Pairing Valves and Sensors

Why Pair Devices?

When you pair a PlumAssist leak detection puck with a PlumBuddy Valve, they work together as a team. If the puck detects water where it should not be — either through its built-in sensing pins or through a connected PlumSense extension cable — the paired valve shuts off immediately. No timer needed. This is faster than flow-based detection because the puck responds the moment water touches it.

Without pairing, the valve and puck operate independently. The PlumAssist will still send you an alert if it detects water, but the valve will not shut off automatically in response. You would need to manually close the valve through the app.

How Pairing Works

Pairing creates a direct link between a PlumAssist puck and a valve. When the puck triggers, it sends a signal to the PlumBuddy system, which immediately commands the paired valve to close. This happens in seconds, even if you are not looking at your phone.

You can pair multiple PlumAssist pucks to the same valve. For example, you might pair pucks under your kitchen sink, near your water heater, and behind your washing machine all to your main PlumBuddy Valve. If any one of those pucks detects water, the valve closes.

How to Pair a PlumAssist with a Valve

1. Open the PlumBuddy app.
2. From the dashboard, tap on the PlumAssist puck you want to pair.
3. Select Pair with Valve from the puck’s settings.
4. Choose which valve should respond to this puck from the list of available valves.
5. Confirm the pairing.

The pairing takes effect immediately. You can test it by dabbing a wet towel on the puck’s sensing pins — the paired valve should close within seconds.

Best Placement for Paired Pucks

Where you place your PlumAssist pucks matters. Here are the most common and effective locations:

High-Priority Locations

• Water heater: Place the puck on the floor near the base of the tank. Water heaters are one of the most common sources of water damage in homes.
• Washing machine: Place behind or beside the machine where supply hose connections are. Hose failures are a leading cause of residential flooding.
• Under the kitchen sink: Supply lines and drain connections can develop slow leaks that go unnoticed for weeks.

Additional Coverage

• Behind toilets: Supply line connections can fail, especially in older homes.
• Near the dishwasher: Both supply and drain lines can leak.
• In the basement or utility room: Low-lying areas where water collects first.
• Under bathroom vanities: Supply connections and drain traps can develop leaks.

For even wider detection at any of these locations, connect a PlumSense extension cable to the PlumAssist puck to cover more area around pipes and appliances.

Managing Your Pairings

Viewing Current Pairings

Open the PlumBuddy app, go to your valve’s settings, and look for the Paired Sensors section. This shows all PlumAssist pucks currently linked to that valve.

Removing a Pairing

If you move a puck to a different location or want to change which valve it controls:

1. Open the puck’s settings in the app.
2. Tap Unpair from Valve.
3. Create a new pairing if desired.

Pairing Across Properties

Pairings only work within the same property. A puck at your primary home cannot trigger a valve at your vacation home. Each property’s devices operate independently.

Tips for Effective Pairing

• Pair every puck. There is no downside to pairing. Any PlumAssist without a valve pairing can only alert you — it cannot take automatic action.
• Test after pairing. Dab the puck with a wet towel to confirm the valve closes. Better to discover a problem during testing than during a real leak.
• Name your pucks clearly. Use descriptive names like “Kitchen Sink” or “Water Heater” so you know exactly where a problem is when you get an alert.
• Check battery levels. A PlumAssist with a dead battery cannot trigger a shutoff. The app shows battery status for each puck — replace batteries when they get low.