System against floods Neptune: features, advantages, disadvantages

Leaving a house or apartment unattended even for a short time, we run the risk: there are too many engineering systems in our home, which, in the event of an accident, can cause significant damage. One of these systems is plumbing. You can protect yourself and your home from the flood using the Neptune leakage protection system. This is one of the firms that supplies the market with ready-made solutions for the most common options. It is also possible to assemble your own system from components - with specific properties.

Purpose and functions

The Neptune water leakage protection system is designed to localize water supply accidents in houses, apartments and other premises. Consists of ball valves with electric drives, which are closed in case of an accident on the command of the control unit. The presence of water at the most likely points is monitored using sensors - wired or wireless. As you can see, in terms of functionality and composition, it is no different from others similar systems... But there are also some peculiarities.

Conveniently enough, there are ready-made solutions for the most common cases. The site has tabs where possible options are collected by group. Water leakage control Neptune has ready-made solutions for such situations:

• For apartments with centralized hot water supply and for those options when hot water is heated independently.
• For private houses with water supply from a borehole or well. The difference is that at the same time that the supply is cut off, the pump is powered off.
  

  Water leakage control Neptune - the composition is the same: sensors, electric taps and a control unit

• For heating and water supply in apartment buildings.
• For swimming pools. In this case, the taps do not close, only the emergency system is turned on, and which taps are to be closed by a person.

When an alarm is received, the controller supplies power to the electric motor, the rotating reducer, which turns the locking ball, shutting off the water. At the same time, an audible alarm will sound. If it is necessary to resume operation after an accident, the control unit must be restarted: turn the power off and on. As you can see, everything is simple.

Features and differences

It is almost impossible to talk about the general features of Neptun flood protection: too different systems, with a different set of functions and equipment. Water leakage control Neptune is implemented on the basis of 5 controllers, and they have a different set of functions.

In the simplest versions (all modifications of the SKPV), the water is simply shut off by a signal from the sensors. Only wired leakage sensors work with these models and there cannot be many of them - 5 or 10 pieces. There are no additional features. No sensor testing, no crane testing. Nothing. Later designs have more features:

• several tens of wireless sensors and several hundred wired ones can work;
• the ability to integrate into the smart home system, fire or burglar alarms, dispatch services;
• added automatic performance check - taps are closed and opened once or twice a month (depending on the type of block);
• they can control a large number of ball valves;
• added backup power - four batteries;
• the ability to work from 12 V.

One of the system options

The most important feature of the Neptune flood control system is the ability to manually close and open taps when using Bugatti taps. For this, there is a special lever on the cranes drive body. It must be turned all the way.This lever can also track the closure of water in an accident.

In other systems, manual closing is possible after removing the gearbox, for which you need to unscrew two (Hydroloc) or four bolts (Aqua Watchdog). By the same principle, you can get access to manual closing or opening of the tap in the cheapest and simplest of the kits - "Neptune Aquacontrol". So not all Neptune systems are equipped with the same ball valves. Be careful when choosing.

Sensors

Protection against water leakage Neptune has two types of wired and wireless sensors. In sensors of any type, a board is installed that is designed to protect against accidental operation. To eliminate false alarms, the contacts are spaced some distance. The alarm is generated only if both contacts are in the water.

Please note: Neptune wireless sensors operate at 433 kHz. This is not very good, since the signal at this frequency does not always reach through the walls. And this is one of the important flaws.

Neptun sensors can be wired or wireless

There are wired sensors for outdoor installation - they have contacts at the bottom of the case. They are simply placed on the surface. There is a modification for concealed installation - "flush" with the level of finishing material (floor tiles). This version has a regular round shape with a diameter of 54 mm. It is convenient to make a hole under them with a "crown". Functionally, they are no different. The floor-mounted version is available with cords of different lengths - 2, 5 and 20 meters. As you can see, there are sensors for different cases and requirements.

Wireless sensors have different operating ranges - 50 m in line of sight (RSW) and unlimited range (SSW 01). The second option also turns on the sound alarm itself. This option is suitable for controlling devices located at a distance from the house - a pit with a pump installed in it, baths, etc.

Ball valves with actuators for automatic water shut-off

The valves used in Neptune water control systems are full bore (do not narrow the cross section, do not create problems with fluid flow), diameter - from 1/2 to 2 inches.

The most budgetary set - NEPTUN AQUACONTROL - uses ball valves produced in a Chinese plant. The valve body, ball, stem and gears are made of brass, the seals are made of fluoroplastic and rubber. The maximum pressure is 16 bar. It is this parameter that is worth paying attention to: in high-rise buildings, systems can often give more pressure during testing. If you are looking for flood protection for a private home, this pressure is enough for your head. But there is one more thing: the power supply of this tap is only from 220 V.

There are two types of taps - 16 bar and 40 bar

If you don't trust Chinese products, check out the other kits. They use cranes from the Italian company Bugatti. They are distinguished by high working pressure - up to 40 bar. These cranes will withstand even serious water hammer, a higher liquid temperature (up to 120 ° C), and a high drive torque (from 9 to 16 Nm). Power supply - from 220 or 12 V.

Crane Neptun Bugatti Pro 12 B 1/2 ″. Green housing indicates a safe 12 volt supply

Crane Neptun Bugatti Pro 220 B 3/4 ″. The blue drive housing indicates that the supply voltage is 220 volts

Bugatti electric cranes are highly reliable - metal gears are used in the gearbox

The valve closure time is 21 seconds. This is a good time. There are systems in which the valve closes faster (Aquastoro), but they have a low torque. There are systems in which the applied force is greater (Hydrolock), but the taps are closed for up to 40 seconds. So the Neptune water leakage control is in the middle for this parameter. Good or bad - you decide.

Pay attention to another important plus of Neptun Bugatty cranes for Neptune - manual control of the ball valve is easy to implement. For this, a special lever is brought to the body.To close or open the valve manually, you must smoothly move the lever to the other extreme position.

Controllers

Neptune water leakage control is implemented on the basis of control modules with different functionalities:

• SKPV mini 2N... The simplest control device, which, based on the sensor signal, closes the tap and turns on the audible alarm. A maximum of 5 sensors and 2 taps can be connected to it. Works only from 220 V, does not have a backup power supply. Fits into a regular standard socket. If you need an inexpensive controller, this one works stably. The disadvantage is that there is no backup power supply.
  

  Functions and specifications of Neptun controllers

• SKPV 220 V DIN and SKPV 12V DIN... It differs in the installation method - on a DIN rail and a large number of connected equipment: up to 8 taps and up to 6 sensors. It is produced in two modifications - with power supply from 220 V and from 12 V. It is similar in functionality to SKPV mini 2N: only close the taps by a signal from the sensor. If you decide to install the anti-flood controller in an electrical cabinet, this option will be convenient.
•  NEPTUN BASE... The functionality does not differ from the options described above. The difference is that it is wall-mounted and allows 6 taps and 20 wired sensors to be controlled. Can be connected to other systems: smart home, alarm, dispatching systems. The function of checking the operability of cranes has been added - they are rotated once a month.
• NEPTUN PRO W... Added backup power - from 4 lithium batteries. At a reserve source, Neptune water leakage control can work for up to 1 year. Allows you to control 4 cranes, receive signals from 375 wired sensors. They can be divided into 4 zones. When a leak signal from the sensor appears, the zone is identified on the panel (LED lights up). In addition to checking the status of the taps once a month, it displays their status. Please note: it is possible to connect an external power source (as an option - a battery).
• NEPTUN PRO W +... It differs from the previous one in that it also allows servicing 31 wireless sensors. But it can work from batteries no more than 3 days.

The latest versions - PRO and PRO + - can operate from 220 V or 12 V, they have an indication of a low charge of the backup power source. When an external backup source (battery) is connected, they can control 6 cranes. Installation type - consignment note.

One of the options for connecting devices

Three controllers have an additional dry contact. Through it, you can organize the connection of an external device, for example, an external alarm.

Ready sets

If you need a flood protection system, you can go two ways - assemble your own system from components or pick up one of the ready-made kits. Ready-made sets are assembled on the basis of more modern controllers - Base, Pro, Pro +. All of them check the performance of the cranes at least once a month, but they can work with a different amount of equipment.

The Neptune system is represented by five basic sets:

• Aquacontrol... If you are looking for inexpensive leak protection from a trusted manufacturer, this is the kit. The Base controller and Chinese-made ball valves are used. The set includes two taps, two wired sensors. As you can see, the system is small, but it will provide protection for a one-room apartment or a small summer cottage.
• Base light... For apartments without centralized hot water supply. Includes Neptun Base controller, one Bugatty motorized ball valve, two wired sensors.
• Bugatti Base... The best option with wired sensors for apartments with centralized hot water supply. Contains two Bugatti taps and three wired sensors.
  

  Description of sets of water leakage control systems Neptune

• Bugatti Pro W... It is based on the Pro W controller. Wired system with an additional power supply (with batteries). The differences are compatibility with external services, the ability to connect a large number of wired sensors.
• Bugatti Pro W +... The set includes a control unit of the same name, it is distinguished by the ability to service wireless sensors.

The good news is that taps and sensors can be added to any of the kits. Their maximum number is determined by the type of control unit used and the number of connected equipment cannot be greater than their capabilities. Functions and capabilities are also controller dependent.

Neptune system: advantages and disadvantages

If we compare the Neptune water leakage protection system with its closest competitors (Hydrolock and Aquastoro), the equipment is less powerful (except for the last two controllers), but also the most budgetary. On the one hand, this is not bad - it is hardly worth overpaying for unused power if you have a small apartment or house and 6-8 sensors are more than enough for you. So for ordinary apartments and medium-sized houses, such capacities are quite enough. On the other hand, if necessary, you will have to install a second control unit or change it to a more powerful one.

The Neptune water leakage control device is easily identified by the levers on the ball valve electric drive unit

The disadvantage of budget solutions is the lack of backup power. This is really bad. They turned off the light - no one controls the water leak and anything can happen. Moreover, the algorithm of work does not provide for closing the water when the power is turned off (this is how Aquastoro works). The only thing you can do is manually close the taps if necessary.

Here's something else worth knowing. The first Neptune systems operated not on ball valves, but on motorized valves. Since the valves are less reliable, the system often failed. In this regard, they began to use only ball valves. This increased the cost of the equipment, but complaints and failures have become several times less, and feedback on the use of the Neptune water leakage control system in recent years has been positive.