Background

The Flo-Guard system has its origin in the old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The idea started when a friend of Paul Candela’s, the proprietor of Flo-Guard, had a catastrophic plumbing leak in his home just after investing a lot of money in finishing his basement. The leak caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage and destroyed precious family heirlooms. Being an electrical engineer, and also having just finished his basement, Paul began to think of a way to prevent this type of problem in his own house. What he created was a simple yet unique system that prevented leaks by shutting off the water when the home was unoccupied. That basic idea has lead today to a system which is far more advanced compared to its roots, yet still very simple compared to other systems in the market.

Competitive Differences

After some initial experimenting to develop a working system, Paul began to realize the potential of creating a business with his idea. Having only a basic understanding of plumbing, Paul sought the advice of an experienced plumber. With some searching, Paul met John Nussbaum who is a widely recognized Master Plumber and actively involved in many plumbing related organizations both at the local and national level. These include PMC Detroit, ASSE International, PHCC and MCAA to name a few.

With Paul’s background in electrical engineering and business, and John’s background in plumbing, a team was soon formed to develop the best overall water leak mitigation system that not only meets the real, practical needs of the end user, but also makes sure that the system is installed correctly.

This team has stayed true to its goal in developing the Flo-Guard system by conducting consumer and industry focus groups, testing pre-production or beta test systems to gain valuable feedback, while working closely with the plumbing industry to ensure that the system meets the present and future needs of residential and commercial plumbing systems.

Goal – To develop and provide a water leak mitigation system that prevents leaks, not just reduce them, to dwelling owners; and make sure the systems are installed correctly.

Aim is for eventual insurance premium discount – Flo-Guard hopes that with the gradual movement within the insurance industry to evaluate these types of systems, that eventually, homeowners will be offered a reduction on their insurance policies. Moreover, as these types of systems grow in use, people will realize the advantage of using a system like Flo-Guard’s that prevents leaks, rather than one that relies on a plumbing failure to stop a leak.