Uponor announces the Uponor Pro Squad, an exclusive nationwide network of expertly 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, the market leader in PEX plumbing, and Belkin International, the global leader in consumer technology and connected devices.
The Uponor Pro Squad was developed to promote, sell, install and service Phyn Plus. This new smart water-monitoring system for homes automatically measures tiny changes in water pressure, 240 times per second, to identify and alert homeowners the moment a leak is detected, mitigate costly damage through automatic shutoff, 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 home’s water system and continues to get smarter over time. When it notices abnormal water usage, Phyn’s mobile app alerts homeowners 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 for $850. 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 via uponorprosquad.com. Once accepted into the program, authorized installers will receive comprehensive training. Experts at Uponor and Phyn will provide ongoing plumbing and technical support to help members leverage the device’s features and benefits 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 home technology.
“Uponor has always been a strong supporter of the trades,” Uponor North America President Bill Gray said. “Now, with the help of this new venture into smart home 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 home,” Phyn CEO Ryan Kim said. “We spent a decade of R&D learning water’s digital fingerprint and solving the complexities of water systems. Backing from global leaders Belkin and Uponor has empowered us to bring the most accurate leak detection solution to the market, while allowing us to easily 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,” KB Home Vice President of Sustainability Jacob Atalla said. “We’re glad that Phyn, in collaboration with our longtime 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 home.”