Over a five-year period, this residential development in London made 37 insurance claims — 76% of them (28 claims) were due to water leaks. The total damages for all claims were over £1 million, with £990,000 of that total directly related to escape of water incidents.
To help prevent future damage, Leaksafe was asked to recommend a smart leak detection system that could monitor water usage in each apartment and automatically shut off the supply if a leak was detected.
The Solution: WaterHub+
Leaksafe installed a WaterHub+ system for each apartment. The system included:
- A WaterHub+ control panel
- A WRAS-approved stainless steel shut-off valve
- A water flow meter
Here’s how it works:
- If water flows continuously for a set period — suggesting a leak — the system automatically shuts off the supply and sends a push notification to the resident or building manager.
- If no water use is detected for a set time (e.g., 24 hours), the system assumes the apartment is unoccupied and shuts off the water to prevent damage while empty.
Seamless Installation
Since the water supply runs through wet risers, Leaksafe-approved contractors were able to install the system in the risers for each apartment without any disruption to residents.
Smart Connectivity & Notifications
To ensure reliable communication, Leaksafe used Sigfox LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology. This secure and resilient network doesn’t depend on the resident’s Wi-Fi.
Leak alerts are sent to Leaksafe’s platform and immediately shared via:
- SMS
- Push notifications through the Leaksafe App
Real-Time Monitoring for Building Managers
Building managers can:
- Monitor all apartments through a live dashboard
- Download leak reports on demand
- Receive automated weekly and monthly summaries
