Real customers reviews for our patented valve actuator, the integral part of Custos kit that proofed the practicality and usefulness.
Sources:
K. Bartsch
I bought and installed the ball valve controller (BVS) back in February of 2022. I had no trouble with installation at all or its connection to my Qolsys IQ alarm system. Shortly after install, I had a condensate leak in my furnace and although it was not related to the water main, the BVS sensed the leak and shut off the water. It's comforting to know that it works.
As for the unit itself, it appears to be solidly made and has consistently performed as expected. It has not failed to open or close when I routinely exercise the valve each month (done to prevent sediment buildup) I would recommend that if you purchase this unit that you also consider the Smart Power Capsule since a power interruption could result in the BVS's inability to function. This is not a design fault. It's no different than buying a UPS for you computer.
I've had some interaction with Custos about their products and can say that I'd be hard pressed to find any company that can surpass their level of customer support.
TommyC
After our friends had an upstairs water pipe burst causing thousands of dollars in damage and required six months away from their home while repairs were completed, I looked for an automatic water shutoff. I saw two types, one that replaces the existing ball valve for nearly $1,000 and several units that fit over the existing ball valve. I can’t speak for the others units, but typical complaints are lack of power or slow speed. The Zooz is both powerful and fast. And it’s beautiful, although it’s hidden so only I can appreciate how cool it is. But regardless it looks cool and is very solid - thick plastic housing, thick solid clamps, etc. A plumber friend saw my unit and thought it was amazing; he had just installed one of the $1000 ones and said he’d use this one in the future since if anything goes wrong, it can easily be replaced by the homeowner.
Mine unit came with a dedicated corded water sensor, and using Smartthings, I added three Zooz water leak sensors and a few Ecolink sensors. I’ve tested it several times and the setup works great with a Smartthings hub. It was very easy to attach to the ball valve, and to add to Smartthings. Technically you don’t need to use a Z-wave hub like Smartthings if your water valve is in the basement and you’re only concerned about basement pipes or water heater, since the included corded water sensor will activate the shutoff without the need for a hub. With a hub, you can add many leak/water sensors elsewhere in the home, and set up a simple automation to shut off the valve if any of them detect water. Since Smartthings also integrates with Alexa, you can also set it up so you can say “Alexa shut off [or on] the water valve” not that you’d be doing that every day but when your spouse splashes water on a leak sensor when cleaning the bathroom, they can turn the water back on without freaking out about all your smart home stuff.
Gina Hofert
After the great freeze we had across the country, I had a backflow preventer burst and water got into my crawl space. I now have this connected to the house valve and paired with my SmartThings hub and 8 water sensors throughout the house and under the crawl space. Next time I have a leak it will shut off the water and alert me. I’ve tested it and it works great!
Amazon Customer
Bought this to automate my condo heating and air conditioning. Whenever I want heat, I’d have to physically go into my utility closet and manually open a water valve on the hot water heater. This sends hot water to my air handler. But I found myself flipping the valve open and close throughout the day in order to maintain a somewhat constant temperature. (My condo faces south with about 40ft of windows so the sun plays a big part on the indoor temp). Then I saw this zooz actuator and had an idea - using home assistant I was able to create automations that open and close the valve automatically based on the state of my ecobee thermostat (heating = open; cooling or idle = close). Took all of 10 min. to setup and now I never have to open my utility closet. Worth the price!
Bluefleetwood
The Valve itself is a monster! Very strong and very easy to install. The Torque is great and opens and closes the Valve with ease. The leak detector it comes with has a cord thats far too short for practical use. So unless your valve is 2 feet off the floor, the leak detector is useless. Furthermore, the place where the detector is to be plugged in seems to tight and no matter how hard I tried, it would not go into its designated slot. So I purchased the separate leak detectors {https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JKJNFMX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details} which themselves are a terrible design. They are too low to the ground and though designed to detect leaks, they do not like to get wet. They are not water tight to protect it interior electronics. They should have 4 longer legs under them to elevate them even a little.
Antonis Karagiannis
I've been using it for a few months now with zero issues and I have it on a daily operation (it toggles on/off once a day).
Very easy to setup, fully closes/opens, every time and can handle normal/tough ball valves without a problem.
I would definitely use it again on another project, if I needed one.
Peter Najar
I'm glad I haven't had to use it in a water failure. I did test the four water sensors to make sure the water would turn off. They all work. I feel much better if we get a washing machine overflow or under counter water leaks we stand a good chance to minimize damage.
Jack S
We are doing home automation by our self. It was so easy to install the valve actuator! We could adjust the clamps by sliding them to settle the actuator directly over the valve, and then just twisted the fasteners to tighten the clamps - no tools needed. Calibration was quick and the wired leak sensor closed the valve as soon as it detected water. Feels good to know the valve will be closed in the event of a leak!
Highly Recommended.
T. Lam
I love this valve so much ...I bought 3 in total ... I only need it for the main house valve. But I love this so much ... I'm sure i can use this somewhere else. So easy too hook up. Very Strong turning action. No negative about the valve it self.
Smart Connection.
Pro: Connect to your Aeotec/Smarthing Hub easily.
Con: No instruction how to connect to Alexa voice control or to make it a routine. Not even with Smartthings Hub but there is a loophole and I'm not talking about Hubitat. Far more easier.
Robert Lefler
This device works great. It's easy to connect to your Z-Wave Network. It reacts very fast. I love the way it installs. Quite simple. I've tried 3 other Z-Wave Valve Shutoffs. (Water Cop, Dome, Bulldog). This by far is the most reliable and strongest. If you have a regular ball valve (metal) and not A Plastic PVC, you should not have to change anything.
PERFECT SOLUTION!
The combination of the easy installation (just two thumb screws!!), step-by-step instructional video, and simple/fast Z-wave inclusion meant I was able to automate turning on/off the water in our mountain cabin within about 5 minutes. Now I don't have to go under the crawl space every time anyone comes or goes from our place, not to mention my Homeseer system being able to automatically shut-off the water if a leak sensor is tripped somewhere in the house. Can't recommend this enough!
WELL BUILT Z-WAVE WATER VALVE THAT WAS SIMPLE TO INSTALL
I've been in the market for a Z-Wave water valve for a few months and randomly came across this one as I was searching for water leak sensors. Build quality seems great and the install was straight forward with no tools required. I especially like the fact that both of the clamps are adjustable in length (the install video shows just one of them being adjusted so I wasn't sure if both were adjustable). It also has a built in temperature sensor which is perfect since my water valve is located in my garage and I wanted a temperature sensor to monitor my garage temperatures as well. Time will tell how this device holds up, particularly in my garage as temperatures will get into the triple digits in the summer. I'll be sure to test it from time to time to make sure it's still functioning as desired.