Home Improvement: Be able to monitor broken sprinkler heads and water leaks in the Orange County, CA.

You just put the Flume Water device next to your water meter

I think this device works for many water districts in Orange County, Los Angeles County and SoCal.

So I got this nifty device recently. It’s called Flume Water and it allows residential customers to monitor your water usage. Why? My neighbor messaged me and told me that one of my sprinkler heads was broken and it was spraying a lot of water (supposely it’s been doing it for days/weeks???). I wouldn’t have known since my sprinkler system runs at night automatically. Anyhow, it costs ~$250 so I’m hoping that if it can detect a couple of broken sprinkler heads, it’ll save me money in the long run.

Here are some other reasons why you’d like to monitor your water usage:

• To save money: Water is a valuable resource, and conserving water can save you money on your water bill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American family uses 300 gallons of water per day. By monitoring your water usage, you can identify areas where you can reduce your water consumption and save money.
• To protect the environment: Water is a finite resource, and it is important to use it wisely. By monitoring your water usage, you can reduce your impact on the environment. Conserving water can help to protect ecosystems, reduce pollution, and conserve energy.
• To detect leaks: Leaks can waste a lot of water, and they can also cause damage to your home or business. By monitoring your water usage, you can detect leaks early on and take steps to fix them.
• To be more aware of your water consumption: Monitoring your water usage can help you to be more aware of how much water you are using. This can help you to make more informed decisions about your water consumption habits.
• To identify water-saving opportunities: There are many ways to save water, and monitoring your water usage can help you to identify opportunities to save water in your own home or business. For example, you could install water-efficient appliances, fix leaky faucets, and take shorter showers.

The Flume iPhone app and device you put next to your water meter

Other thoughts:

• iPhone app: I really like the iphone app. It gives you alerts and lots of data about your usage.
• Appliance breakdown: It isn’t automatic. You have to label everything.
• Installation: Really, really easy. No tools. Just need to put the device next to the water meter in the street and then plug the bridge into your network.
• High water flow trigger: I wish it was smarter. I basically run the same water schedule every week and it always says it’s “high flow” for the sprinklers.

Check out more about other products I use for home improvement at https://kit.co/atwong/home-improvement