It seems crazy when you stop to think about it, but commercial and industrial buildings don’t all have water leak detection technologies installed. In fact, in a survey we conducted in January 2024, over 60% of respondents reported having no water leak detection technologies in their buildings; and 41% of facilities managers reported on relying on manual inspections alone to detect water leaks.
With so much smart building technology on the market - and so many water leaks - it can be hard to understand why smart water leak detection isn’t ubiquitous in commercial and industrial buildings. In this article, we dig deeper into the reasons why progress is slow - and offer practical suggestions for overcoming the challenges that building owner operators and facilities managers face.
Commercial and industrial buildings typically have very complex infrastructure: extensive networks of water risers and pipes, HVAC units, restrooms, and equipment that are often spread across multiple floors. And if the sheer scale wasn’t enough, most pipes are hidden behind walls and ceilings, or under floors - not locations that are easily accessible for manual inspection, even if facilities teams had the time (which very few do).
Further complexity is added by 2 key factors:
1. Differing space constraints
While some leak-prone areas like mechanical rooms or water riser cabinets may have sufficient room to house water leak detection equipment, others like processing equipment or floor-mounted HVAC may have very limited space available.
2. Differing levels of water tolerance
Some leak-prone areas need to be dry - even a few drops of water can cause a major issue. Other areas already have some water present, but experience issues when water leaks in them.
Defining your water leak detection needs - and constraints
Rather than shopping for a solution upfront, savvy facilities managers start by defining where the water leaks occur, what causes them, and what practical constraints there are in these areas.
After outlining the situation, it's relatively simple to define some requirements. For example:
| What happens | Solution requirements |
| “We occasionally have leaks in our water riser cabinets. There’s plenty of room in the cabinets for water leak detection gear. We do have some condensation in the cabinets, which has caused a bunch of false positives and wasted a lot of time - we want to avoid this.” |
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| What happens | Solution requirements |
| “Our floor-mounted HVAC systems leak water a couple times a year, and we only know when we see visible staining on the ceiling on the floor below. It’s pretty cramped, but we need something that will let us know as soon as any water escapes. And our IT department doesn’t like any third party devices on the office wifi.” |
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Reviewing potential solutions with your requirements in mind
Once you know what your requirements are, it’s easy to review and rate potential solutions and vendors. If a solution doesn’t meet more than half your requirements, it doesn’t belong on your shortlist.
Speak to any experienced facilities manager about water leak detection and you’ll quickly realize that they’re cynical about the performance of devices. And not without reason - traditional water leak detection solutions have not historically lived up to the promises that vendors made.
Based on our conversations with facilities teams, there are 2 main reasons why water leak detection solutions have failed to live up to the hype:
1. Leaks are detected too late
Many facilities managers invest in water leak detection systems to detect leaks before they cause significant damage - or become catastrophic. Yet in many cases, the systems only detected leaks when they escalated to major Escape of Water events.
Imagine this happens not once, or twice, but 5 or 10 times, and it’s unsurprising that facilities teams start to question the efficacy of any water leak detection system.
2. The false positive rates are too high
Conversely - but simultaneously - many water leak detection systems have high false positive rates, detecting a leak when none is present. A single stray drop of water, or even dust, can be enough to create a false positive.
After the fifth time investigating a false positive, most facilities teams start to question the accuracy of the specific water leak detection system, as well as its peers. Alerts start to be attended to more slowly, which actually puts the building at a greater risk of leak-related damage and downtime if a legitimate leak has occurred. (And to add insult to injury, investigating false positives is both time-consuming and expensive.)
1. Discussing your requirements with potential vendors
Rather than simply purchasing a solution, take the time to outline your requirements with your shortlisted vendors to validate that they can do what you think they can. They will be able to guide you towards the most appropriate solutions for your needs.
Prepare and ask questions about features and topics like false positive rates and how long it takes to detect a leak. Be as specific as you can about how each of the use cases may be affected by these issues.
2. Asking vendors how they’d solve the problem if they were in your shoes
Once they understand your requirements, vendors should also be able to suggest how they might approach your situation. It’s an excellent way to evaluate their understanding of your problem, and will give you good insight into whether the solution is fit for purpose.
Honest vendors will be able to discuss the pros and cons of multiple different water leak detection solutions - not just their own - and will be able to illustrate use cases where competing technologies may do a better job. And sometimes, there simply won’t be a suitable solution on the market yet.
Facilities teams are already short on trained staff, and are taking on increasing responsibilities as commercial and industrial building owner-operators look to invest in technologies and solutions to drive efficiencies and sustainability.
So it’s not surprising that they are often reluctant to take on the project of installing a new water leak detection solution and bringing it online - historically, this has been a major project, for 2 key reasons:
1. The physical installation is time-consuming, destructive, and disruptive
Most water leak detection systems are installed near the sources of water leaks, which often requires access to locations that are less easily accessible. In some cases, installation is quite invasive, creating damage that is necessary for installation - but that needs to be repaired for installation to be complete.
Tenant access to specific areas may need to be restricted during an installation, or installation may be restricted to times outside of standard operating hours. Either way, it slows work down so much that even a simple installation can take weeks to complete.
2. Integration with other systems is complicated
Installing physical devices is only part of the project - setting up the systems behind them and gaining access to data, alerts, and reporting is a crucial part of the installation. Facilities teams are often frustrated by how complex it is to gain access and manage their devices and data, and can be disappointed by the vendors’ lack of service once devices have been purchased.
1. Asking about installation and setup as part of your evaluation criteria
While installation and setup are theoretically a one-off, your project is dead in the water (excuse the pun) if you can’t execute these steps effectively. Ask vendors about what installation requires and how long it typically takes - and be prepared to share information with them on the locations you want to install in, so they can give you a nuanced answer.
Likewise, ask about what the digital setup involves, and provide information about integration requirements if you have them. Ask about APIs and integrations if they’re important to you.
2. Looking for a vendor who values service and is invested in your success
By the time you get to this stage, you’re likely to have a good feeling for how well each vendor understands your needs - and how likely they are to value your ongoing business. Now’s the time to ask vendors about the level of service they provide for customers, from installation and setup, and beyond.
Look for vendors who are invested in getting you set up and running quickly and well, and who are willing to support you at each stage. This is particularly relevant if you’re selecting a solution that is offered as a Hardware as a Service (Haas) model - when you effectively rent the devices for a set contract period, and are entitled to ongoing service that exceeds most device-only warranties.
The challenges of selecting and installing new water leak detection solutions in commercial and industrial buildings are not insubstantial - but they can be overcome. And as owner operators continue to demand efficiency and cost-effectiveness while also seeking greater sustainability, effective water leak detection is more important than ever before.
In fact, the cost of water leak-related damage and downtime is so significant that forward-thinking insurers like AXA XL and Travelers are now actively working with commercial and industrial owner operators to implement best practice water leak detection solutions.
To ensure successful selection and deployment, facilities teams must define clear requirements, do their due diligence, and demand that potential vendors engage with their specific requirements. In turn, vendors must focus less on selling products and more on solving potential customers’ problems - including honestly stating when their own solution is unsuitable.
With a set of clear requirements, and supported by service-oriented vendors who help to ensure the selection of the right solution, facilities teams can be confident in their ability to successfully select and install water leak detection solutions with a minimum of effort, and deliver the maximum value for the commercial and industrial buildings they protect.
Book a call with our team to talk through where water leaks occur in your building, and explore what your requirements might be.