Flume 2 Smart Home Water Monitor & Leak Detector – WiFi Connected, Real-Time Usage Tracking & Alerts – Works with Compatible Residential Water Meters

I have installed the Flume water meter in my home, and I am thrilled with its performance. The installation process was impressively easy and non-invasive, requiring minimal effort on my part. The Flume app has proven to be a game-changer for monitoring water flow in my household. Its user-friendly interface provides real-time insights into water usage, empowering me to make informed decisions about my consumption habits. The app's functionality goes beyond mere tracking – it actually helped me identify leaks in both my toilets and irrigation system. The timely alerts allowed me to address these issues promptly, preventing water wastage and potential damage. Flume has become an invaluable tool for water conservation in my home. By keeping a close eye on usage patterns and swiftly detecting leaks, I feel more in control of my water consumption. The device not only promotes eco-friendly practices but also contributes to cost savings on water bills. The Flume water meter is an exceptional device for those looking to monitor and conserve water in their homes. Its easy installation, intuitive app, and ability to pinpoint leaks make it an essential tool for both environmental responsibility and home safety. I highly recommend the Flume water meter to anyone seeking a smart and effective solution for water management. Also, check your local water authority because they may have additional rebates available!

I bought the Flume 2 Smart Home Water Monitor & Leak Detector for a large house with an extensive, automated garden system, and it’s now non-negotiable infrastructure for me. I travel a lot and thought I had a handle on usage—my typical summer bill, including watering, is about $200. Then a hidden leak pushed that to roughly $700 a month. Because I’m billed quarterly, I didn’t catch it until I opened a statement for more than $2,000! Flume fixed that blind spot. It was easy to install, and the app gives me real-time visibility from anywhere. I can dial the sensitivity up enough to catch even small changes in usage. The most valuable feature is the ability to distinguish indoor from outdoor leaks so I know immediately whether to look at sprinklers and drip lines or something inside the house. What used to take days of guessing now takes minutes to diagnose and address. For any property with complex irrigation or high seasonal usage, this is a smart, bill-saving upgrade.

Update 6/19/23: I have had my flume 2 for two years now. Works great- but lowering stars due to flume’s changing the replacement battery to “proprietary”. My original pack that came with the unit lasted two years. The original pack is simply a holder for 4 AA lithium cells you can get anywhere. But Flume now wants you to buy a replacement pack for $14. It uses four AA cheap no-name Chinese cells spot welded in a plastic housing. Field reports indicate these cells last far less than the factory Everready cells that came in my original Flume2. So they sell you cheap, no name cells that last far less. Very disappointed Flume tried to change the battery type to proprietary, when we all know it is 4 AA lithium in the package. The approach is greedy and NOT environmentally friendly. The four “blue” spot welded AA are cheap, and don’t last as long. So, Flume added cost and materials (spot welding, molded case), all adds energy, not readily recyclable, and takes far more energy to manufacture and ship than the user replaceable original. Fortunately, I have the original reusable cage and will forevermore replace my own. Shame, Flume. Shame. Pros: Easy install, very good and responsive customer support. Cons: battery- see above. Missing a signal strength indicator on the app; I had a unit that could not connect reliably at 60 feet line of site- Customer support can see the signal strength, I could not- so no ability to self-diagnose. First, I LOVE the FLUME 2, when it worked. The first unit I received worked for 12 hrs- I enjoyed seeing the water usage patterns- but then it just stopped working- it lost connection between the Bridge and the sensor at my meter. The only way to regain connection was to remove the sensor from my meter and bring it close to the bridge. I spent days on the app chatting with Customer support, trying different things. In the end, they said: Just return it, it won't work in your application. I said "but wait, surely it should have more than 60 feet range?, maybe mine is defective". Eventually I had to "escalate" (to a manager), who authorized a no question asked shipment of a new unit. I installed it, verified it worked great- my meter is in a "vault" with a cement cover. I ended up being able to put the bridge about 100ft away, near a window but not facing the window. So the first unit WAS defective (low range). With the 2nd unit, I have now had great water monitoring experience. And, the customer support (via app chat) WAS very responsive. I dock one star for: a) no signal strength meter on the app? That was the problem- a simple set of bars would tell you if your bridge and sensor have enough strength. b) I had to convince them something must be wrong with the first unit, and ask for a supervisor/manager to intercede. c) there should be more troubleshooting/diagnostic tests and tools for self-diagnosis, without having long chat sessions with Support. FLUME customer support did the right thing, we figured out together that Flume 2 could work in my setup. High marks for the overall experience- they brought a 1 star (when they said "just send it back") to 4 star because of Customer support- they were always patient and polite...

Was surprised how easy this was to install and use. Assuming your meter is compatible (take a photo and the website will tell you) the unit installs in a few seconds, and connection to the app was flawless. AI detection of different devices is pretty good, but I'd like a bit more manual override ability more than simple renaming. UI Graphs could be (and are being) improved, but overall is very simple to use and produces great stats. Leak and high use detection works well, and connection/compatibility with Home Assistant was a big plus.

I purchased the Flume 2 a few months after buying my first home. I researched various leak detection options like Moen Flo and Phyn Plus but ultimately decided on Flume because it monitors water usage directly from the water meter. This means I can monitor leaks not only inside my home but also on the water line servicing my home and my sprinkler system, providing a more comprehensive view of my water usage and potential issues. **Installation & Setup:** No plumbing or wiring required—just strap the sensor onto your water meter, plug in the Wi-Fi bridge inside your home, and follow the app’s step-by-step instructions. The app even prompted me to take a photo of my meter for calibration, and Flume’s support team confirmed compatibility before I bought it. The installation took about 15 minutes. **Performance & Accuracy:** While I didn’t test it for 0.01 gallon per minute accuracy, I did test the Flume 2 by filling a bucket and comparing the readings, and they matched exactly. The app dashboard is intuitive, showing real-time and historical usage, and you can set up custom alerts and water budgets to help manage your consumption. **Leak Detection:** Last year, Flume alerted me to a leak. After checking inside my home and ruling out any internal leaks, I discovered that the issue was actually a small leak right at the water meter. I contacted the utility company, and they promptly fixed the leak. This year, Flume alerted me again to a leak. After ruling out leaks inside the house and at the meter, I hired a leak detection company who found the leak on a coupling on the main water line. These two leaks just show how correct in my decision on flume versus the other water leak detection systems. **Smart Home Integration:** I was able to integrate Flume 2 with both Hubitat and Home Assistant, which made it easy to incorporate water usage data and leak alerts into my broader smart home automations. This flexibility was a huge plus, allowing me to set up custom rules and notifications that fit my household’s needs. **Battery Life & Maintenance:** The battery lasted a little over a year for me, even with the sensor about 30 feet away from the home base, which I have set up on the second floor. While replacing the flume 2 battery was straightforward and only took a few minutes, it is a propriety battery pack though compared to flume 1. Flume also sells a replacement battery kit for around $20, which includes not only the batteries but also desiccant packs to help keep the sensor dry. The black battery pack does allow you to diy a battery pack if you like with regular lithium AA batteries. **Limitations:** Flume 2 won’t automatically shut off your water if a leak is detected, however, I addressed the shutoff limitation by adding a Bulldog valve robot, which does integrate with Flume and allows for automated water shutoff. While Flume does attempt to break down water usage by fixture type using machine learning—and you can help the algorithm by tagging usage events—I’ve found that this feature isn’t very accurate. One significant limitation I’ve noticed is that, while Flume will alert you if the Wi-Fi bridge goes offline, it does not notify you if the sensor itself stops reporting to the bridge. This happened to me twice: once due to a range issue and another time when the battery died. Although there is supposed to be a low battery alert, I did not receive one when the battery actually died. While flume saved me twice from leaks, I could have easily missed those leaks because the sensor went offline without being alerted. It is important to be aware of this gap and why I rated it as 4 instead of 5. **Awareness & Savings:** I haven’t noticed much in terms of day-to-day water savings, but I am definitely much more aware of my daily and weekly water habits. The detailed usage breakdowns and alerts have helped me understand exactly when and how water is being used in my home, which is valuable for long-term conservation and catching potential issues early. **Final Thoughts:** Flume 2 is a must-have for any homeowner who wants to avoid water damage, stay informed, and monitor water usage with minimal hassle. Highly recommended for its accuracy, reliability, and user-friendly design.

I had a couple of high water bills while away from property. Installed the Flume meter as soon as I returned. Easy to install and you can get accurate water usage by the hour. If water runs for more than two hours, you get notified. Great tool for home use.

I was worried that my meter was too far away from the bridge and the water sensor. According to Flume the bridge and sensor can communicate upto 1000 feet away. My water meter is in an in ground cement vault and approximately 300 feet from the bridge. Keep in mind the operative here is UPTO 1000 feet depending on building structure, walls, fences, etc., etc. Much to my surprise it works. The bridge is in the garage and the sensor is in front of my neighbors house, probably about 300 feet away. The signal travels through two stucco walls and system works perfectly. I use the same Flume smartphone app for two of my homes and must say the programing is wonderful. Some of my friends think they don't need to monitor water leaks but here are a few scenarios that I have already experienced since installing my first Flume. 1) Flume app notified me of a leak. I shot the main water off to the house and the leak stopped. Turned the main back on, the leak started. Through a very tedious trial and error, it was a defective shutoff valve at my RO system under my sink. The exit line unloads into my sink drain under the sink, no sound, no puddles, just a leak. 2) A drip system valve wasn't closing all the way, the leak was so small, there was no visable water, Flume caught it. 3) Recently I was away on vacation (7 hrs from my home), my gardener left a water hose bib slightly on. Thankfully Flume sent me a notification and my good neighbor was able to turn the water off otherwise it would the water would have been on for a week. In closing, years ago before the Flume was installed, my wife and I headed off to work and discovered a water hose to the washing machine split and sprayed water for about 8 hours until we arrived home. Needless to say our home was severly flooded, ruined our carpeting and subfloor throughout the house costing thousands of dollars and inconvenience. If you find yourself thinking why would I need a monitor system, think Flume, it is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

This is a first pass at reviewing this device. I will add to it when I learn more. It was recommended (but not sold) by an irrigation professional contact . Amazon got it to me in 3 hours and I installed it 5 hours ago. Reason for buying was having an alarm to notify me of a leak in irrigation system (common and cost/waste of water is the big motivator) or an alarm in terms of leak inside of house when I am away from home (cost of water damage issue) . Secondarily to look at useage in various branches of the irrigation system as well as pool evaporation. My meter is in a well in the front yard like many properties in the greater Phoenix area. The well is ~ 50 feet from the house. FLUME gives you a handy tool to open the lid on your well. The sensor simply straps to the meter and this takes 2 minutes. "Sensor" is a bit of a misnomer because it does not really sense flow direcly. It senses the rotating magenetic field of an impeller in the water meter. In effect eh FLUME sensor is eaves dropping on the flow meter in the water meter. Looking at Patent 10750253 confirms this. Clever! So you would think that clever scheme would then report 1:1 exactly the same flow rate as the water meter. FLUME tech support remotely ran a calibration (as a favor) while I asked them for support in getting the radio link working better. You would think that it would have been really accurate after a calibration by FLUME tech. FLUME now measures 100.8 Gal while my water meter reports 103.4 Gal. a -2. 6% error. I could live with that error in the auto calibration if they woudl give you some place in the UI to manually enter the 1.02579 calibration factor so that the meter an FLUME would read 1:1. But there is no way to enter a calibratin factor manually. The sensor is batery powered and has a low power 900 MHz radio transciever to communicate witeh the WiFi bridge. Thsi is challenging becsue the sensor is in a small well and has no direct line of sight. WAHt is really frustating is that they is no singal level indicator to aid yo in moving the WiFi Bridge around to get the best signal. You can't call FLUME. The only tech support is chat which is anoying becuse it seems tht the support person is trying to deal witeh 4 other people at the same time as you. So I tried the chat and could not convince the tech to give me some numerical readings. It turned into game of warmer - colder. Tech informs me that FLUME purposely left the signal strength indicator out of the UI because it was too confusing. Not sure whey they can't give us the 5 bars we have had on cell phones for 25 years. The warmer - colder over a chat was pretty frustrating. Eventually he shared the actual reading number with me and I got a better sense of what was making a bigger difference in increasing signal. And the sensor connected well enough to let FLUME tech do a calibration. I had really hoped to optimize the location of the Bridge because I did not want a marginal RF link situation with the radio doing a lot of retries and consuming the proprietary battery more quickly as well as possibly missing data. Eventaullay a tech lead got on the chat and things went a bit better. I ended up putting the Wifi Bridge in a second floor window witeh a better view into the well. But I had not yet put the concrete lid back on the well when the 7 pm cutoff for tech support happened. Is seems to be conneced now but not sure how robust it is without a signal level indicator. Will "chat" again tomorrow with support. Also , FLUME is limited to classifying water usage by various devices in the household. I had hoped to be able to have the 9 different sprinkler zones as separate elements of my irrigatin system to dermine say if if say one zone is leaking . It will not do that. You have to sort it out from the 1 minute resolutin bar graph on your phone (that can't be exported as CSV for analysis in Excel). I will add to this review as I live with it a bit longer.