STOP costly water damage before it starts using Rusco's Leak Detection Sensors!

 — 
6
 Min read
 — 
February 17, 2023

Water leaks around your home or apartment can lead to significant damage. If you’re not home at the time the leak occurs, the damage could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, with the advancement of technology in recent years, there are measures you can put into place in order to minimize this problem. There is a lot of information and stories suggesting why you want to take all of this seriously.

Let’s look at how big of an issue a water leak could be as well as how Rusco’s new smart product line can help protect you and your assets.
Water Damage Can be a Serious issue

Water damage is one of the most significant and costly risks facing property. An article on getnotion.com points to information provided by the Insurance Information Institute, which states that 29% of insurance claims back in 2019 were for damage caused by water leaks and freezing. The total cost of these claims has been rising over the years as well, as the same article points out that the average homeowner loss in 2019 from these kinds of damages doubled from where the figure was in 2007 to just over $11,000. When looking across the U.S. as a whole, household water damage costs up to $20 billion annually.

In order to illustrate how seriously the potential for water damage should be taken, getnotion.com shares a few stories based on real-life events. One of these stories refers to a man who returned home from a business trip to find water flowing from a basement window. After investigating, it was determined that the man’s hot water tank failed while he was away and basically created a swimming pool in his basement. Unfortunately, moisture seeped into all parts of the home and the damp atmosphere caused damage to floor joints, the subfloor, and drywall of the rooms above the basement. Mold was also growing all over the house. Once all of the damage was inspected, a building engineer declared the home structurally unsound and actually calculated that it would be less expensive for the homeowner to rebuild instead of trying to repair the damage. When all was said and done, the homeowner ended up spending around $465,000 in total between cleanup, rebuilding, storage unit fees and apartment rent while the home was being rebuilt.

The above example may seem extreme, but if it’s happened before it can certainly happen again. The good news is that leak detection systems are available in order to prevent a catastrophic situation like this one. And yes, it may cost some money in order to install one of these systems, but it’s still going to be a whole lot less than the cost that will be incurred if a hot water tank breaks, a pipe bursts, etc.

An electrical company in Phoenix called Super Electric has a piece published on their website referring to a couple of other cost saving advantages when implementing a water leak detection system. Getsuperservice.com suggests that aside from protecting yourself from costly repairs if significant damage occurs, you can simply save on your water bill by being aware of and fixing small leaks that will cost you dollars on a daily basis. Another advantage to implementing a leak detection system is that a number of insurance companies now offer a break on home insurance for installing them. Leaksmart.com shares a testimonial online from a homeowner who says that they saved $370 per year on their homeowner’s insurance when they installed a leak detection system and applied for a rebate.

Studies have been done showing that installing one of these water leak detection systems is in fact effective. LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a global data and advanced analytical leader, published information from an insurance claims study, which reveals that in-line water shutoff systems correlated with a decrease in water claims events by 96%! That same study also showed that during the time period it was conducted, there was a 10% increase in water claims events by those who did not have a water shutoff system. Just to add more proof as to the effectiveness of these systems, there was a 72% decrease in claims severity one year after the installation of a device. Clearly implementing a leak detection system into your home or apartment will make a difference!

If you don’t already have one of these systems installed in your home, Rusco has recently brought in a new line of smart products to help you out. A few months back, Rusco introduced what we call a Smart Ball Valve or SBV, and currently we are in the process of adding a Leak Detector Sensor and Smart Actuator to the line. All of these parts can be purchased separately with each one offering its own kind of protection for your assets, but they are also designed to work together creating a complete smart leak detection system for whatever situation you are in.

Rusco's Smart Ball Valve (SBV)

Rusco's Smart Ball Valve

The SBV can be tied into your system to serve as a shut off valve and even adjust the amount of flow you have running through your system. There is a button on the unit that allows you to manually open and close the valve, but it’s designed to work with smart technology as the unit can be paired with Alexa and Google Home and is offered in both Wi-Fi and Zigbee models. It works with the Smart Life app, allowing you to control it through your phone or tablet.


Rusco's Smart Leak Detector


Rusco's Smart Leak Detector

The Leak Detector Sensor works with smart technology as well. These sensors are designed to be placed around your home or apartment in places that may be more susceptible to water leaks and ultimately water damage. This device also works with the Smart Life app and if it detects water in a place that it shouldn’t be, it will send a notification to your phone or tablet alerting you of the problem. A really nice aspect of the Leak Detector Sensor is that it’s also capable of sending a signal straight to your Smart Ball Valve notifying it to close when there is a leak.


Rusco's Smart Actuator


Rusco's Smart Actuator

Rusco has also added a Smart Actuator to our line of smart products. This unit is designed to attach directly onto a pipe near where a ball valve is located and turn the handle on that ball valve, turning a regular ball valve into a smart one. A schedule can be programmed through the Smart Life app to open and close the valve, it can also be controlled remotely with your smartphone and you can set it up with the leak detector to automatically shut the ball valve if a leak is detected.


Being able to avoid serious water damage in your home means being able to save you from costly bills. If you don’t currently have a leak detection system in place or want to add to an existing one, be sure to check out Rusco’s new line of smart products. Call 1-800-345-1033 to speak to a live customer service representative and learn more.

Learn More About the Rusco Smart Line ➔


Source Notes: All information in this article relating to how much damage water leaks cause came from getnotion.com. Information regarding additional ways that implementing a water leak detection system can help you came from getsuperservice.com. Information relating to a testimonial on how a leak detection system saved a homeowner insurance money came from leaksmart.com. Information regarding how leak detection systems help lower insurance claims came from LexisNexis Risk Solutions.