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Smart Water Valve A safety valve for your home or business that prevents unwanted water flow and subsequent damage
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Page 1: smartwatervalve

Smart Water Valve

A safety valve for your home or business that prevents unwanted

water flow and subsequent damage

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Introduction

Smart Water Valve LLC is an environmental care, technology development partnership with a goal of developing innovative solutions and products that conserve water, and mitigate water damages by reducing unintended water loss.� Innovation and development was sparked by the

partners’ own personal experiences in which unintended water loss and property damage occurred. This, they learned, was a commonly shared problem.

� When they searched for a solution, they could not find a simple and practical product available on the market.

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Background

� Most water conservation efforts are directed at reducing the use of water by limiting volume or flow of water. Examples of this are low volume flush toilets and low flow shower heads.

� Little however, has been done to limit water consumption and damages in situations where something has gone terribly wrong. Examples of these are; toilets that continue to run and broken or ruptured connection hoses.

� Insurance industry studies find these failures one of the major reason for insurance damage claims.

� In many other situations the water may just continue to run for days, unnoticed and undetected. Even the smallest leaks can add up to thousands of gallons a month.

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Smart Water Valve Product Overview

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Smart Water Valve Overview

Cover

Actuate Lever

Battery Cover

Time Select

LED

Valve Body

Outlet Connection

(Top)

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Inlet Connection

(Back)

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Principle of Operation

� With the Smart Water Valve, the user determines and selects the fill time required to operate the water appliance under a normal use cycle. For example: A toilet normally refills in less than 1 minute.� With the onset of water flow the Smart Water

Valve compares the actual elapse time to the preset fill time. � If the water flow continues, (even those flows

in the drips /sec range) and the elapsed time exceeds the preset time, Smart Water Valve will close, stopping the water flow to the appliance.

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Functional Schematic

Normal Operating State• Water flows through the valve

body past the valve plug and seat.• Water flow moves the flow

detection ram into coil magnetic field, altering coil inductance.

• Microprocessor (µP) detects inductance change, starts timer and checks against user selected fill time

Closed State• µP determines that the flow

exceeded user defined fill time.• µP sends signal to energize actuate

coil, releasing Actuate Lever• Actuate Lever moves to visible trip

position, and plug moves to close off water flow.

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Product Features and Benefits

Physical Features� Small size installs in tight spaces with simple tools.� Time Select is conveniently located on front. � Time Select is easily changed at any time.� The Actuate Lever is in front. Easy to spot if the valve is open or closed� The Actuate Lever can be electrically or manually actuated. Added flexibility and

assurance that water flow can be stopped in any situation.

1.69

1.75

2.63

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Outlet Connection3/8 IPS

Inlet Connection¼ NPT

1.0

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Product Features and Benefits

User Interface� Time Select

◦ Conveniently located on the front◦ Digital switch with 16 preprogramed

time duration periods. No user programming!� Actuate Lever

◦ Conveniently located to make seeing and operating it simple.

◦ Shown in tripped or closed position, valve can be simply reset by pushing up on the Lever

� Battery Installation◦ When low Battery LED indicates replacement is

necessary◦ Two screws are remove and the two AAA alkaline

batteries can be installed

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Product Features and Benefits

Technology AdvantagesThe user interface and operation of the Smart Water Valve is very straight forward, however, the technology used is very important in assuring dependable, repeatable, and accurate performance.

Flow

Flow Ram

Flux Path

Magnetic Circuit

� Flow Detection Sensor ◦ Detecting water flow at the start and end of a

water use cycle is critical. Sensing flows as small as 5 drips/sec. is accomplished by using a ferrous Flow Ram that is moved by the flow of water. As the Flow Ram moves, the measured coil inductance increases.

◦ The result is a very repeatable and dependable flow detection method without hysteretic effects seen in discrete switch flow rams.

◦ The Flow Ram is the only wetted moving part.

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Product Features and Benefits

Technology Advantages� Actuate Lever Mechanism

◦ The Actuate Lever is held in the “Latched Position” by a permanent magnet, core, and pole piece. No battery power is consumed to securely maintain the Actuate Lever in the "Latched" state.

◦ The Actuate Lever is toggled to the “Un-latched position” when the Microprocessor signals to electrically energize the coil, This counters the permanent magnet in the circuit and releases the Actuate Lever to toggle to the “un-latched” position, allowing the plug stem to travel to the closed position.

Actuate Lever “Latched”

Actuate Lever “Un-latched”

Actuate Lever

Flux Path

PermanentMagnet

CoilUn-energized

Plug Stem

CoilEnergized

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Plug Stem

No battery power to maintain normal state.No complicated and unreliable mechanical trip or catch parts.

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Product Features and Benefits

Technology Advantages� Electronics Design

◦ Simple Digital Design� Only 16 parts including PCB� Digital Time Select Switch eliminates confusing user programing. � “Smart” Microprocessor control advantages

◦ Circuit spends 99.99% of time in sleep state, conserving battery power. 5 year Battery life.

◦ Diagnostic monitors battery state. LED Flashes on “Low Battery”

◦ Valve will trip to safe state (water off) on “Low Battery” detection.

◦ Diagnostic check for correct operation. LED flashes during all “flow events”

◦ Built in circuit voltage and flow detection compensation algorithm maintain performance parameters.

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Future Product Functionality

� Smart Water valve is a digital electronic device. The capability to add wireless communication is real.� Why Wireless Communication

◦ Communication ties Smart Water Valve to a Home Automation system with other devices like Smoke Alarms, Thermostats, Carbon Monoxide detectors. The possibility for early detection of problems and information that can potentially lower insurance cost.

◦ Smart Water Valve can be equipped with a wireless chip to network with home automation systems, like Google’s nest platform

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Product Features and Benefits

Manufacturability and AssemblyMajor Component Assembly

1. Valve Body2. Cover3. Flow Detection Sensor Assembly4. Electronics and Magnetic Release

Assembly5. Valve Plug & Stem Assembly6. Battery Cover7. Actuate Lever8. Lever Pin9. Stem Seal Retainer10. Battery11. Fasteners12. Elastomers

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• Suited for High volume manufacturing• High function, low part count, sub assemblies

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Typical Installation – Toilet 5/14/2015 Confidential 15

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Product Features and Benefits

Materials of ConstructionFind Part Material

1. Valve Body High Density Polyethylene2. Cover High Density Polyethylene3. Flow Detection Acetyl/SST/Steel/Copper

Sensor Assy4. Electronics Magnetic ABS/Copper/Steel

Release Assembly5. Valve Plug & Stem Brass

Assembly6. Battery Cover Aluminum7. Actuate Lever Acetyl8. Lever Pin SST9. Stem Seal Retainer Aluminum10. Battery AAA Alkaline11. Fasteners Steel Plated12. Elastomers EPDM13. Springs SST

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• Certified food grade materials for wetted parts• High strength rugged corrosion resistant construction

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Intellectual Property � US Patent Protected with Four Patents

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US Patent ProtectedUS P07684US00US P07684US01US P07684Us02US P10882US00

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Population by State

United States 313,914,040.Alabama 4,822,023.Alaska 731,449.Arizona 6,553,255.Arkansas 2,949,131.California 38,041,430.Colorado 5,187,582.Connecticut 3,590,347.Delaware 917,092.District of Columbia 632,323.Florida 19,317,568.Georgia 9,919,945.Hawaii 1,392,313.Idaho 1,595,728.Illinois 12,875,255.Indiana 6,537,334.Iowa 3,074,186.Kansas 2,885,905.Kentucky 4,380,415.Louisiana 4,601,893.Maine 1,329,192.Maryland 5,884,563.Massachusetts 6,646,144.Michigan 9,883,360.Minnesota 5,379,139.Mississippi 2,984,926.Missouri 6,021,988.Montana 1,005,141.Nebraska 1,855,525.Nevada 2,758,931.New Hampshire 1,320,718.New Jersey 8,864,590.New Mexico 2,085,538.New York 19,570,261.North Carolina 9,752,073.North Dakota 699,628.Ohio 11,544,225.Oklahoma 3,814,820.Oregon 3,899,353.Pennsylvania 12,763,536.Rhode Island 1,050,292.South Carolina 4,723,723.South Dakota 833,354.Tennessee 6,456,243.Texas 26,059,203.Utah 2,855,287.Vermont 626,011.Virginia 8,185,867.Washington 6,897,012.West Virginia 1,855,413.Wisconsin 5,726,398.Wyoming 576,412Puerto Rico 3,667,084

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Popu

latio

n by

Sta

tes

2012

Cen

sus

2012 Census- US population 314 million yr/yr growth < 1.0%

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Market Estimation – Toilet Use

� Toilet Market Size and Splits

◦ A conservative estimate is 1 toilet per person in US◦ Studies estimated 7-10 million new toilets sold / year with growth rate of 3%

annually, with growth predominantly due to repair and improvements. � Assuming 10% of these repair/ improvement toilet sales also puts in a

Smart Water Valve, that is 700,000 units. � In a state like California that has made water conservation a priority the

assumptions work out as follows:

California Population: 38 Million * 3% = 1.14 million repair or replaced toilets. Assuming 10% get a smart water valve that is 114,000 units.

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Number of Toilets Market Type

225 million Residential

125 million Commercial

350 million TOTAL

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Smart Water Valve Pricing

� Suggested Retail: $65.00� Assuming(1) typical Retail Mark-up of 1.34 with a

gross margin of 25.2 %. That suggest a price of smart valve to retailer of $48.50

� Assuming a manufactures cost of $19.72� This is a Gross Margin of $28.78 per unit or a 59% GP

margin.� An initial investment in 100,000 units and the

$45,000 tooling is paid off with the first 71,000 units sold.

1) Based on http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/residential/pdfs/07.pdf White Paper

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Applications – Home or Business21