The Challenge: Unoccupied Units Creating Undetected Damage

The 15-story luxury condominium tower on San Diego's scenic coastline faced unique water management challenges. With most units serving as secondary homes for owners, the building maintained an average occupancy rate of only 30%-40%, leaving the majority of units vacant for extended periods.

These extended vacancies created the perfect environment for undetected water leaks to cause significant damage. Without regular occupants to notice early warning signs, minor leaks could develop into major flooding incidents affecting multiple floors before discovery.

Previous incidents had resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs, increasing insurance premiums, and significant inconvenience to the residents who were present. The condo association needed a solution that could provide continuous monitoring regardless of occupancy status.

Smart Water Sensors Solutions

Option 1: Passive Protection: Two-Tier Protection Strategy:

• Floodies (Flood Sensors) - Detect water presence within 3 seconds, send automatic alerts via phone calls, text, and email, and monitor temperature. Waterproof with up to 5 years of battery life.
• Flowies (Water Flow Sensors) - Strap onto existing water meters to provide minute-by-minute water flow data, abnormal usage patterns, and leak detection through AI algorithms.

Benefits: Proactive monitoring and immediate detection with real-time alerts, but requires manual response to shut off water.

Option 2: Active Protection ✓ CHOSEN Three-Tier Protection Strategy:

• Floodies (Flood Sensors) - Detect water presence within 3 seconds with automatic alerts and temperature monitoring
• Flowies (Water Flow Sensors) - Strap onto existing water meters to provide minute-by-minute water flow data, abnormal usage patterns and leak detection through AI algorithms.
• Shutties (Automatic Water Shut-off Valves) - Remotely control water flow and automatically shut off water when Floodies detect leaks or Flowies detect abnormal flow patterns.

Enhanced Benefits: Automated response system that not only detects problems but immediately stops water flow to prevent damage escalation - critical for a building with up to 70% vacancy rates.

The Solution: Choose Active Protection 

Given the unique challenges of high vacancy rates and the potential for extensive damage to multiple floors, the condo association chose Active Protection. The automatic shut-off capability was essential because:

• With 70% of units unoccupied, manual response to alerts could take hours or days
• Water damage could spread across multiple floors before anyone could respond
• The building needed a system that could act immediately, even when no one was present
• The potential for greater insurance premium discounts exists for active protection

Implementation

The building management implemented the complete Active Protection suite throughout the property:

• Shutties installed at hot and cold water stacks for immediate automatic shut-off capability
• Floodies: Shut-off valves strategically placed in units and mechanical rooms, as well as high-value areas, to detect the presence of water within seconds.
• Flowies are attached to water meters for continuous flow monitoring and AI-powered leak detection. Strap onto existing water meters to provide minute-by-minute water flow data, identify abnormal usage patterns, and detect leaks.

The system's cellular connectivity ensured reliable monitoring without requiring residents to maintain Wi-Fi networks during their absences, and the centralized dashboard provided maintenance staff with complete visibility across the building.

Results: Active Protection Delivers

The Active Protection system quickly demonstrated its value through multiple early detections and automated responses:

Immediate Impact

• The building experienced 3-4 fewer major water damage incidents annually, preventing leaks from spreading across multiple floors.
• Maintenance staff receive immediate alerts when abnormal water flow is detected, often identifying issues like malfunctioning toilet valves before they cause damage.
• The Flowie water flow monitoring devices alerted building management to weekly toilet leaks and faulty sprinklers, saving thousands of dollars annually.
• The Shutties' automatic shut-off valves prevented several potentially catastrophic flooding incidents, eliminating a common source of significant water damage
• Multiple instances where the system automatically shut off water to vacant units experiencing pipe failures, preventing what would have been extensive multi-floor damage

Long-Term Benefits

• Property Protection: Automatic shutoff in seconds prevents extensive damage from pipe breaks and leaks.
• Cost Savings: Early leak detection reduces water bills while preventing damage costs that can reach hundreds of thousands per incident.
• Insurance Advantages: Proactive protection systems may qualify for premium discounts with many carriers.
• Operational Efficiency: 24/7 monitoring of hard-to-reach building systems reduces maintenance issues and prevents costly surprises.
• Sustainability: Immediate leak response prevents both water waste and the environmental cost of replacing flood-damaged materials like flooring, cabinetry, and fixtures.

Conclusion

The Active Protection system has transformed property management at the condo association, providing real-time monitoring and automatic response capabilities that protect residents' investments even during extended absences. 

The system has paid for itself multiple times over by preventing major water damage incidents, while also improving resident satisfaction and reducing insurance premiums. For vacation condos with high vacancy rates, only Active Protection provides the automated response necessary to prevent catastrophic damage when no one is present.