Overview of protection against water leaks "Akvastor": device, advantages and disadvantages, installation rules

Cranes

Aquastorage ball valves are made of brass and plated with nickel. They close and open with electric motors. They have plastic gearboxes. The Expert version uses metal gears, while the Classic version uses plastic gears. In addition, the valves differ in that in the Expert version they control the position of the locking element and transmit a signal to the controller. In order to be able to distinguish them, the “Expert” wire has a bright red stripe, the taps of the “Classic” version have a black one. They can only work with controllers of their own type.

Electric crane "Classic"

Power is supplied to the electric motors at 5 V, which increases when the capacitors are discharged up to 40 V. Moreover, this voltage is supplied regardless of the state of the power supply. As a result, the taps close in 2.5 seconds.

Electric cranes and their characteristics

To ensure that the small force generated by the electric actuators is enough to turn the damper, additional gaskets have been added to the design of the crane, which reduce friction. This allows you to quickly turn the dampers with little effort. The gearboxes are covered with plastic caps that protect against splashes.

Electric taps are available for shutting off Aquastop water in three sizes - 15, 20 and 25 mm in diameter. Can be installed in both cold and hot water risers.

Sensors and their location

It would be logical to place the sensors where there may be water breakthroughs:

• under the bath;
• dishwasher;
• washing machine;
• boiler plant;
• heating boiler;
• batteries and towel dryers;
• at the lowest points of the floor. This is where the water will begin to accumulate;
• if the bathroom is separate, you can put one signaling device in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe toilet bowl.

Moreover, the sensor should not be located nearby, but under something. Strictly speaking, in places where water is likely to appear or accumulate. We will talk about the response time of the sensor, it is different for each manufacturer, but the whole system may not work properly precisely because of the unsuccessful location of the sensor.

If this is a radio sensor, then it is worth considering the distance at which it will work effectively. It may happen that a wall or partition interferes with the radio signal.

There are also two options for installing the sensor:

1. Level with the floor.
2. On the surface of the floor.

The difference in height gives a gain in the scale of flooding.

It is difficult to mount to the level on your own - you need special tools, but on the surface it is easier. Just place the sensors in areas of probable flooding.

Apartments

It is clear that in apartment buildings there is a centralized water supply and in an emergency it is more comfortable to cut off not the entire riser, but only the wiring in the apartment. But there is a small problem here. It is more logical to assume that shut-off valves on automation should be correctly installed on pipes BEFORE water meters.

But the management company insists on such modernization AFTER the meter. And if a tee is placed after the counter to connect the toilet flush tank? Automation simply nowhere to put.

There is, of course, a way out.

Before installing leakage protection systems, it is better to contact the management company and agree on this issue.

One more situation. If the apartment has two water supply systems. One for the bath and bathroom, and the second for the kitchen for washing. As they say, there are two ways.

1. Cardinal - to install automation on all risers.
2. Economical - to protect only the bathrooms.

But, nowadays dishwashers are popular and they also need to be controlled. Add to this the washing machine in the kitchen. And you get a full zone of control. The correct solution is to install two modules. Of course, there is also an economical option - to stretch the wires from the control module for sensors through the entire apartment to the kitchen. The decision, as always, is up to the owner of the home.

Heating completes the picture. In old houses, they also require control. Exit - in front of each battery you need to put an automatic shut-off valve with a flood sensor.

A private house

Most often, water is supplied to the house by a pump and then diverges through the system. Leaks and causes are the same as in apartment buildings. The water leakage protection system can be equipped here as well. The task is to turn off the pump in case of flooding.So, turning on / off the pump should be through a relay. Through it, connect the controller, which, when flooded, will give a signal to close the ball valve or water supply valve. Water consumption schemes for private houses are different, you need expert advice. He will study the water distribution scheme and tell you how to properly place locking devices to prevent flooding. Servo-operated taps after the pump are usually sufficient.

But heating also consumes water. And the boiler should not work without water. There are different situations. But the main task is not to leave it without water and start circulation along a small circuit. Again, we will not describe the different options - it is more correct for the owner to get advice from experts in boiler equipment. It's better not to joke with this.

There are systems with automated heating boilers. If an accident occurs and the leakage protection works, the boiler will automatically stop due to critical overheating. This, of course, is not a standard situation for him, but not critical.

Why is it necessary and how to install?

If a person, for some reason, cannot be constantly present at home, but does not want to rely on chance, then the right decision is to insure the apartment and pay 5-7 thousand rubles each. in year. However, it is better to invest once in the purchase of a water leakage protection system and forget about the times when thoughts of a flood filled your head.

The device works like this: water gets on the system sensor, in a few seconds a signal is sent to the main control unit and the taps in the room are closed. The system is trouble-free and always works in any situation, with the exception of if a person made a gross mistake during the installation of the warning device. Then there will be a delay in the signal, and the room will be flooded.Therefore, if there is no experience in installing similar devices, then it is better to call a specialist who will install quickly, efficiently and for a long time.

Stages of installation of the protection system

The first thing to do is to install a ball valve at the pipeline inlet after the valve handles. Also, along with this, it is recommended to install filters, so a person will increase the operating rate by 1.5-2 times

After that, an uninterruptible power supply is installed so that the device can function in the absence of electrical energy. Moreover, in rest mode, electricity consumption is 3 W, and in working condition it reaches 12 W.

Mounting sensors

Fixing the sensor in the floor with the contacts up - complicates the protection system, false signals start to work, and in some cases the device fails. If a person installs the device above the floor, placing the contacts from below, the device will work when there is already a puddle on the floor.

There are at least 7 places where a sensor would be useful:

• Under dubious hoses. More often these are flexible elements that are not distinguished by strength and durability.
• Low point. There are no ideal floors, in any house there are small irregularities. The task of the user is to find the low ground and mount the sensor. Water will begin to flow there, and the device will work.
• Place under washing machine or drain hose. It is not recommended to put the device next to it, it is likely that then the water will not reach it, and it will not work.
• A good place is under a heating boiler, radiator, etc.
• Also, some install equipment near a pump or boiler.
• Near water systems such as sinks, toilets, showers, etc.
• In the kitchen, the device is located under the siphon.

In addition to the examples presented, a popular method is “floor installation”. This method is recommended not only by plumbers with more than 10 years of experience, but also by protection manufacturers.

Here it is important to place the device in a place with a large accumulation of water. In this case, the location of the contact elements should be approximately 3-4 mm above the floor.

Such accuracy is needed to exclude false positives. When a wired signaling device is installed, the leading element is hidden in a corrugated pipe.

Wired or wireless?

Wireless sensors are installed in rooms where repairs have begun or if the owner prefers modern devices. Radio sensors are also mounted in rooms where it is even theoretically impossible to lay wires.

It is important to mount the controller in a dry place, as it supplies power to all components. There are two options: wired and wireless

However, in the process of repair work, you can hide the wires under the wall. A reliable way is to use the base part with wired sensors and connect several wireless ones to the system. Thanks to this, security will be at a high level.

Controller installation

Mounting the controller consists of 5 steps:

1. Holes are drilled in the place where the device box will be located.
2. With the help of construction tools, grooves are made for wires that reach each wire element.
3. Mounting box is attached.
4. The controller is being prepared for installation.This process will take a little time, it is enough to open the front case and connect the wires in the way indicated in the attached instructions. After completing this event, the device is attached with a pair of screws to the installation box.
5. The frame and front case are put back.

If during installation, the person did not make mistakes, then the protection will work for a long time. In standard mode, when there is no flood, the warning signal is green. When water begins to flood the floor, the color changes abruptly to red, an audible signal sounds, and an electric faucet blocks the flow of water.

Some technical points

Wired sensors are usually supplied with 2 meter cables. Electric ball valves are sold with the same cable length. This is not always enough. You can increase the length using the cable recommended by the manufacturer. Brands are usually indicated in the instruction manual. Only when buying, check the cross section of the wires. Unfortunately, very often the actual diameter is much smaller than the declared one.

Generally speaking, we can recommend the following extension cables:

• for wired sensors, a shielded twisted pair cable with a core cross section of at least 0.35 mm² is suitable;
• for cranes - a power cable in two-layer insulation with a core cross section of at least 0.75 mm².

Not always the correct arrangement of elements is obvious

It is desirable to make the connection serviceable. That is, if you are laying wires in a wall or floor, the connection must be made in a junction box. Connection method - any, reliable (soldering, contactors of any type, since the equipment is low-current). It is better to lay wires in walls or in the floor in cable channels or pipes.In this case, it will be possible to replace the damaged cable without opening the strobe.

Causes of leaks

Most likely, everyone knows about this phenomenon, but let's go over the probable causes of the floods again.

1. The person is forgetful. Often, turning on the faucet in the bathroom, we are distracted. The bath naturally overflows, and the insistent knock of a neighbor from below on the door helps to remember about it.
2. Old water pipes. Nothing lasts forever, not even steel pipes. They gradually rust, the walls become thinner and burst under the pressure of water. This effect is well known to the owners of apartments in high-rise buildings built in the distant 70s and 80s of the twentieth century.
3. Stop valve. The desire to save money, when even when replacing pipes, passage or shut-off valves of dubious production are installed. Often an old Soviet crane is preferable to a new Chinese one. In other words, the taps also break, burst and water under pressure floods first the owner of the apartment, and then the neighbor on the floor below.

These are only water supply problems. What if the sink gets clogged? The scenario is the same - overflow, wet floor, neighbor from below.

Sensors

Protection system from leaks can be equipped with wired and wireless sensors. They can be used both together and separately. Any of the sensors is periodically checked by the system for its "presence". In the event of a wire break in wired models or a wireless connection, the controller shuts off the taps.

In the sensor of any type, two contacts are installed when water gets on them, an alarm signal is generated.Moreover, in the Aquaguard Expert variant and when the Zvezda extension is installed on the Classic, the flooded sensor is displayed on the display panel. That is, you know where the water leak occurred.

Characteristics of the flood sensors Aquaguard

A metal plate is fixed at the bottom of the sensor. So that it does not oxidize, the surface of the plate is covered with gold. From the ingress of water drops, the sensors are protected from above by decorative covers. The plastic bottom in the form of a cross fixes the metal plate of the sensor. In the center of it there is a hole through which the sensor can be fixed with a self-tapping screw in a certain position.

Wired

Wired sensors are considered more reliable because they are connected to the controller by a physical circuit. To break it, you need to make some effort. The inconvenience is in their installation and the need to hide the wires. If the repair is over, it is not so easy to do it. As an option, you can use skirting boards with a cable channel, replacing ordinary skirting boards with them.

On the basis of wired water leakage sensors Aquastorage Classic, you can build an extensive monitoring system. To each of them, you can connect the next sensor or several, creating a kind of "tree". On the one hand, this makes installation easier, fewer wires are required than if you pull a line from each. But on the other hand, a break at the beginning of the chain will turn off the whole "branch" at once. And to find exactly where the break occurred will not work right away.

External type of wire sensors Aquaguard

The power supply of wired sensors is 2.5 V. This voltage cannot be dangerous to humans. Made in the form of a "tablet" diameter 53 mm and height 12 mm.

There are wired Aquastorage sensors in the following versions:

• Classic.Passive water leakage control sensor. In standby mode, electricity consumption is zero. Its status is checked by the controller at regular intervals. Wire length 2m and 4m, maximum distance 500m. Temperature range — from 0°C to +60°С.
• Expert. With the same appearance and dimensions, an additional board is built-in, which tests the state of the contacts and the integrity of the line to the controller. According to the results of the test, a signal of a normal operating condition or a break is sent to the controller. Cable length 2 m, 4 m, 6 m, 10 m, maximum distance - 500 m. Can be operated at temperatures from -40°C to +60°C.

The company provides a lifetime warranty for Aquastorage's wire sensors. In the event of its failure (physical destruction is not considered), it will be repaired or replaced with a new one.

Wireless

Wireless water leakage sensors Aquaguard are hidden in a white square plastic case. Square side 59 mm, sensor height 18 mm. In addition to the contact plates, three AAA batteries and a transceiver for communication with the controller operating at a frequency of 2.4 GHz are installed in the case. In addition to the main task - monitoring the lack of water, the sensor performs the following functions:

• Exchanges signals with the controller.
• Controls the charge level of the batteries. When it drops below a critical value, it generates an alarm and transmits it to the control unit.
• It has a built-in alarm that turns on when water appears on the contacts. So it's easy to spot the leak.

This is what wireless looks like water leakage sensors

The maximum distance of the sensor from the controller with the radio base is 1000 m, but this is subject to open space.In the presence of obstacles (including walls), the range of reliable reception is much less. To determine whether the controller "sees" the wireless sensor in the selected location or not, you can test (fill the contacts of the button with water and track the turning off and on of the water), or you can use the radio button.

Cranes

Aquastorage ball valves are made of brass and plated with nickel. They close and open with electric motors. They have plastic gearboxes. The Expert version uses metal gears, while the Classic version uses plastic gears. In addition, the valves differ in that in the Expert version they control the position of the locking element and transmit a signal to the controller. In order to be able to distinguish them, the “Expert” wire has a bright red stripe, the taps of the “Classic” version have a black one. They can only work with controllers of their own type.

Electric crane "Classic"

Power is supplied to the electric motors at 5 V, which increases when the capacitors are discharged up to 40 V. Moreover, this voltage is supplied regardless of the state of the power supply. As a result, the taps close in 2.5 seconds.

Electric cranes and their characteristics

To ensure that the small force generated by the electric actuators is enough to turn the damper, additional gaskets have been added to the design of the crane, which reduce friction. This allows you to quickly turn the dampers with little effort. The gearboxes are covered with plastic caps that protect against splashes.

Electric taps are available for shutting off Aquastop water in three sizes - 15, 20 and 25 mm in diameter. Can be installed in both cold and hot water risers.

How do leak protection systems work?

Such equipment has a specific name: it is SPPV - a water leakage prevention system. Without exaggeration, such a kit can be called the most effective way to deal with a nationwide "natural disaster" - a flood that happens unexpectedly. Constantly checking the condition of pipes and plumbing fixtures is not yet a guarantee that a leak will be detected on time, however, SPPV will help protect furniture, flooring, and give a chance to prevent “showdowns” with neighbors, which means it will save nerves and money.

There is a fairly large selection of such systems on the Russian market. Some are quite simple designs, therefore they have an acceptable price, while others, on the contrary, are more technologically advanced, therefore they are more expensive. In both cases, the principle of operation is the same: if moisture gets on the sensor, then the protective system manages to block the water supply within 2-10 (or more) seconds, so the owners manage to avoid “universal” flooding.

Device elements

In addition to sensors (round, rectangular) that signal an emergency, most protection systems have several more basic elements. These include:

• a controller (control unit or module) that receives and processes information from the sensor;
• faucets equipped with a servo drive (electric drive), they quickly shut off the water supply;
• a signaling device that notifies residents of a house or apartment about an emergency.

In some systems, there is a GSM module, it transmits an "alarm" signal to a mobile phone.

For the sensor to work, it must get wet, but a few drops of water are not enough for this. The surface of the device must be completely covered with moisture.After this happens, its contact will close, and the radio signal will begin to be transmitted to the controller.

The last device performs two functions at once: it turns on the electric drive and at the same time starts to notify about the leakage that has occurred. The control unit opens the taps again only when a signal is received from the sensors that they have become dry, which means that the accident has been successfully eliminated.

Devices can be wired or wireless. In the first case, the sensors are connected directly to the controller, so the device can "see" them. Wireless is more convenient to install, but the performance of such a protective system will have to be checked regularly.

Places of installation of protective systems

All elements are fixed in "their" places. Sensors are located where water can appear in the event of a flood: under the bathtub, sink, under the washing machine and / or on the floor behind the toilet, under potentially hazardous connections. The control unit is placed on the wall. If a wired design is selected, the distance between it and the sensors is limited by the length of the wires.

Cut-off valves are placed after the counters. Most systems can operate both from the mains and from a 12 V battery, there are only wireless models. The advantage of the latter option is safe use in “lawfully wet” premises, the universal one is the possibility of switching to autonomous operation in the absence of electricity.

The work of "Aquaguard": principles and features

The Aquaguard kit includes several devices that instantly detect a leak and save you from the problem in a few seconds. How does such a system work? Everything is quite simple: some sensors are installed on the floor around the apartment or house, which react to the level of humidity.

When an increased level of humidity is detected, a signal is sent to the controller that identifies the problem, and the device instantly turns off the water supply in a particular room (this branch of the water supply, apartment, house).

In this case, water is controlled by ball valves, which are installed near the intersection of the water supply with the apartment. So, the water stops flowing, and the flow of water stops without having time to cause significant harm.

Complete set of protective system

Such protective systems are relevant when the owners often go on trips or spend a lot of time at work, which is why they cannot immediately respond to an accident. Such complexes that protect against leaks have a high price category. However, if you do not want to spend money, you need to understand that in the event of a leak, you will have to pay much more to repair your own home and repair damage to neighboring apartments.

Sometimes people, in order not to overpay, act differently: they turn off the water every time they leave the house. But this is not a way out of the situation - the crane is not designed for continuous operation, and you will have to change it often. Users of the Aquastorage protective complex claim that it is very reliable and convenient. In addition, you do not have to think about whether you turned off the water before leaving.

Controllers

The control blocks of the Aquastorage anti-leakage system have a modular structure. To expand the functionality or increase the number of serviced devices, optional ones are added to the main control unit. Depending on the release version, 5 (Expert) or 6 taps (Classic) and an unlimited number of wired sensors can be connected to one block.To connect wireless, you need to purchase an additional "Radio base" unit and connect it to the main module.

The front panel contains LED indicators that display the status of connected wireless sensors. Even on the control unit, it is possible to connect external devices such as "Smart Home". The UPS is integrated into the case, which ensures continuous operation from three different power sources. In addition, the UPS itself, without extraneous power sources, ensures system performance for an hour. If no new sources have appeared during this time, a signal is generated to shut off the taps and the system goes into sleep mode.

Controllers look like small plastic blocks

In addition to the differences described above, the Expert version controller provides the following information:

• Control of open circuit of wired sensors and closing of taps in case of "loss". At the same time, the LED on the panel will light up, which is “tied” to a specific sensor.
• Wire break monitoring of ball valves and fault indication.

As mentioned above, both options - Classic and Expert - have a PRO variation. In this case, there is also a bistable power relay (220 V, 16 A), which, in the event of an accident, will turn off the power of a third-party device. This option is good for a private house. Through the contacts of this relay, power is usually supplied to the pump. So the system not only shuts off the water, but also stops the pump.

The valve damper position control function is available in any version. The condition of the locking ball is checked after each operation cycle (including after self-cleaning). If the position differs from the standard, the audible alarm is activated and all the LEDs on the panel blink.

Conclusion

Despite its price, the Aquaprotection system is a recognized domestic product. It is certified by many companies. Over the history of its existence, the manufacturer has proved that the domestic production of protective systems is also can be good quality and in demand in the market. The choice always remains with the consumer, but in the case of this company, there are simply no analogues for such a price. A wide range of modifications allows you to gradually update the protective circuit, increasing the overall safety of the dwelling. Installation variability will help to put the device in a room of any purpose

It doesn't matter if it's in the bathroom or the kitchen. The considered system will be a great addition to your smart home and an indispensable assistant in critical situations.