I just went ahead and bought the Aqara! Unfortunately, I don’t have an outlet near my water shutoff, so fingers crossed that it’s strong enough to do the job. Wish me luck! I’ll update this post in 7 days to share how it’s working out. Here’s hoping for smooth sailing!
Another fantastic review, Erik! I really appreciate that you stick to your principles and avoid sponsorships, unlike many other reviewers who let them influence their objectivity-often without realizing it. Too many miss critical details, like thoroughly testing whether the water is completely shut off-it usually isn’t. I’ve seen other reviews that claimed to be detailed, but they fell short. One reviewer didn’t even check if the system fully shut off the water, leaving it at around 95%. Another reviewer didn’t even have the Bulldog valve installed in his home and filmed the whole video using a plumbling demo setup. What’s the point of a review if it’s not tested in a real-world environment?
Thanks for this honest video! Same issue here with valve not closing 100%. Gets to about 95%. Double checked positioning of the valve and is attached securely. Tried everything, and like it was demonstrated in this video I had to manually turn off the add'l 5%. As mentioned, all homes are different, but unfortunately did not work on our 1" pipe no matter how it was positioned. Unfortunately I will be returning. Much appreciated!
I just ordered the Aqara because my ball valve is, like, shiny and new. 🤷♂ I’ll let y’all know in 7 days if it’s a genius move or if I just bought a fancy paperweight. Stay tuned, folks-who’s rooting for me?
I would use YoLink anyday over Aqara when it comes to water. Their Valves have been on the market longer, their Control D2D technology is superb to shutting off valves without Internet or AC Power when a sensor detects a leak. It saved me a couple of times already. Glad to see Aqara enter this space, competition will keep both companies on their toes
This was exactly the comparison I was looking for. I'm probably going to get the Bulldog since I like the construction and torque, also prefer plugin. But I think the Aqura will be an excellent choice for anyone, definitely a great value for the price.
We’re still using Bulldog but I put Zooz Titan in my mom’s home. It’s nice that this one from aqara is battery operated for those that don’t have power nearby or it goes out. It’s too bad it’s not strong enough for your setup
Thank you Erick for comparison water valve. Finally I can decide to buy this system after I watched your video. I prefer using zwave with electric power compare zigbee with battery. This automation kind of set it and forget it. So i don’t want my water valve lost power.
It looks like the Motor strengh is not the issue in your case. It looks like the Mount of the aquara itsself is bending and therefore reaching 90 degrees when the walve is not yet closed/open
Maybe! I really wish I knew CAD. I'd design a stronger mount similar to the one the Bulldog uses. When I get some time, I'll see if I can get the Bulldog mount to fit the Aqara.
@michaelmock4894 Okay, I can report that the mount from the Bulldog fits the Aqara perfectly, and there is no more flex. However, it's still not shutting 100% of the way. It's now about 99% instead of the 90-95% with the Aqara mount that was still letting water through. I'll have to test the system in a few weekends when the family isn't home because draining the house of water gets pretty nasty and if the girls see brown water they will freak out and want to move, lol.
Just installed mine this week and I have the same problem where the controller struggles to either completely open or close the valve and it tends to require additional reinforcement to keep from twisting on its mount. Even worse is it will sometimes trigger a fault when this happens and the only way I was able to get the valve working again was to uninstall and re-install it in the hub. It’s a great idea and it’s almost there but it’s falls short of being universal.
Eric is always a great video, I kind of have the same situation that you do in my house is very old and the valve as well. But you thought about changing the valve and adding a new one to see if it fully closes?
Yep, I thought about it before I discovered the Bulldog 3-4 years ago. But if I went through the cost and hassle of hiring a plumber, I’d go for something built-in, like Flow by Moen or something similar that I could get working with Apple Home or Homey.
Good to know! I see that option on their website but not on Amazon. I've seen people use large power stations in UPS mode as a backup for water shutoff and sump pumps. The option on the Econet website appears to be a small battery pack-a 12V/5V 3000mAh battery pack-so I wonder how it connects and how it performs when running solely on the battery. It also seems like they are selling a different model now. Hopefully, it still has the same torque, as there are no real reviews of it yet.
@@ModernDayTech I have the newer model with battery backup. Works really well. I think they improved on an already good design. I have the z-wave version. Integration is rock solid with home assistant. Get best of both worlds, electric and battery. Only downside, it does not read batt voltage. So I put in reminder to replace the battery every year.
Looks like your body is bending, no motor strength issue. try remove mounting bracket and bend it little bit, then refit bracket. after that your valve may closing fully to 100%, but opening only to 95% what I think is not a big deal.
I agree it's bending the bracket, but I wouldn’t rely on bending it the other way as a permanent solution. I did install the bracket from Bulldog, onto the Aqara and now there’s no more flex. However, it still doesn’t close 100%; it’s at 99% instead of the 90-95% with the original bracket. I’m not sure if a 99% closure is enough to stop the water. I’ll have to drain my house to test it, which isn’t easy to do with the family at home. It discolors the water, and they’ll freak out and want to move out. Lol. But yes the bracket design is an issue that needs to be addressed by Aqara as bending it not a workout. I'm not worried about it opening up 95%, its only closing that I'm worried about.
Yes. Bracket should be more solid. Another one trick: instead of bending bracket is to not alignment axes together. ( fit aqara motor slightly higher, so should pull handle higher as well)
Just installed mine this week and I have the same problem where the controller struggles to either completely open or close the valve and it tends to require additional reinforcement to keep from twisting on its mount. Even worse is it will sometimes trigger a fault when this happens and the only way I was able to get the valve working again was to uninstall and re-install it in the hub. It’s a great idea and it’s almost there but it’s falls short of being universal.
*Products Featured in This Video* (Amazon Affiliate Links)
Aqara Smart Valve Controller T1 - geni.us/AqaraShutoffValve
*(15% OFF)* during Nov. 19-21 - US - Promo code: MDUSVCT1 / UK - Promo code: MDUKVCT1
Econet Bulldog (Z-wave) - geni.us/BulldogValve
Aqara M3 Hub - geni.us/AqaraM3
Homey Pro Hub - geni.us/HomeyPro
Aqara Water Leak Sensor - geni.us/AqaraLeakSensor
Eve Water Guard - geni.us/Eve-WaterGuard
Abode Leak Sensor - geni.us/AbodeWaterLeak (Abode System Required)
I just went ahead and bought the Aqara! Unfortunately, I don’t have an outlet near my water shutoff, so fingers crossed that it’s strong enough to do the job. Wish me luck! I’ll update this post in 7 days to share how it’s working out. Here’s hoping for smooth sailing!
Another fantastic review, Erik! I really appreciate that you stick to your principles and avoid sponsorships, unlike many other reviewers who let them influence their objectivity-often without realizing it. Too many miss critical details, like thoroughly testing whether the water is completely shut off-it usually isn’t. I’ve seen other reviews that claimed to be detailed, but they fell short. One reviewer didn’t even check if the system fully shut off the water, leaving it at around 95%. Another reviewer didn’t even have the Bulldog valve installed in his home and filmed the whole video using a plumbling demo setup. What’s the point of a review if it’s not tested in a real-world environment?
Thanks for this honest video! Same issue here with valve not closing 100%. Gets to about 95%. Double checked positioning of the valve and is attached securely. Tried everything, and like it was demonstrated in this video I had to manually turn off the add'l 5%. As mentioned, all homes are different, but unfortunately did not work on our 1" pipe no matter how it was positioned. Unfortunately I will be returning. Much appreciated!
I just ordered the Aqara because my ball valve is, like, shiny and new. 🤷♂ I’ll let y’all know in 7 days if it’s a genius move or if I just bought a fancy paperweight. Stay tuned, folks-who’s rooting for me?
I would use YoLink anyday over Aqara when it comes to water.
Their Valves have been on the market longer, their Control D2D technology is superb to shutting off valves without Internet or AC Power when a sensor detects a leak. It saved me a couple of times already.
Glad to see Aqara enter this space, competition will keep both companies on their toes
This was exactly the comparison I was looking for. I'm probably going to get the Bulldog since I like the construction and torque, also prefer plugin. But I think the Aqura will be an excellent choice for anyone, definitely a great value for the price.
We’re still using Bulldog but I put Zooz Titan in my mom’s home. It’s nice that this one from aqara is battery operated for those that don’t have power nearby or it goes out. It’s too bad it’s not strong enough for your setup
Thank you Erick for comparison water valve. Finally I can decide to buy this system after I watched your video. I prefer using zwave with electric power compare zigbee with battery. This automation kind of set it and forget it. So i don’t want my water valve lost power.
It looks like the Motor strengh is not the issue in your case. It looks like the Mount of the aquara itsself is bending and therefore reaching 90 degrees when the walve is not yet closed/open
Maybe! I really wish I knew CAD. I'd design a stronger mount similar to the one the Bulldog uses. When I get some time, I'll see if I can get the Bulldog mount to fit the Aqara.
@michaelmock4894 Okay, I can report that the mount from the Bulldog fits the Aqara perfectly, and there is no more flex. However, it's still not shutting 100% of the way. It's now about 99% instead of the 90-95% with the Aqara mount that was still letting water through. I'll have to test the system in a few weekends when the family isn't home because draining the house of water gets pretty nasty and if the girls see brown water they will freak out and want to move, lol.
Just installed mine this week and I have the same problem where the controller struggles to either completely open or close the valve and it tends to require additional reinforcement to keep from twisting on its mount. Even worse is it will sometimes trigger a fault when this happens and the only way I was able to get the valve working again was to uninstall and re-install it in the hub. It’s a great idea and it’s almost there but it’s falls short of being universal.
Eric is always a great video, I kind of have the same situation that you do in my house is very old and the valve as well. But you thought about changing the valve and adding a new one to see if it fully closes?
Yep, I thought about it before I discovered the Bulldog 3-4 years ago. But if I went through the cost and hassle of hiring a plumber, I’d go for something built-in, like Flow by Moen or something similar that I could get working with Apple Home or Homey.
@ yeah Eric I feel you.
You can get bulldog with battery backup now
Good to know! I see that option on their website but not on Amazon. I've seen people use large power stations in UPS mode as a backup for water shutoff and sump pumps. The option on the Econet website appears to be a small battery pack-a 12V/5V 3000mAh battery pack-so I wonder how it connects and how it performs when running solely on the battery. It also seems like they are selling a different model now. Hopefully, it still has the same torque, as there are no real reviews of it yet.
@@ModernDayTech I have the newer model with battery backup. Works really well. I think they improved on an already good design. I have the z-wave version. Integration is rock solid with home assistant. Get best of both worlds, electric and battery. Only downside, it does not read batt voltage. So I put in reminder to replace the battery every year.
I have a bulldog and was going to get battery backup until i realized i was on a well. No power, no water anyway. D'ohhhh...... lol.
😂 Classic 'D'oh' moment! Yeah, no water kind of defeats the purpose, huh? Maybe a whole-house backup generator next? 😉
Looks like your body is bending, no motor strength issue. try remove mounting bracket and bend it little bit, then refit bracket. after that your valve may closing fully to 100%, but opening only to 95% what I think is not a big deal.
I agree it's bending the bracket, but I wouldn’t rely on bending it the other way as a permanent solution. I did install the bracket from Bulldog, onto the Aqara and now there’s no more flex. However, it still doesn’t close 100%; it’s at 99% instead of the 90-95% with the original bracket. I’m not sure if a 99% closure is enough to stop the water. I’ll have to drain my house to test it, which isn’t easy to do with the family at home. It discolors the water, and they’ll freak out and want to move out. Lol. But yes the bracket design is an issue that needs to be addressed by Aqara as bending it not a workout.
I'm not worried about it opening up 95%, its only closing that I'm worried about.
Yes. Bracket should be more solid. Another one trick: instead of bending bracket is to not alignment axes together. ( fit aqara motor slightly higher, so should pull handle higher as well)
Just installed mine this week and I have the same problem where the controller struggles to either completely open or close the valve and it tends to require additional reinforcement to keep from twisting on its mount. Even worse is it will sometimes trigger a fault when this happens and the only way I was able to get the valve working again was to uninstall and re-install it in the hub. It’s a great idea and it’s almost there but it’s falls short of being universal.