The Flo monitor communicates constantly with the Flo cloud servers so that water flows are tracked and categorised. When a Flo leak detector is triggered, the Flo cloud will generate an alert that triggers the Flo to shut off the water immediately. Similarly, unexpected high water usage will trigger a warning that the water will be shut off in five minutes. When Flo is in 'Away' mode, even a small water flow will trigger a shutdown.
What happens in the event of an Internet connectivity issue or a Flo cloud outage? Flo introduced Local Mode in February 2021, but this feature is intended for builders who want to protect homes under construction without an Internet connection. I was advised by Flo Support that the Flo monitor acts even without a connection to the Flo cloud. However, the leak detectors do not communicate directly with the Flo monitor.
I decided to test this feature. The first challenge was to disconnect just the Flo monitor from the Internet. I set Flo into 'Away' mode. I then used my router's "Access Restriction" feature to block all access to the Internet from the Flo monitor. The status light on the Flo monitor started blinking, although it took over an hour before Flo alerted me that the Flo monitor was offline. I then turned on the tap - a flow of less than a liter/quart resulted in the water being shut off. I restored the Flo monitor's Internet access, got a notification that it was online, switched Flo to 'Home', and opened the valve via the app. It is possible to open the Flo valve manually, but I had forgotten the exact instructions (always good to know these things).
The next step was to test detection of high water flows. I regularly see alerts when my shower exceeds 24 gallons, warning me that the water would be shut off in five minutes. On average, the shower flow rate is about 1.8 gallons/minute. I blocked Internet access from the Flo monitor and hopped in the shower. When I was done, I diverted the shower flow back to the bathtub spout. About four minutes later, Flo shut off the water, consistent with online operation.
I restored Internet access to the Flo monitor. Since the Flo monitor had never been reported offline, it took two attempts to open the Flo valve. I had left the bathtub tap open - it took few minutes to get back upstairs and shut it off. I also ran the tap to clean the sink. The Flo monitor stores some information about offline flows - when I checked the Flo report, I found a 15 minute 'Shower' event that used 46 gallons. The duration is shorter than I expected, and I suspect the volume includes all three flows. The good news is that the Flo monitor provides protection even if the Internet or Flo cloud goes down. Power outages are not covered, but then my well pump stops working.
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