Important Moen Flo feature is GONE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ค. 2023
- In April 2023, Flo by Moen recalled Flo Smart Water Monitor Battery Backups (Model 920-001). Reviewing what happened and where Moen and Flo are headed with this feature in the future.
FLO ARTICLES REFERENCED:
○ Moen Flo Recall website - www.moen.com/product-safety-r...
○ Moen Flo extension cable - amzn.to/3nuVNcE (at the time of this video moen.com does not have any in stock and points you to Amazon)
RELATED PLAYLISTS:
○ All About Flo by Moen - • All About Flo by Moen ...
○ All About Phyn Plus - • All About Phyn Plus [I...
○ Leak Detection - • Supply Plumbing Leak D...
DISCLAIMER / HONESTY POLICY: The links in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. You are not obligated to do so, but it does fund these videos in hopes of helping you protect your home and there is no additional charge to you.
OUR GO-TO PLUMBING LEAK DEBUGGING/PREVENTION PRODUCTS:
○ Cheap, Yet Effective Water Pressure Gauge - amzn.to/3iX50Sz
○ Basin Kitchen Sink Mat - amzn.to/3YC7pHs
○ Xtreme Sink Mat - www.xtrememats.com/products/u...
○ Aquor’s House Hydrant - amzn.to/3fmeSTX
○ Leak Detection Camera: V3 Wyze Cam - amzn.to/3dvctHV with this economical SD card amzn.to/2PvxxG9 and it has an outdoor rating with the special outdoor rated cord: amzn.to/3KFcrNF
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Flo needs to add the feature that High Pressure alert can be auto shut off if no action is taken by the owner in 5 minutes. This would help prevent interior pipe bursts for example with Poly-B pipes. All will have to be done is move "High Pressure Warning" from the "Warning Alerts" to the "Critical Alerts" then we can at least have the option. My city says water leaves the plant at 70 PSI but I have received occasional alerts for 150+ PSI
Oh my goodness! 150 is definitely dangerous. The bad part about shutting off the water at that pressure is that your system would be closed at that point. Rather than getting the reprieve when the water pressure goes down from the city, Flo would maintain 150 psi until you open the system back up to check if the city pressure is back down again. Have you or your neighbors had appliances fail with that kind of pressure? I'd consider installing a PRV to regulate the fluctuations--it is my understanding that anything above 80 is a burst pipe waiting to happen. I don't know that anyone replaces their toilet and washing machine hoses as often as they should, but man, pretty much all plumbing seems very scary with those kinds of fluctuations. Thank you for reaching out with that thought. Good thing you have some way of interactively learning about the potential danger.
I'm running our Flo indoors, so in place of the branded battery I installed an APC backup on the FLo as well as on our internet router to ensure we have remote access if power gets lost.
Thanks for adding this. That is something would consider once I hit the 5 year FloProtect time limit in April if my Flo unit was on my own house.
Even without the battery backup if your home wifi/Internet is down because of no power, you would have a problem. I would suggest buying a UPS for your router and for the valve shutoff. A reliable UPS can at least allow you to shut off the all smart devices before the battery runs out.
I like your idea--thanks for sharing! Here's one clarification: wifi connectivity is not a requirement, but preferred. There is a feature where a small amount of usage data is stored locally and in case of a wifi outage, your personal usage should get used as a benchmark for shutoff, but yes, you won't get a notification. Here's where that feature is mentioned: solutions.moen.com/Smart_Water_Security_Products/Help_Center/FAQ's/Does_the_Flo_Smart_Water_Monitor_and_Shutoff_need_Wi-Fi%3F
This is a common feature across these water monitors. Phyn Plus has it as well.
That said...I did not try this feature out on Flo by Moen before passing on unit #5 to another location--one where letting out hundreds of gallons for a test would not be used/appreciated. However, I did try it out on Phyn Plus. I unplugged the wifi watered all my citrus trees--twice--until it had been an hour and 300 or 400 gallons had come out and the berms were topped out. I called it. The representative I talked to next could not explain what happened. So while the companies say this is a feature, YMMV. I have successfully been cut off *many* times with internet with the intent of testing water shutoff thresholds.
Do you have Flo by Moen and have you tried it out?
I recently stumbled across your excellent Moen Flo and Phyn Plus videos. I'm considering adding one of these devices to protect my home but am still not sure which one I should get. I like the fact that the Phyn doesn't depend on any moving parts and would likely be more reliable. But Moen seems to be a much more popular product backed by a much bigger company. And replacing its impeller doesn't seem to be too big of an issue. I've seen comments that Moen is or will be redesigning the Flo with no moving parts. Have you heard anything about that? Looking forward to your comparison videos!
Hi Jim. Thanks for reaching out. I hear what you are saying and that's a fair assessment. I hope this helps you make a decision in time to snag some of the Black Friday deals--I was trying to shoot a new video to address this specific question since it's been asked a few times more than normal, but I have a few more finishing touches. My first question is this: will your unit be living outdoors? If so, I currently don't recommend either. For an indoor install I wish I could say Phyn because it has caught a couple scenarios that Flo hasn't because a turbine doesn't have the same intelligence as a ultrasonic flow sensor. But I haven't had Phyn Plus last longer than a year due to having it outside. It's not the electronics--I'm actively working the problem with Phyn. I've also burned through 4 Flo devices in the same location and the failure was very different. Flo sent unit #5 where it is installed in a basement and it's at 2 years and 10 months with no issues. Whichever you choose I *highly* suggest getting the leak sensors. A sensor shutting off water within seconds of a leak will save your house vs relying on the algorithm. Otherwise, both have pros and cons with registering back flow, temperature readings, and sleep mode (there is much more, but those are my big 3 app feature differences). Let me know if you have any specific questions that would make your decision easier.
I've tried doing a few Google searches the last couple days and I haven't found anything on a redesign on Flo. If you don't mind, do you still have the sources? I'd love to read them.
@@NoMoreLeaks Thanks for that information! Our device will be installed indoors. I saw the comment about the Flo redesign in one of the many TH-cam videos I've been watching. Or it might have been an Amazon review. I'll see if I can find the specific one. Of course, might just be wishful thinking. Another reason I'm leaning towards Flo is that my incoming water line is 1.25" copper, which Flo would fit. Phyn seems to be just 1".
You are correct there. I don't know what the pressure drop would be since you would have to put a reducer on to go from 1.25" to the 3/4" for Phyn Plus--the 1″ Female NPSM to male NPT adapter is 3/4" on the male side.
I called Flo today with a couple questions. The gentleman I spoke with was not aware of any redesign. IMHO the smaller footprint of Flo in comparison with other water monitors with ultrasonic flow sensors (Phyn Plus-12 or so inches, Streamlabs Connect--8 inches, etc.) would make it very difficult for a transition. I am assuming they would try to maintain the same size for backwards compatibility, if they made a transition. In any case, I don't think there is a redesign and perhaps the comment was about the redesign of the turbine which has been shipping with the units for at least the last 6 months (I also verified that with the customer service rep).
Well if you would like a battery backup there are many options out there and it can be as remote as the cable itself (within reason). Moen should have been able to get on top of this and correct the issue. They didn't and that is on them, frankly most probably never used the feature.
I agree, you could do something like plug it into a generator when the power goes out. But adding a permanent back up system that has not been approved by the manufacturer seems like a way to void the warranty if something goes wrong.
I chose the temperature readings of the Texas freeze in 2019 in Galveston, where there are many vacation homes. After experiencing a major problem finding an answer to prevent it from happening again is a good idea. While we don't freeze much more than a couple hours at night here in AZ, I would be willing to buy the feature for the right environment with the goal of it never getting used--I'm installing under sink bathroom mats for that same purpose right now. I do feel bad for the people who had fires. I hope Moen took care of them.
A computer UPS for $60 is all you need. The original was a complete ripoff at the price charged anyway. Common sense people.
Personally, I'm not voiding the Flo warranty until FloProtect runs out in April. Do you know of an outdoor rated one? Here in the south we have outdoor point of entries for plumbing and the Flo battery backup was outdoor rated.