What's the consensus on water valves?

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a post regarding water leaks and ST saving the day. I am looking to control my water main shutoff, after experiencing a minor flooding issue at my house. I’ve been looking into the available options that are not going to brake my wallet or require major plumbing, and just want to hear good recommendations from the community.

Here’s a recent one :slight_smile:

You are right - I think it depends on how much you want to spend and if you want the valve to sit on top of the shut-off lever or a ball valve that requires plumbing work. Also, the size of your pipe/Lever will matter. I have a 1 1/2 inch pipe and Zooz customer service was not confident their valve would be able to handle it - I wrote them an email a while back.

I just installed a dome valve ($99/Amazon) and it works just fine. Install took less then 15 min without any issues.

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Thanks for pointing this one. I should’ve explained ST saving the day by a water valve shutoff. If I am not at home, I will get a leak notification without much to do about it.

I was just eyeing this one and it seems to be a winner so far. How are you liking it? Any missed open/close commands?

I bought the Econet EBV105 a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. I was worried the dome one would not be strong enough because of the way it mounts so went this route. Pretty hefty mount and it paired easily and just works.

The dome valve has been pretty solid so far but I only have it installed for a couple of days now. Bild quality is good and connection is stable. My lever was a little hard to move but the motor does not have any problem with it. The Econet looked pretty good, too but does not fit 1 1/2 inch pipes.

I just ordered the Dome valve and will update accordingly. I already have an AEOTEC water sensor and I will see how it works.

Dome, ZooZ, EcoNET - they all use the EXACT same motor and chipset for controlling the actual water valve. The difference lies in the mounting hardware. IMHO EcoNET has the BEST mounting hardware for it, it’s the most stable and doesn’t twist under pressure. And yes when you have an old ball joint or a larger than one inch pipe that mounting hardware makes all the difference when it matters when the pedal hits the metal (no pun intended). If it twists, the game is over. If it shudders it won’t close completely and you’ve still got a leak.

Here are a few experiences

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I am looking at both the EcoNET and Dome valve shut-offs, can you explain why the EcoNET has better mounting hardware? Looking at pictures of both, it appears that the Dome would actually be more stable with two mounting points vs. the one mounting point on the EcoNET. Am I missing something?

EnoNET:
https://www.econetcontrols.com/images/ebv-105_pipe-side682x454.jpg?crc=3941831483
Dome:


The EcoNET is actually the preferred device for my situation because my 1/4 turn ball valve is not quite parallel/perpendicular in the on/off positions, it’s off by a few degrees and it looks like the EcoNET will more really adjust for that.

It looks like they may have changed the hardware. The original mount we have in our labs looks like this:

image

It’s metal plate with multiple points of contacts making is VERY stable. This works extremely well for older valves which have hardened with age and are difficult to turn. The clip based mounts work only for newer/smaller valves which turn easily. When the valve is a little “jammed” the clips tend to “twist” out where as the metal plate holds it steady.

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Wouldn’t be able to say about the EcoNET. I ended up getting the Dome and it works well for me. It is stable enough and it opens/closes the valve without an issue, but my valve is not stuck and it is actually perpendicular/parallel.
I ended up using the manufacturer’s custom device handler but I honestly don’t know how it would perform on the generic z-wave device. So far I haven’t needed it, but it works every time I test it.

I have the Dome. The main reason I purchased it was because if the valve leaks, I don’t have to go hunting for a valve that will work. Any standard 1/4 turn ball valve will work.

For a story about it saving the day, a water line at the water softener broke. I have a Samsung leak detector within a foot of the softener, AC drain and water heater. The sensor detected the leak, and the valve shut off within 15 seconds saving a lot of mess to clean up.

The only unfortunate thing was the leak happened about 2 am and I didn’t see the text message on my phone until 5 am. But it could have been much worse. For that my investment in “all those dang SmartThings” (doing the best impression of my wife) paid off just from that single event.

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@RBoy Looks like EcoNet has redone their device completely, at least on the outside.

https://www.econetcontrols.com/smart-bulldog-valve-robot.html

Anyone have this newer valve? It’s now twice the price of Dome and others.

I bought the Dome unit first, but my valve is connected to the water line with an extra fitting which prevents the bracket from sitting straight on the pipe. It meant I wasn’t able to align the motor axis with the valve. The Dome was $140 CAD from Amazon. Luckily I’ll be able to return it and the $58/piece sensors.

I bought the Econet Bulldog as a replacement. It was $190 CAD from a Canadian vendor. I just finished installing it and it works great. I like that the control unit is separate because I can mount it higher on my wall. I also bought the Econet sensors, they’re only $50 each.

I purchased a Dome valve when the price dropped on a special. While it works, I am not impressed about the design. The mount is metal, and that is nice, however it all seems to flex quite a bit where it attaches to the plastic case. Also, the ring on the axis tends to get caught with the tap due to little clearance. Anyway… it works.

EcoNet’s Bulldog doesn’t seem to be much sturdier. Is it? The price is over 2x what I paid for Dome’s version which already seems expensive for what it is. I have a project in mind where I will need another one for the whole home water shut off so I am on the lookout for better options.

Edit: This post remained in edit mode for a couple days… meanwhile my Dome Shut Off Valve seems to have broken. It fails to open and close and when it does there is a clicking sound. Not a good sign!

Maybe this one, zigbee

ls-product-valve

I got it in $50 at Lowes special

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The Econet is pretty beefy. My valve is a bit hard to move (and by that I mean you can’t just use a single finger, you have to use some arm leverage - so it’s not stuck by any means). The difference, and maybe you found it with the Dome, is that the motor on the Econet is can take a lot more. Plus they worked with me on a couple of things and actually fabbed a slightly different collar to fit around my valve - it’s not special BTW, just 3/4" FIPxFIP Nibco LF.

In the end, if I was doing a retrofit like this, I think I would go with Econet any day. But, if I were doing new work, I would go with one of the valves that has it built in - it’s just a much cleaner install.

Below is the Econet:

@LLwarrenP - A bit unrelated but I noticed your water pressure is at about 110psi, well over the maximum recommended 80 psi for a residence. This high pressure can cause leaks in your home. There should be a pressure regulator at the meter but I would consult a plumber before touching anything.

Edit: Nevermind… I am guessing the meters are on the right (black tops) and the pressure regulator is right after the valve so the pressure I saw was before the regulator. All good :slight_smile:

Yes, It drops to 70 for both feeds after the yellow colored regulators. For sure that pressure is high!

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The device you got for $50 is now $179 from Amazon!


How are you liking it? Does it work well with your SmartThings? How often do you test it? I’m looking for a plumbed-in solution and this seems reasonably priced.

Here’s another one I found:

I’m also looking for a flow meter, and this one says it works only with SmartThings:

Any updated thoughts / recommendations?