Uponor has announced the Uponor Pro Squad, a nationwide network of trained plumbers and water specialists interested in leveraging the intelligent water technology of Phyn Plus, smart water assistant + shutoff, to grow their businesses.
Phyn was formed in 2016 as a joint venture between Uponor and Belkin International.
The Uponor Pro Squad was developed to promote, sell and install and service Phyn Plus. This smart water monitoring system automatically measures tiny changes in water pressure, 240 times per second, to identify and alert building owners the moment a leak is detected, mitigate costly damage through automatic shut off, and diagnose potential problems in plumbing systems before they become an issue.
After a Pro Squad member installs Phyn Plus, the device immediately begins to learn about the building’s water system and continues to get smarter over time. When it notices abnormal water usage, the Phyn mobile app alerts building owners in real-time and, in the event of a major leak, like a pipe burst, can turn off water automatically with its built-in shutoff valve. The system will be available for purchase through the Uponor Pro Squad in late spring 2018. It will initially be available in 30 key markets with the highest prevalence of leaks, water usage and aggressive water, including New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; Dallas/Fort Worth; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Atlanta; Phoenix; Toronto; Minneapolis and more. Installation costs will vary by market.
Licensed plumbing professionals interested in joining the Uponor Pro Squad can apply for consideration online. Once accepted into the program, authorized installers will receive training. Experts at Uponor and Phyn will provide ongoing plumbing and technical support to help members leverage features and benefits of the device to grow their businesses.
To remain an Uponor Pro Squad member in good standing, contractors must meet program requirements tied to sales, customer satisfaction, and service delivery. In return, as industry innovators, they will help shape future intelligent water innovations by Uponor and Phyn, influencing the next generation of smart technology.
“Uponor has always been a supporter of the trades,” says Bill Gray, president, Uponor North America. “Now, with the help of this new venture into smart technology, plumbers can position themselves as market leaders and build their businesses, while helping to advance the plumbing industry into the digital age.”
“Water is one of the most essential and often overlooked components of a building,” says Ryan Kim, CEO of Phyn. “We spent a decade of R&D learning the digital fingerprint of water and solving the complexities of water systems. Backing from Belkin and Uponor has empowered us to bring this leak detection solution to the market, while allowing us to scale and bring new features to market that add value and enhance the consumer experience.”
“We have been following Phyn’s development from its early stages and featured it in several demonstration homes,” says Jacob Atalla, vice president of sustainability at KB Home. “We’re glad that Phyn, in collaboration with our plumbing partner Uponor, is now reaching the wider market. We are enthusiastic about the launch of Phyn Plus and its potential to integrate smart plumbing into our evolving concept of a smart building.”