Watts EDP0004640 IntelliFlow Automatic Washing Machine Shut Off Valve
by Watts
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Our Price: $203.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $165.08 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Watts EDP0004640 IntelliFlow Automatic Washing Machine Shut Off Valve
Customer Review: Two Watts Inteliflow units failed in 3 years
Summary: 1 Stars
We purchased the Watts Intelliflow and had it installed by a professional plumber 3 years ago. The unit failed within one week. It failed because it would not allow any water to pass through to the washing machine. The company replaced the unit at no charge. We had to pay the plumber to install the second unit. A washing machine has been hooked up to the second unit for a bit less than 3 years; the washer worked well for that time. We are now replacing that washing machine and when disconnecting the hoses found that the Watts Intelliflow valve would not shut down the flow of hot water. The cold water side seemed to work okay insofar as no water flowed from that side. We called the company (978 689-6066 option 2) and talked with a technical service consultant. He walked us through a few steps checking lights and such and then announced the unit should be okay. I asked him to wait while I turned the water on from the main house shut offs and when I did water flowed from both the hot and cold Watts Intelliflow pipes. Now the problem exists for both hot and cold. I talked with the service consultant to express my great disappointment that two units had failed and for different reasons within a 3 year period. I paid about $180 for the Watts Intelliflow and did not want to pay for another one. I asked if the company would stand behind the product and was told the warranty period is one-year. Fair enough but I warn you, these units are purchased so that we can avoid floods if a hose breaks. Insofar as the 2 units described here, both professionally installed, failed as I described how can we (you or I) expect to depend on the unit's water sensor to shut down water flow in the event of a hose break? MY SUGGESTION IS THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. I have called the company president and, as he was traveling, left a message describing the situation. I will update this posting if I hear back from him.Customer Review: Failed after about one year
Summary: 1 Stars
Last year I built a first floor laundry area and from day one was concerned about leaks. I was totally gung ho about the Intelliflow. The machines are under a counter and though I built cabinet/counter to be serviceable (counter can be removed) it is still a bit of work to get to it.
This week the Intelliflow failed after about one year in service. My plumber was out and we troubleshooted the living heck out of this - the line, hose, screens... everything is clear. The unit delivers hot, but only a trickle of cold. There is no debri in the unit. It is the unit that failed. Tomorrow my plumber is coming back to install a regular valve with a Burstbuster. The Burstbuster will not turn on/off with the machine, but it has leak detection and can be easily bypassed if there is a problem (so we are not without the ability to laundry for a week!). I have top notch hoses as well (Floodcheck - search for them, they do not have any kind of valve, just very well built).
Though I found a dealer who had a Intelliflow in stock and could pick up a new one today and be washing away the piles of clothes that have collected, I just can't depend on the product and wish I would have made this decision on day one.
Seems like a good idea, but the product is cheaply built. That is the problem.
Customer Review: Poor Design
Summary: 1 Stars
This device is designed to sense electric demand from the washer and then open the water valves.
It also is designed to close the valves if it detects water gathering on the floor below.
It requires the removal of any existing shut off valves and soldering two brass o-ring connections on very precise centers.
I attempted to install it on a Maytag stacking washer dryer with integrated electronics (the washer power runs through the dryer and a common control panel)
My conclusion is the device is poorly designed and unnecessarily complicated. I would advise anyone against buying it.
It is not compatible with existing manual hose valves and requires that in line valves be installed.
Connecting piping must be installed very accurately to correspond with the device centers.
I assume that it will only read the current flow from specific simply circuited washers - making it unusable in many situations.
I could not make it work and I am extremely familiar with plumbing and electrical systems.
After this I purchased a Flood Stop automatic valve which is simple to install, simple in concept, and extremely effective.
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Customer Review: Wish I'd done more research
Summary: 1 Stars
The valve worked well for a little over a year, and then failed after we lost power during a storm. It was connected to a good quality surge protector too - and nothing else in the house had any problems. I'm very disappointed in this unit, as I'll have to either bolt another one into place, or rip open the recently decorated laundry room walls to tie in a different brand unit to the plumbing. I expected to get 5-10 years of service out of this unit, but failing at 14 months it ended up costing about .40 cents a day for protection. In browsing the web trying to troubleshoot the problem, I found that many people had failures just past the warranty period. Buyers, look elsewhere.
UPDATE: One year & 4 days later and the replacement unit has also failed. My God is this thing a piece of junk. It's time to rip up the wall and get this out of my life.
Customer Review: more trouble than it's worth
Summary: 1 Stars
I had this device installed by my plumber after my previous washing machine overflowed and destroyed the ceiling below. It worked fine for about a year, but has been nothing but trouble since. I have had numerous service calls on my washing machine because of water flow problems (no hot water this time). It is impossible to bypass this unit to troubleshoot any washing machine problems. It's really frustrating. The washing machine repairman always blame this unit. In the latest case, he was correct. This unit is not allowing any hot water to flow to the washing machine. The electronic aspect with no manual shutoff removes any control on the part of the user. It also cycles on and off and causes huge house-shaking knocking sounds when the washing machine is on the hand-wash setting. I cannot have this un-installed fast enough!