Phyn Plus 2nd Gen: What’s Improved. What’s…Changed.

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Phyn Plus 2nd Gen above Phyn Plus 2nd Gen

In this post we are going over all the differences between Phyn Plus 1st Gen and 2nd Gen. There are a lot of changes so let’s get right into the details.

This information is best viewed in video format for you to see for yourself–the changes are impressive! But I’ve included the script here because it’s a lot quicker to search for a word or phrase for a point you’d like to revisit than to scroll through a video. There are still minor modifications and some interesting pictures that are whizzed over in the video so it’s not all duplicate.

Here’s the video:

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen is jumping off the high standard set by Phyn Plus 1st Gen. Phyn has made a number of design changes that are not just skin deep although the 1st Gen and 2nd Gen units clearly look different. New dimensions, new LED display, new power supply and a much thinner profile.

The first thing you notice right off is the difference in size.

The two units in the same position with a picture overlapping to show the difference in size. 1st Gen is on the “left” and 2nd Gen is on the “right”.

Phyn states 2nd Gen is 25% smaller than 1st Gen, but it certainly seems like there is an entire half missing. 2nd Gen is significantly thinner and the back side of the unit is entirely gone with a few features moved to the front.

Here’s what hasn’t changed size wise. The new device uses the same general valve made by badger meter which has the same footprint length wise. We’ll go over some of the features impacted by the footprint change a little later but the main point is, if you are looking to upgrade from 1st Gen to 2nd Gen, you don’t have to change your plumbing. You can use the same unions you currently have.

Same Phyn Plus unions connections

With standard ¾” brass unions the unit is still 16” long. It is still 11” from end to end of the actual device.

What has changed are all the other dimensions. Phyn Plus is now 8-½” on the back and the front. The depth of the unit is 4-½” with ¾” on the back side and extending forward 2-⅜”.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen top dimensions

Phyn Plus 1st Gen top dimensions

It is 2-¾” high with the plumbing centered in the middle. The device extends 11/16” above and below the plumbing.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen side dimensions

Phyn Plus 1st Gen side dimensions

With the smaller size, the device is now designed to fit inside a stud bay.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen fits inside a stud bay.

Personally, I’m not hiding plumbing jewelry like this, but no judgement if you do.

The next major difference is weight.

First, thank you to Shipping by Eli who allowed me to weigh both devices on their official FedEX scale.

FedEx says the Phyn Plus 1st Gen was 2.95 pounds with a sum total of 3.6 pounds with the attached power supply.

Phyn Plus 1st Gen weight: 3.6 lbs

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen comes in significantly lighter at 2.2 pounds.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen weight: 2.2 lbs

Some of you may have noticed the power supply on the Phyn Plus 1st Gen is intended to attach to a wall.

Phyn Plus power supply placement

Here’s why I added the weight of the power supply to the total weight of Phyn Plus 1st Gen:

We never attached the power supply to the stone on our house, or to a steel structure. I’ve shown this in pretty much all my Phyn Plus videos, but never talked about it.

The Phyn Plus 1st Gen power supply is not attached to the stone.

Here’s my reasoning why we didn’t attach it. First, the stacked stone is a huge source of radiant heat.

Second, there was no way I was drilling into the stone skirt, which I installed myself.

We had plans lined up to have a steel support fabricated and even created a wooden buffer to go in between the steel and Phyn Plus, but the plan never panned out.

So if you are in a similar situation where 3.6 pounds is hanging off your plumbing, stepping down to 2.2 pounds is significant.

Next up, the electrical line powering the unit has substantial changes.

The 1st Gen electrical line was 14 ft 8 in with the power supply attached to the back of the unit. It is designed to directly plug into an outlet. Specifically, GFCI protected, if outside, and GFCI is still a good idea on an interior outlet.

The new line is 11.5’ long with the power supply inline.

Both generation Phyn Plus power cords. Perspective doesn’t do it any favors, but the new one is significantly shorter.

With this design change the power supply has to stay 12” above grade (just as the Gen 1 device had to be installed 12″ above grade). The materials in the power supply are rated for intense UV, but in my case where it is outside, I plan on building housing for it, finally using the wood block intended to prevent heat transfer from a steel support.

Protecting the power supply from the sun gives 2nd Gen a fair comparison against my previous testing because the 1st Gen Phyn Plus device used to protect most of the power supply and in my heat test of Flo by Moen I kept the power supply protected from direct sunlight.

To sum up those first three points, with the smaller size, lighter weight and electrical changes, Phyn Plus 2nd Gen is easier to install.

With a smaller size the changes to plumbing do not have to be as drastic.

Phyn Plus 1st Gen

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen

It still may be Dr Seuss like, but not as exaggerated. Less weight means there is less stress on the line, especially on an outdoor installation where thermal expansion and contraction move the plumbing and unit. The power supply isn’t intended to be attached to the wall in the same manner, which on the 1st Gen also had the added difficulty of lining the power supply up perfectly with the incoming and outgoing pipe. An easier install because of these improvements is a huge jump in quality.

Lesser items, but still VERY notable changes to Phyn Plus.

The next significant change is price. The MSRP on 1st Gen is $699. The MSRP on 2nd Gen is $499. There is still a 2 year warranty and no subscription service.

Next up are changes to the housing. The 1st gen gunmetal color aluminum housing is replaced with a dark gray plastic enclosure.

The color difference is stark!

My 1st gen unit is not a special edition because it is silver–it’s faded from sun exposure. The change in materials will cause higher readings from the temperature sensor because the new version absorbs more heat from the sun (AKA solar radiation). However, Phyn Plus 2nd gen was tested to the same military standard as the 1st gen Phyn Plus. Both versions were subjected to 120 degrees for 20 hours a day for 2 weeks straight–an upcoming video will be going into mad details on the testing protocol.

If 2nd gen makes it through the winter, where the temperature sensor is currently reading temperatures over 100…

It will be insane if the temperature differential is 60-70 degrees different. This picture is from December 2021.

…and also through the summer where I’m expecting to see temperatures over 141, which was the max from last summer (I’m OK with being totally wrong on this), then I’m OK with Phyn choosing the classy dark color. We all know dark grey matches with everything and makes your plumbing look skinnier. 😉 Choosing a color that almost absorbs heat more than any other color is bold. But in my opinion if Phyn Plus 2nd Gen makes it through next summer, Phyn is welcome to laugh at the heat if it is built as tough as 1st Gen.

The next notable change is the RGB LED display on the front.

Phyn Plus 1st Gen LED display

It is smaller and the LED’s are limited to a few larger lights in a single row.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen LED display

You may recall in a past post this was the only thing on 1st Gen that had a glitch. We’ll see how the 2nd Gen LED display holds up. Recall the second one also started working again for the last four months until I replaced it with 2nd Gen.

Here are a few last points on the new Phyn Plus.

Phyn Plus 1st Gen had two options for connectivity. It came with an integrated internal antenna and it also had an external antenna port. The integrated internal antenna is the only option on 2nd Gen.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen (on the left) no longer has an external wifi port

In consulting with Phyn support they also explained that a WiFi extender generally provided a stronger signal than an external antenna. From my outdoor installation perspective, while you can see this is the first time I actually looked at the port, because I never used it and missed it in the unboxing video, eliminating the port means there is less point of entry for water to enter into the device. That is probably unfounded because you can see the port is extremely clean and there are no signs of water for the 10 months it was installed and we had a respectable monsoon season this year. The bonus of getting a wifi extender instead of an external antenna is that all of your internet connected devices in the area get a bump in internet service quality, not just Phyn Plus.

Next, there is no longer a manual shutoff tool–that’s the pretty blue object on top of the Phyn Plus 1st Gen power supply. The manual shutoff mechanism is the same design as before which also could use a screwdriver.

Phyn Plus manual shutoff

Now a screwdriver is the only option, and having communicated with the Phyn support team on this change, a screwdriver was generally the better option. In a pinch, you’re more likely to turn off the water faster manually with a metal flathead screwdriver and not have an issue bending the provided tool. I can attest to water streaming out as a pretty high stress situation and a lot can go wrong in a short amount of time. That is, if there is no power to the house so you can’t use the blue button on the side, you don’t have an easily accessible shutoff, the water meter shutoff doesn’t work and Phyn Plus is your only means of shutting off a geyser inside your house. The removal of the shutoff tool is definitely not a dealbreaker, just a difference–if you don’t have a flat head screwdriver in the house you should get one anyway and know where it is at all times. Most of us have more than one. Knowing where a flathead screwdriver is at all times is probably more challenging.

Moving on, the blue button controlling the led display and manual shut off is now in the front of the plumbing. It’s easier to access in this location because you aren’t reaching around the plumbing line.

The two units in the same position with a picture overlapping to show the difference in the button position. 1st Gen is on the “left” and 2nd Gen is on the “right”.

When it comes to the union connections to your service line, I misspoke in my last video installing 1st Gen.

Both 1st Gen and 2nd Gen do not come with couplings.

Phyn was kind in adding two ¾” brass unions to my first review unit–thank you Phyn!

If you have C-PVC or PVC lines you would not be using these couplings. Part of the point of Phyn is conservation. Obviously they are trying to conserve water, but in not sending brass couplings out, they’re not just conserving water–they are conserving waste. Throwing away two unused brass unions is just wrong. So if you are doing a DIY installation, if you buy a unit and the seller adds unions to your shipment, but you don’t end up using the unions, turn this into an opportunity to spread goodwill. Choose your favorite plumber and make their day by giving them the unused unions.

Like the 1st Gen, a 2nd Gen Phyn Plus can go on a ¾” supply line, a 1” line and a 1-¼” line. Personally, I’d wait for the Phyn XL 1.5 on the larger lines because the XL will accommodate 1-¼” line and the larger size will allow for higher water pressure–it won’t be a choke point. That is not a difference, but it’s something to consider because new products are coming out and the XL wasn’t in the picture for the first feature review video.

As you can see there were a lot of changes to accommodate the smaller size as well as make this device easier to install and use. You all know how reserved I was on my initial features review–not really giving an opinion until it made it past the summer with heat testing and I was able to test it out in many different situations.

Phyn Plus 1st Gen was beefy, but you could feel the quality built into it. It proved itself over last summer here in the Phoenix metro and it made me a believer after, pun intended, getting burned by another water monitor that couldn’t handle the heat. Note, Flo by Moen still has its place–that’s a follow on post–but don’t ask it to perform outdoors in the desert.

I’ll be honest, I have similar reservations for the 2nd Gen now. When I was doing some of these shots with the two units out in the sun at 84 degrees the 2nd get was hot to the touch while the 1st Gen aluminum housing was cool. Will the smaller size and plastic housing cook the internals?

Time and an Arizona summer will tell.

Baking Phyn Plus 2nd Gen outdoors in the Phoenix sunshine.

So here’s my official statement on Phyn Plus right now.

Phyn Plus 2nd Gen is even better than before, especially at this price point, with the current features and thoughtful updates. If you have a unit outside, protect it from the sun. In the meantime I will leave mine exposed, pitting it against the sun and UV.

The testing clock restarted here in November. I’ll share the results with you next summer, after this device is tested against the intense heat and UV here in the Sonoran desert.

Behind-the-scense setup for some of the Phyn Plus comparison pictures/videos. High tech meets low tech. 😉

The question has been asked, “Do I think it is worth the upgrade if you already have 1st Gen?”

Absolutely not. In my case, I’d even go so far as to say the aluminum housing was worth the $200 difference. Again, time will tell on that and it isn’t worth it if 2nd Gen survives. It’s nice to know it is backwards compatible with regard to reusing the unions. Electrical however…is not if you needed the full 15 feet. When we first installed Phyn Plus we set our outlet at about 13″ away and the new line fell short. We then proceeded to drive to Home Depot three times to extend the previous location of the outlet before installing the new device. Just something to keep in mind for future replacement…

Have any other questions? Drop a comment!

PRICING / REVIEWS

○ Phyn Plus (10% off) – https://www.phyn.com/plus-smart-water-assistant/ enter discount code ‘Margaret10’ at checkout
○ Other pricing/reviews on Phyn Plus – https://amzn.to/2XUljro

A consolidated post on everything else I’ve shared on Phyn Plus:

The ULTIMATE Phyn Plus Resource [OUTSIDE of Phyn.com, of course]