good place for a water monitor install.

At the same time, Phyn was interested in the water monitor series and sent a Phyn Plus for me to review.

I’m not going to lie.

I’m ecstatic.

E.C.S.T.A.T.I.C.

Honestly, when we had the chance to compare these units at IBS/KBIS in 2019, Phyn seems to be better constructed. From a nerd perspective, the charts spoke to my software engineering heart.

However, the price and the size were the deterrents at the time. Second, we had also talked to an engineer on Flo at the 2019 IBS and had some reassurance there on how Flo would be installed outside in a heat island. We still had our doubts, but the smaller size of Flo won out.

Nowadays we’re a bit more experienced with plumbing and will tackle this install with gusto (as you’ll see on another cinematic video unboxing and installing Phyn–it’s gonna be good!!!).

Oh, and you just can’t beat the looks too. Phyn Plus is sexy.

Sneak preview from the Phyn Plus unboxing video shoot–it still has the protective plastic wrap on the metal casing.

However, I gotta give it to Flo. I realize my home setup isn’t the right application, but I could pass on my “new” unit to someone who #1, could use it to protect a VERY BEAUTIFUL basement they built with their own hands and #2 continue this experiment.

However, every water monitor has a learning cycle. Then, I still need the unit to shoot videos on:

• Features
• My own review
• Testing it with different “leaks”
• Comparing it with Phyn, so I gotta get my act together and plan out every last activity since this is not like Alfred DB1 vs Alfred DB2 where I can simply change out the lock to get the last shots (although, I will proudly say, I only had to do that once).

It’s still 115 degrees here and we’re looking at a month of shooting. I’m essentially killing this unit. I can’t pass it on to continue reviewing it when I’ve already taken some of the life out of it. It wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

As I’ve recently learned…it doesn’t hurt to ask.

I asked to return this unit when I’m done and have another sent to this undisclosed safe haven.

Flo said yes.

So the experiment will continue.

It is with regret that I will sadly bake Phyn outside, removing my ramshackle shade structure. But I can’t wait to see it light up.

I’m so excited this venture is starting to help other people…not just in an educational way, but in a physical way.

Other behind the scenes stuff…

Have you noticed the Poppy’s mug in the videos?

Planting this “easter egg” from a very special pumpkin patch in Norfolk, Nebraska has been a lot of fun!

I’m going to be honest, many of you readers are close friends and family. YouTube is blowing up in comparison. So more and more of my posts will be fun notes to you. More behind the scenes, what’s coming up, and more full on crazy reviews when fancy new items like a Phyn Plus arrive on my doorstep.

Thanks again for being here.