As we rapidly approach Christmas, we’ve been wondering what similarities exist between the surprise and expectations of what we might find under the Christmas tree and leaks in our pipework underground or hidden in wall cavities. Once we started thinking, we noticed quite a few similarities.
Small can be big
Both presents and leaks can be small yet highly impactful. Sometimes, the most significant presents are small and a total surprise. Small hidden water leaks that have been running undiscovered for a very long time might also come as a surprise, although a rather unpleasant one.
Peeking is allowed for leak detection
Checking what’s under the Christmas tree early is not cool. However, peeking to look for leaks is allowed and, in fact, encouraged and desirable. The sooner you can discover what surprises may be hidden underground in your facility’s pipework or inside a wall cavity, the sooner you can stop the loss and avoid potential further damage.
Most importantly, a small leak will not become a disaster, possibly even on Christmas Day. Instead, it can be addressed in an orderly, managed and proactive fashion at a fraction of the cost of an emergency repair.
Modern IoT-based smart metering, accompanied by an appropriate level of submetering, is the ideal way to discover these unwelcome surprises early.
This is usually accompanied by a small on-site leak detection exercise. State-of-the-art electronic handheld listening devices like the SebaKMT HL7000 or correlators like the C3 Correlux are like Santa’s little helpers. They find these little nuggets left in the ground.
WaterGroup provides these services as required. Ideally equipped with a good site location map showing the pipe network, we have a detailed methodology that usually allows us to pinpoint the exact location of leaks quickly. This will enable us to repair them without wasting water or money.
Both are “under”
Another analogy is that both are obviously under the tree or the surface, hidden from plain sight. While at Christmas time, our eyes are magically attracted to what is under the tree, the same cannot be said for water leaks.
Usually, unless there is a clear sign when they have come to the surface or when we have an unexplained flow of water in a drain or a gutter, we don’t tend to look. As a result, we do not discover these leaks as early as we should.
The measures explained above help you effectively know when the present is placed under the tree, that something is there, and that you should go looking for it. You can then take action and discover it well before Christmas Day.
Bells and whistles
Another analogy is bells and whistles. While it’s nice to have the most beautiful lights and decorations, they must never distract us from the real value of Christmas.
The same applies to the detection technology we deploy. Bells and whistles are nice, but the more important part is what we do with them, i.e., the meaning and functionality underneath them.
Beautiful, impressive dashboards mean nothing if they do not lead to related action. UtiliOS, WaterGroup’s device, analytics, and visualisation platform, is a perfect example. While beautiful and attractive, we have never lost sight of the need to present information in a way that readily provides actionable insights to unlock the real hidden value.
Leak detection = waste or a toy for life
What good is a present if it never gets unwrapped, or if it is looked at and briefly played with but left unattended in the corner after just a few days and a short burst of attention? Sadly, this is true for so many Christmas presents, especially in our Western consumer society. They are hardly used and become waste within just a few weeks.
Similar things often happen in the water management space. Well-conceived systems deployed with the best intentions are quickly no longer getting used, leaving many of the joys they could bring unrealised.
For more information, visit https://watergroup.com.au/
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