In the world of plumbing leak prevention systems there are essentially two general types of systems AND two basic methodologies to prevent leaks.

Types of Systems:

Point-of-Use (PoU)

Point-of-use systems are typically battery-powered devices that sense abnormal water presence at one location only like a toilet, water heater, or dishwasher. Think of a smoke detector but for a water leak. They sound an alarm to alert someone to address the issue, but don’t necessarily shut off the water to stop the leak.
Often times the sensors are unsightly, highly sensitive to placement (floor level?), and are prone to false positives as when someone spills a drink or ‘misses the toilet’. And typically someone must be in the area to hear the alarm and fix the problem. These sensors are a device than a system.

Whole House

Whole house systems are electronic/electro-mechanical products that protect the entire dwelling/building by sensing abnormal water use or shutting off the water supply in advance to prevent water leak damage. Think of a security system but for water leaks.

All whole house systems use essentially two methodologies for preventing leaks – reactive and preventative.

Reactive systems use sensors to look for abnormal water use to determine if there is an issue then react by shutting off the water. Typically these systems don’t integrate with security or home automation systems.

Preventative systems like Flo-Guard shut the water off before there’s a leak to prevent the leak from happening.

Methodologies to Prevent Leaks:

Sensor Based Systems

ALL sensor based system use either water presence, water flow, or water pressure to determine abnormal water use. Some approaches are better than others, but they all have limitations or application challenges. 

For example, a whole house system that uses water presence sensors still has the issues noted above in PoU systems. Or, flow based systems typically can’t set a threshold low enough to protect the dwelling/building, yet high enough to prevent triggering by an irrigation or water powered sump pump backup system.  

Moreover, often these systems don’t integrate with security or home automation systems so you’re forced with the inconvenience of managing multiple systems, accounts, etc., and sometimes even forced to buy proprietary software or subscription. Even more, most of these systems require Wi-Fi and internet which exists is in only 1 of 4 homes.

Flo-Guard System

Flo-Guard shuts off the water before there’s a leak to prevent water damage from occurring.  Even better it’s flexible and scalable. Think of your home security – would you rather stop an intruder at the point of entry or wait until they’re inside to stop them?

The Flo-Guard System

The Flo-Guard system approach to plumbing leak prevention is based on two foundations:

• “Prevention rather than cure”
• Flexibility and Scalability

“Prevention Rather Than Cure”

Flo-Guard shuts off the water when desired to prevent water damage from occurring rather than waiting for a leak to occur. With the Flo-Guard approach, the system can be turned off immediately when you leave, go to sleep, or even after a preset delay - so you can leave home after starting a load of laundry or dishes and know that your home is protected while you are away.

Flo-Guard also allows for the use of water by systems in the dwelling that need it – like irrigation, humidification, and water-powered sump pump systems amongst others. All of these systems can be connected to the Flo-Guard system so that if they need water while the main water supply is turned off, the Flo-Guard system will temporarily allow water to flow, then turn it back off again to protect the dwelling when these systems are done doing their job.

Flexibility and Scalability

The Flo-Guard system has been designed to be used on ANY sized pipe so it’s perfect for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.

It easily integrates with security and home automation systems and can easily be added on to any existing system as a ‘workhorse’ to protect the dwelling. For example - if you have an existing security or home automation system you can add a Flo-Guard system to control water and protect the dwelling from leaks as well.

The Flo-Guard system can be located ANYWHERE inside OR outside the building. And it can even control multiple valves at the same time or at different times, and in either the same or reverse polarity (normally open or normally closed). A great example of this benefit is in cottage applications where turning the main water supply off at the same time as draining the ambient system is crucial.

No other system provides all of these features.  See the competitor comparison for more details.