Valve Controller 2 & EVO Valve Operator, w/YoLink Hub, 3-Pack Water Leak Sensor 1

Installed 10 water sensors throughout my home with the EVO valve and a speaker. Tech support was really helpful when I needed clarification during the setup. Really happy with the product.

Valve Controller 2 & EVO Valve Operator, w/YoLink Hub, 3-Pack Water Leak Sensor 1

I have seen many houses with catastrophic damage from water leaks while the owners were on vacation, or even just gone for the day to work. I have always worried about water leaks when on vacation, coming home after 10 days and finding water running out the doors...

I had been turning the main water valve of when I was gone on a trip but then if the pool needed water, or someone came to water the plants they had to mess with turning the water on, in some cases forgetting to turn it off... And recently the valve had been getting harder to turn off and needed to be replaced.

I finally decided to do something about it before a trip we just returned from. My first thoughts were to put one of the well known name brand valves on that worked on wifi so i could turn it on and off from where ever I was, and pair it with some leak sensors. After a little research I found that these valves with built in controllers can have a lot of issues, and some do not tolerate hard water or scale very well. And you generally need a plumber to install them, and then come back when there is an issue to change them. These valves can be very expensive as well.

I started looking at valve actuators that just manipulate a regular 90 degree ball valve. If the actuator has an issue you don't need a plumber. With the YoLink EVO valve operator the controller is separate, connected by wire so if the valve or the operator has an issue you don't have to replace, buy, both.

I decided to buy the starter set, and ordered six more water sensors, and an extra bulldog operator and controller 1 to turn the water valve on and off to the pool. I had a plumber install a new high quality ball valve for the main. I already had a ball valve at the pool spigot.

I got the app, connected the hub to wifi and started by setting the controllers for the valves up.Then I named the leak sensors for their locations, behind toilets, under sinks, dishwasher, washer, water heater, refrigerator/ice maker. Then I paired all of them to the controller 2 which runs the EVO valve operator at the main valve. I tested all the sensors and they closed the valve in less than 30 seconds. I used the EVO valve operator and controller 2 for the main valve because the valve operator sets right on the stem of the valve, and the controller 2 has batteries it can run on but also can be run on the ac converter which comes with it. Controller 2 also gets you feed back on the EVO valve position to the app.

I used the Bulldog valve operator that controls the valve via the valve handle for the pool spigot. I used controller 1 with this valve. It is only powered by batteries, and only sends power to the operator to open or close the valve, but no feedback as to valve position. I did it this way I only need to use this valve occasionally, and if it malfunctions my house wont be flooded. I can see through cameras when the pool needs water added, and when the valve is open the water is running or not. It also tells you on the app if this valve is opened or closed, but only by the command you gave it last, open or close. It doesn't actually get feed back of valve position. I used this valve twice to add water to the pool during a recent trip. I manually set it to run for 10 minutes each time and it preformed flawlessly.

The app is easy to work with, just follow the instructions to get started. It's very easy to use a customize to your liking. You can set up alerts for for different things, different scenarios. YoLink has many products that can be connected to your system via a single hub. I will add few things to my system as time goes on.

Bottom line is I spent less than $500.00 on reliable durable system that allows me to monitor, receive alerts and make changes my water system no matter where I am. Peace of mind can be priceless...

I will include a few pics to show how I mounted and protected the valves and controllers from the relentless Florida weather. The green covers are used in landscape irrigation systems to keep water from spraying on walkways and such. I used them for this...

This DYI unit is awesome, easy to install and works great. I had to use custom service to make sure I had the setting set correctly so the unit automatically turned off once the sensor sensed water. Customer service was beyond great. Very kind and knowledgeable. Great product…

Overall, this was easy to set up.
Once I installed the app on my phone, connecting and configuring was handled easily with individualized QR labels on each component.
The directions didn't clearly state it's that easy, and I was already finished. I tried to continue with the next steps. When I gave up and called Customer Service, I got a live person who knew the answers--in less than a minute. Bonus: excellent English (maybe native speaker? )
One hint: My cold water supply valve had a brass finger sticking up to limit the handle's arc of travel (to 90 degrees). It got in the way of attaching the motor to the valve axle. A small cutting wheel on a generic Dremel (Harbor Freight) solved the problem nicely.
I had water damage a couple years ago, and had been anxious about something happening when we were out of town for a weekend. Having verified that a damp finger triggered immediate shut off, I am looking for something else to stress about.