How to prevent water damage in condominium?

Some expert advice!

Whether you’re a tenant or a homeowner, living in a condo, apartment or house, water damage is always a disastrous scenario! We’re always looking for preventive solutions, especially knowing that 95% of water damage incidents happen when people are away from home1.

In fact, water damage is the number one cause of home insurance claims in Quebec2, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).

If you live in a condo, you should be even more concerned about water damage since the situation can quickly become more complicated when it involves more than one person and more than one insurance company. The water may not only damage your private space and that of others, but also the common areas of the building, leading to serious financial consequences.

Thankfully, technology has come a long way to prevent water damage, even when you’re away from home. Leak detectors, now well-established in the industry, are highly recommended solutions for preventing water damage.

Prevention through good design

According to Joël Legault, T.P. President of the Legault-Dubois building inspection firm, prevention must be factored into the early stages of building design. “To ensure its sustainability, it’s important to fully comply with every building code standard, to make sure only high-quality products are used and to ensure that the site is regularly inspected. One of the problems regularly encountered when we carry out inspections is freezing pipes. Placed in a poorly insulated area, pipes may be exposed to extremely cold temperatures, therefore freezing the water they contain,” explains M. Legault.

Installing floor drains in strategic locations can also reduce the risks of water damage in a home. These drains are usually placed near water heaters or laundry appliances.

What can be done for existing condominiums?

“There are new technologies available on the market that can significantly reduce the risks of water damage,” says Mr. Legault.

The process is simple: leak sensors are placed near areas that pose the biggest risk, like water heaters, sinks, toilets and washing machines. These wireless sensors are linked to an electric valve that is installed on the home’s main water supply line. If one of the sensors detects water, it will send the information to the electric valve, which will automatically shut off the home’s water supply to minimize damage.

These new solutions act as a preventive system by cutting off the property’s main water supply, even when the occupants are away from home. “Several components of the system can be tailored to meet the client’s needs. For instance, we can connect them to existing alarm control panels (e.g., ADT, CHUBB). This solution is ideal for condo buildings,” he says.

The AKWA Technologies leak detection system: HydroSolution ahead of the technology curve

“We’re received many requests in the last few years for this type of product. We’re now convinced that there are solutions that can meet the pressing needs of property owners who want to prevent the frustrating and costly consequences of water damage,” says Nicolas Ayotte, President and CEO of HydroSolution.

That’s why HydroSolution sought out a reliable and evolving product to meet the varying needs of its clients. The AKWA* system quickly stood out. “AKWA* is the first alarm system to prevent false alarms (e.g., wet mop touching a sensor) and ensure that each sensor is in place, active and operating properly (a sensor can be broken, stolen or defective),” he says.

This leak detection and prevention system is exclusively distributed by HydroSolution. More than ever, you can leave your home with total peace of mind thanks to the AKWA* solution.

¹Source : HydroSolution
²Source : https://infoassurance.ca

* Any reference to the only term “AKWA” means the water leak prevention and detection product “AKWA Technologies”, while any reference to the whole terms “AKWA Concierge” means another product from AKWA Technologies Solutions inc.