Phyn Plus Gen 2 is HERE!

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This bulletproof version of Phyn Plus is now obsolete. The current version should be better!

Did you know Phyn Plus Gen 2 was coming?

No?!… I didn’t either.

So, here on the blog, I am going to share my musings from the last week. I do this because here, friends, is where you get the “real” side that is increasingly more complicated to share on the more polished YouTube side (in a very good and fun way).

By now, you might have seen last Friday’s video:

Phyn Plus made it through the summer! The only issue that came up: the LED screen had a portion light up full time, but as the monsoon season rolled through, somehow it corrected itself and the full screen works again.

But who cares about an issue that isn’t functional?

PHYN PLUS MADE IT THROUGH THE SUMMER!

The reason WHY Phyn Plus works so well on my home while exposed to the extreme environment of the Sonoran Desert is because the Phyn R&D team built this device to withstand extreme environments. To prove this, they tested Phyn Plus against MIL-STD-810G.

This testing standard was chosen to verify this device is built to withstand intense heat, UV, cold and humidity for the long haul. The team selected to use Procedure II of Method 505.5 which is the steady state test. Phyn Plus was subjected to 120 °F / 49 °C, 24 hours a day, with 20 hours of 1120 watts per square metre (W/m2) radiation followed by no radiation for four hours.

I am going to go into mad detail on what that translates to in an upcoming video, but suffice to say, that is some insane testing that Flo by Moen would not survive, given its performance on my home. But the test itself is not enough UV to last more than two July’s in Phoenix, when we have the most UV of the year according to the Global Solar Atlas: https://globalsolaratlas.info/map?c=33.447478,-112.037325,11&s=33.43611,-112.004195&m=site

Side note, I am calling out Phyn and Flo because I have experience with both of their flagship devices, but I recommend you should apply this same logic to any other water monitor and shutoff system you are considering. I do not know of any other company other than Phyn who has attempted this level of testing, much less having successfully achieved the rating. I have looked at all the spec sheets I could find on all the outdoor rated water monitor and shutoff systems–-the results also will be shared in that same video. I would not put anything other than Phyn Plus on my house given the circumstances.

Do you know of another? Let me know!

In addition to lab testing, Phyn Plus Gen 1 has been installed on a rooftop in Dubai for close to three years at this point with no issues reported.

The Dubai installation endures salt from the Persian Gulf and sand storms more intense than we experience here in metro Phoenix. On the other hand, metro Phoenix has more heat and UV than Dubai due to the heat island effect and our higher elevation. Phoenix has 1.5 times more UV than Dubai, again, according to Global Solar Atlas: https://globalsolaratlas.info/map?c=25.127258,55.227928,11&s=25.259601,55.365601&m=site

I do not like doing “reviews” when an item arrives because you just do not know how that item really works. Sharing features is fine, but if a device lives outside you just do not know if the device will survive. Different variables: heat, UV, rain, sand, wind and any other number of factors is difficult to replicate in a lab setting.

Engineers are so skeptical…

So, when I learned Gen 2 was released last Monday (Nov. 1) I received the announcement with mixed feelings:

1. Excitement: this “Valley of the Sun”experiment is going to continue because what else was I going to get into after the big comparison video?!?! Other than yearly status updates…
2. Would the LED screen be addressed?
3. I received confirmation Gen 2 was also tested to the same military standard: meeting or exceeding the same tests as Gen 1.
4. The clock has to start again someday (**fingers crossed** soon) because Gen 2 is the future.
5. There is no point in continuing to test on a device anyone looking today cannot get.
6. All the testing this summer does not matter, other than to Gen 1 equipment.
7. OK, all the testing this summer of the Gen 1 Phyn may be less valuable than it was one week ago.
8. You know, the year long testing proved Gen 1 Phyn Plus is indeed, in Ryan Kim’s words (Phyn CEO), “the gold standard.”
9. BECAUSE PHYN PLUS GEN 1 IS THE GOLD STANDARD.
10. It is good to know where the product started and generally companies really do make improvements to future releases.
11. PHYN PLUS GEN 1 IS GOLDEN SO GEN 2…
12. Yes, Phyn Plus Gen 1 was worth every penny of the extra $200 you did not spend initially on Flo (especially if you did not sign up for FloProtect, which you should, but with FloProtect, it made the price close to equal).
13. But I trust Gen 1 and trust is not something that is given easily because I am a skeptical recovering engineer who learned the hard way on another system.
14. Why am I skeptical if Gen 2 is better?
15. Is Gen 2 better?
16. WHY ARE ENGINEERS SO SKEPTICAL?!?
17. Let’s find out…

To be clear, are there features on other water monitors that are not on Phyn Plus?

Yes there are.

HOWEVER, what good is a device if it does not last where it needs to be installed?

It is not.

There are a huge number of homes where the water service line goes into the house at some random spot outside and the pipes run below the slab. The only place a water monitor can be installed is outside unless you go through some major changes to your siding/attic/adding exterior plumbing, which are NOT good options. This is why Phyn Plus Gen 1 has my total endorsement and I cannot wait to try out Gen 2.

Also, am I saying that Flo by Moen is not good?

Absolutely not.

The fifth Flo by Moen unit currently lives in a basement installed four days before I put this Phyn Plus device on my home and it is doing fine. The manual overrides are the big feature I miss and there are situations where that can be a dealbreaker on Phyn Plus. There are other features that Phyn Plus excels at as well. These other features are to be shown in the comparison video (although I have trickled out quite a few features independently on all the stand-alone videos).

Goodness…I think I could start putting up predictions when a big update is coming out to either Phyn Plus or Flo by Moen based on when I am putting out a big video!

Recall Flo put out their huge update in Sept 2020 the Monday before I put out the “Flo by Moen Features” video the Friday before.

Phyn’s new release was the Monday before the Friday summer success video.

Sigh…

That said, expect an update in January–for both companies. I say this because that is when I will be doing the big comparison between Flo and Phyn (hopefully Gen 2).

You heard it here first. 😉

Disclaimer: I know nothing about what is coming next from either water monitor manufacturer. Chalk up releasing big videos after big changes that supersede the video, to just the uncanny timing of being a bit behind due to this engineer’s skepticism.

Check it out for yourself here: https://www.phyn.com/plus-smart-water-assistant/ enter discount code ‘Margaret10’ at checkout for 10% off.