4/20/2024 0 Comments Flume app reviewEven without creating a water budget, simply watching the bar graphs spike laundry load by laundry load and watching the average usage fluctuate wildly on days the outdoor sprinklers were running added an unexpected element of gamification to the less-than-exciting task of home water conservation. The first few days the usage was credited as indoor (most of that from the toilets), but by day four, the Flume seemed to be correctly identifying the outdoor sprinklers, the shower and the clothes washer. In my experience, the app seemed to get a clearer picture of my household’s water usage over time. (Easy-to-understand graphics in the app track each day’s usage, breaking it down hour by hour and making it easy to compare current to historical usage.)Īnother way it helps save water is by providing a detailed breakdown of estimated usage by appliance (toilet, shower, irrigation system, dishwasher and the like) and making it easy for customers to create a water-conservation budget. One way the Flume app accomplished that was by providing a minute-to-minute, day-to-day look at how much water was being used around my home overall instead of the bimonthly snapshot found in the bimonthly LADWP bill. Mayor Eric Garcetti noted in the press release announcing the program in September 2022: “t can be hard to manage what you can’t measure.”) The overarching goal of the Flume app, which also can be accessed via a desktop computer after initial setup, is to heighten water-use awareness. How does it help with water conservation? This included the number of bathrooms and residents in my home and an extensive clickable list of water-using indoor and outdoor appliances. Attaching the sensor to the water meter itself turned out to be no more difficult than tightening a belt.Īfter completing the installation, the final step in the process was to create a home profile to help the Flume make sense of the data that was about to come flooding in. The Flume kit thoughtfully included a pair of disposable gloves as well as a tool to open the lid of the curbside water-meter housing. From opening the box to launching the post-installation tutorial, I spent a total of 21 minutes on the install - most of which was spent cleaning the accumulated dirt and grime off my water meter. And, for me, it did go quickly and smoothly. Is it that easy to install?Īnother big factor in deciding to take the Flume plunge was that I’d supposedly be able to install this high-tech gizmo without having to hire a professional plumber, purchase any specialized tools or burn an entire weekend on a DIY project. (As of this writing, the batteries in mine have been on the job for more than seven months with no issues.) 2. When your battery power level is low, you’ll receive a notification via the app and/or email to order new batteries. The location of the wireless bridge in your home depends on where your meter is (usually, but not always, at the curb in front of the house) the recommended maximum distance between the two is 1,000 feet.īecause the gadget installed on the water meter is battery-powered, you’ll eventually have to spring for a new proprietary battery ($14.99 before shipping and taxes).Īccording to Flume’s website, the lithium metal battery pack shipped with the sensor should last about a year under optimal conditions, and if it lasts six months or less, you’re encouraged to contact customer support. My final out-of-pocket cost was $38.66.ĭepending on the strength of your Wi-Fi signal and the distance between your router and the Flume’s wireless bridge, you may need to invest in a Wi-Fi signal booster (easy to find online at $20 and up) to make things work. The $25 was back in my bank account the next day. My total up-front cost was $63.66 ($14.66 of which was for shipping and taxes), and within minutes - literally - of finishing the installation, I received an email letting me know my refund had been processed. One of the things that first caught my attention about the Flume was the deeply discounted price available through the LADWP partnership: $49 (before taxes and shipping) instead of $249, with $25 of that refunded after the device’s installation. Here’s some of what I learned along the way.
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