New plumbing technology in homes is becoming a more popular option for homeowners. While some of these technologies have been around for a few years, they are now available at lower costs. Retailers can capitalize on this trend by promoting these products to customers seeking to upgrade their bathroom or kitchen.

Bluetooth Shower Heads

Showering can be a time to enjoy music, podcasts or other audio entertainment. Bluetooth shower heads allow you to easily play audio directly from any compatible device during your bathroom experience without having to use your hands or risk water damage.

Some systems even have voice recognition features that can respond to simple commands like “play jazz” or “change song”. You can also control your thermostat, lights and preheat towels with these units.

The Ampere Shower Power attaches to your existing shower head, intercepting the water flow to create a hydroelectric generator that powers a Bluetooth speaker inside of it. It’s a bit more expensive than the other Bluetooth options but boasts a more sophisticated feature set including a built-in microphone for calls. It’s slated to begin shipping to backers this spring. It also has 84 angled full-coverage nozzles to provide a revitalizing spray. It’s also energy efficient and designed to help you save money on your water bill.

Leak Detectors

Leak detection systems are designed to stop one of the most common and costly damages to homes. These smart systems monitor your water use and if a problem is detected, they will shut off your home’s water flow through a valve within the system.

Mechanical leak detection sensors track the rate of water flow by measuring how fast blades on an impeller fan spin. They monitor for repeated periods of high demand, which indicates that there may be a water leak in the pipes.

Non-invasive in-line leak detection sensors use ultrasonic waves to track the pattern of water flows through pipes. When a change in this pattern is detected, the sensor will close a ball valve and turn off your home’s water supply.

Some of these smart sensors can also detect if your pipes are at risk of freezing. If this is the case, the sensor will sever the water connection until temperatures rise again or you can assess the situation and turn the flow back on.

New Faucet Designs

While sleek, minimalist designs have been popular for some time now, manufacturers are continuing to refine and expand faucet styles for both kitchens and bathrooms. For example, Delta launched Saylor, a transitional-style design with

a geometric spout and gently flared base that’s easy to wipe clean. Riobel’s new Ode faucet offers a similar silhouette with a cylindrical base and rectangular spout. Meanwhile, Moen expanded its Dartmoor line to include a single-handle faucet with a curved handle and finial detailing that nods to traditional style.

Other manufacturers are updating industrial-style faucets, which have been growing in popularity during the pandemic. Brizo’s Allaria collection includes a widespread lavatory faucet with lever handles that resemble twisted ribbon. And Moen’s Greenfield collection has faucets, tub fillers and shower fixtures with rounded square levers that nod to factory-inspired industrial styling. They’re available in multiple finish options including chrome, matte black and Brilliance Black Onyx.

Smart Pipes

The development of smarter plumbing involves not only new devices and sensor systems, but also the integration of these into existing water-pipe infrastructure. A team from ETH/Eawag is working on such a system that can be used to control, monitor and detect problems in a pipe network without having to access them directly. Smarter plumber reduces blocked drain(s) in Melbourne as well as other plumbing problems.

They have developed a demonstrator unit utilizing off-the-shelf MEMS sensors. These are connected to a communication system that can either be built into a commonly used inspection gauge called a “pig” (pipeline inspection gauging device), or, as demonstrated in this video, transmitted from regular points along the pipe using transmission coils located at ground level.

The latter option is ideal, because it allows the sensors to be placed anywhere in a water-pipe network with unlimited spatial distribution. The sensors require very little energy, since they are powered by wireless low-power technology that is based on temperature differences. The data is collected and interpreted by a Smart Server that can be situated at any point in the water-pipe network.