A hospital is taking proactive measures to prevent major water damage, improve patient experience, and avoid increases in insurance expenses with Alert Labs award-winning water leak detection solutions including the Shuttie remote water shut-off valves.

“By helping us prevent future pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) leaks, AlertAQ™ frees up resources. We can respond to other demand events more efficiently and avoid the costs from water damage that are not covered by insurance.”

- Facility Manager

$1.6M in Prior Water Damage Costs

The 1.5 million sq. ft. healthcare facility with 700+ beds had experienced several pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) failures in the past 3 years. The failures did not pose any health risks to staff or patients, but they did cause extensive water damage. Because healthcare facilities require that all restoration work comply with stringent regulations and safety protocols, repair costs are higher and the duration of work is longer. The water damage remediation resulting from the PVB leaks cost the hospital over $1.6 million.

First Onsite: Restoration and Prevention

First Onsite Property Restoration, who was called in to repair the damage caused by the PVB leaks, provides preparedness and prevention consultations with customers. First Onsite advised the integrated facility management team (IFM) contracted by the hospital to proactively prevent water damage by deploying smart water leak solutions. After investigating competing technologies, Alert Labs emerged as the provider of the most effective solution. Its cellular-connected water leak detectors, automatic water shut-off valves and the AlertAQ™ water intelligence platform were installed.

Early Water Leak Detection and Shut-Off

Water leak detectors were placed near the PVBs and automatic water shut-off valves were installed on the pipes. Now, when a PVB fails and leaks, the water leak detector gets wet and sends a signal to the AlertAQ™ platform which then tells the designated automatic water shut-off valve to stop the flow of water.

Early Detection. Big Savings.

Based on the estimated PVB failure rate, the forecasted repair, insurance, and operational disruption costs far exceeded the investment in early water leak detection with the AlertAQ™ platform. Savings are projected to be $1,000,000+.

The hospital has already installed 40 Shuttie automatic water shut-off valves and 40 Floodie flood sensors & water leak detectors. A roll out of 35 more installations is planned for the coming year.

Working Together

First Onsite partners with their clients with a focus on preparedness and prevention. As part of this approach, First Onsite is proud to use Alert Labs solutions to help commercial clients proactively minimize water damage, reduce emergency repairs and disruptions to building services while improving water conservation efforts. firstonsite.ca