Compare the approaches
Sensors that never stop, or a round once a week.
Inspection rounds catch the leak that happens to be visible when someone walks past. Continuous sensing catches the one that starts at 2am on a Sunday. Rounds still matter, but for the costliest claim the always-on approach is the one that pays.
Live monitoring. Automatic shut-off.
38Sensors OK
2Caution
1Isolated
Live zones
Plant room – moistureDryOK
Riser 3 – flow14.8 L/minIsolated
Roof tank – temp4.2°CFreeze risk
Incoming main – flowNormalOK
The leak rarely starts during the round.Inspection catches a leak only at the moment someone is standing in front of it, which is rarely when the slow failure actually begins.
Damage runs while the building is empty.Overnight, at weekends and over holidays a failed seal can flood floors before the next round is anywhere near due.
A burst pipe is rarely cheap.The average burst-pipe claim was around 7,500 pounds in 2024, and that is before drying, disruption and lost use are counted.
Rounds do not scale across an estate.More buildings mean more rounds, more cost and more gaps, and no schedule can put eyes in every plant room at once.
The AQUAIOT SolutionRequest a Consultation
Where the round helps and where it cannot
A physical inspection round puts trained eyes on plant rooms, risers and tank rooms, and there is real value in that. The limit is timing. A round catches a leak only at the moment someone is standing in front of it, which is rarely when the leak begins. Most failures start small and run quietly between visits. AQUAIOT closes that gap by sensing continuously. Moisture sensors sit where water collects, inline flow analytics read the main for the slow draw a person would never see, and an auto-isolation valve cuts the supply the instant a threshold trips, with role-based escalation to the duty holder.
A round is a snapshot. Inspection catches a leak only when someone is there to see it, so anything that starts between visits runs unnoticed until the next round.
Sensing is continuous. Moisture and inline flow analytics watch every hour, including nights, weekends and holidays when no one is on site to walk a round.
Sensing can act, a round can only report. Auto-isolation valves close the supply automatically on a trigger and escalate to the on-call engineer, rather than waiting for the next scheduled check.
Live leak status
Auto-isolation valve closed – Riser 3
Abnormal flow detected 03:14. Supply isolated, team notified.
Abnormal flow detected 03:14. Supply isolated, team notified.
How It Works
Three steps from first drop to evidence
Step 01
Detect
AQUAIOT moisture, flow and freeze sensors are deployed at the points water escapes. Every reading is timestamped and logged to the cloud over secure cellular or LoRaWAN telemetry.
Step 02
Alert and isolate
When moisture is sensed or flow goes abnormal, AQUAIOT raises an immediate alert by SMS, email and app, and closes the auto-isolation valve so water is stopped before damage spreads.
Step 03
Record
Every reading, alert and isolation event is captured in exportable, timestamped logs that integrate with CAFM and BMS, so evidence for insurers is ready on demand.
Capabilities
Everything a leak detection programme needs
Purpose-built for estates, facilities and risk teams protecting buildings against escape of water across single or multiple sites.
Moisture sensing at the risk points
Point, rope and tray sensors detect water at first contact under appliances, in plant rooms, risers and tank rooms, before it spreads.
Inline flow analytics
Continuous flow monitoring on the incoming main learns normal use and flags the slow weep or continuous draw a manual check never sees.
Freeze protection
Temperature monitoring on exposed and loft pipework warns before a freeze leads to a burst, so action can be taken in time.
Automatic shut-off
Auto-isolation valves close the supply the moment a moisture or abnormal-flow threshold is crossed, with manual remote override for the duty holder.
Multi-channel alerts with escalation
SMS, email and app alerts with role-based routing, so the right person responds day or night, on a single site or across a portfolio.
Open integration, no lock-in
Connects to BMS, CAFM and SCADA via RS485/Modbus or REST API, with audit-ready exportable records for insurers and owners.
Evidence & Assurance
Evidence your insurers and auditors expect.
Continuous moisture and flow sensing Insurer-recognised auto shut-off Role-based escalation Audit-ready event logs
Book a Demo
No commitment. Talk to our engineering team.
Questions & Answers
Common questions
Should we stop doing inspection rounds?
No. Physical rounds put trained eyes on plant and pick up issues a sensor would not, so the strongest approach uses rounds and continuous sensing together.
Why is continuous sensing better at catching leaks?
Because most leaks start between rounds, and continuous moisture and flow sensing watch every hour, so the slow weep is caught when it begins, not at the next visit.
What can sensing do that an inspection cannot?
It acts. Auto-isolation valves close the supply automatically on a trigger and escalate to the on-call engineer, rather than only recording a leak that someone later finds.
Does it cover nights and weekends?
Yes. Sensing runs around the clock with secure cellular and LoRaWAN telemetry, so out-of-hours leaks raise an alert and isolate the supply when no one is on site.
Is the system disruptive to install?
No. Sensors and clamp-on ultrasonic flow monitoring are non-invasive and retrofit-friendly, fitted in live buildings with no pipe cutting and no shutdown.
Explore the AQUAIOT range
Related leak detection pages
Ready when you are
Close the gap between rounds. Talk to an engineer.
Tell us how often you inspect and where your risk points sit, and we will scope continuous monitoring and automatic shut-off to back up the rounds you run.
Detection vs inspection – Speak to an AQUAIOT engineer about your buildings.
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