Are you a property manager interested in ensuring your tenant’s safety while saving time, money, and headaches? Underestimating the hazards associated with boiler leaks is one of the riskiest mistakes you can make, and it's easily preventable.
Being able to identify when your boiler is leaking at an early stage is critical to prevent damage and help maintain efficient operation. Understanding how to implement water leak sensors to aid in tracking leaks will help save you from costly repairs and ensure your boiler continues to run smoothly and keep your household warm. Perceptive Things offers a wide variety of sensors that allow you to catch leakages right after they occur, minimizing damages to your building and ensuring it’s a safe place.
Reasons a Boiler Can Leak
One of the main reasons a boiler leaks is corrosion. This occurs when the metal parts of the boiler react with oxygen and water to produce rust, weakening the metal, and over time, causing leaks.
3 Types of Corrosion
Pitting corrosion: Localized form of corrosion by which cavities or "holes" are produced. Local anodic/cathodic point forms and oxygen catalyzes a hole to form.
Crevice corrosion: Localized attack on a metal surface at or next to any gap or crevice between two surfaces. The process can feed itself and accelerate corrosion, even for alloys or metals with a strong passive layer.
Galvanic corrosion: This happens when metals that are electrochemically dissimilar are in electrical contact. Commonly found in hydronic systems with dissimilar metals in the boiler's heat exchanger and piping. The most common causes are too high or too low pH levels, acidic compounds wearing away the metal, and when hydrogen, oxygen, or dissolved carbon dioxide comes in contact with surfaces.
Prevention
Regular inspections of pH levels, boiler pressure, temperature, water quality (impurities, hardness, and oxygen levels), and any signs of rust
Hazards Associated With Boiler Leaks
Leaking boilers can result in significant water damage which has many consequences. This includes the growth of mold, structural issues, and even potential fire hazards.
Mold
If moisture is not cleaned up within a short period (24-48hrs) mold can grow.
Mold spores are microscopic organisms and once they become airborne it becomes difficult to get rid of. Mold cannot always be seen by the naked eye before it becomes airborne.
Mold spores in the air can result. in people getting sick. Problems include allergies, asthma, infections, etc. It is especially harmful to those with a weaker immune system (infants, children, seniors).
Structural Issues
Water weakens the structural integrity of walls and ceilings. Over time this can cause the eventual collapse of the building. You have to be especially careful around wooden structures. Wood is porous which means that over time any exposure to water will pass through the wood's fibrous membrane.
Eventually, the wood can rot, soften, and/or fall apart. If the wood is damaged, the whole building can become compromised. Materials such as ceiling tiles, plaster, carpet, and drywall must be replaced after a water leak.
Electrical Issues
Water is a conductor, which means it can create a short circuit when it comes into contact with electricity. Electrical issues may lead to power outages and even electrical fires.
Water can also corrode wires (gradual decomposition of materials due to interactions).
When the wire breaks down, it will likely lead to faulty or loose connections (Also a fire hazard). Electrocution occurs because water conducts quickly when in contact with electrical currents. Trying to fix a device that water is contacting can result in severe injury or death.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
When leaking, a boiler can push carbon monoxide into the house. Eventually, this can lead to deadly carbon monoxide poisoning (CO in the air replaces the Oxygen in people's blood cells).
CO poisoning can lead to serious tissue damage and even death. More than 400 Americans die from CO poisoning each year, and over 14,000 others are hospitalized.
Why Sensors Are Useful in Preventing Leaks
Perceptive Things® helps to prevent water damage from happening with specialty smart sensors. The sensors send alerts and information using its IoT Platform, preventing thousands of dollars in damage repairs.
Why and how sensors are useful for prevention
Sensors alert people of a leak before they notice it themselves. It is easy for people to prevent a leak early on before the damage worsens. The sensors can also help facility managers guarantee safety and save on costly repairs.
Maintenance teams may use them as a preventative measure so they know what tasks to prioritize. Property managers will also have the satisfaction and comfort of knowing that tenants are not at risk for dangerous water damage from unnoticed leaks.
Expenses
The average claim for water damage is $10,234
The average cost of a boiler repair is $1,450
The average minor leak costs $10,000 to fix
The average cost of water damage restoration is $3,300
Smart leak sensors can help to identify leaks before the damage increases, making repairs less expensive. Repairs cost more the longer the problem goes unfixed. The sensors help to prevent you from having to pay more for repairs because leaks are caught early.
To make your decision easier, we've created a handy calculator to help determine your ROI of implementing smart water sensors.
Types of Sensors
You may want to contemplate buying a water leak sensor from Perceptive Things®
Droplet Solo™
The Droplet Solo is an all-in-one smart water sensor. Simply place the sensor where you want to detect water and wait for an alert.
Droplet Duo™
The Droplet Duo offers the same great leak detection as the Droplet Solo but with two separate probes. It is the perfect sensor for detecting water in multiple nearby locations.
Droplet Pro™
The Droplet Pro is designed to detect water across a large area. The rope-like sensor can be easily strung out along a wall or cabinet to sense water droplets.
These smart sensors come tested and pre-configured. Best of all, installation can be completed within a few minutes by a property owner or manager.
To Wrap It All Up
Installation of water leak sensors near your boilers is a proactive way to prevent the potential dangers associated with boiler leakage. These sensors will help not only identify the leak in its early stages but also help you minimize the costs and damages that would have otherwise followed.
The world is constantly changing, and using sensors that contain the latest technology will allow you to stay ahead of the game and make sure that tenant safety comes first.
Have you ever dealt with a sudden boiler leak before? What steps did you take to resolve it?
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