A Recurring Flow Alert is triggered when Phyn detects a small, unexpected water flow that occurs multiple times in a similar pattern. These events usually share a similar flow rate, duration, and time between occurrences.
Phyn reviews your plumbing activity over the previous 24 hours. If it detects a recurring pattern, you’ll receive a notification and an alert labeled “Unusual recurring water usage detected.” When you tap the alert in the app, you’ll see details such as:
Total gallons used
Start time
End time
Duration
What commonly causes a Recurring Flow Alert?
Recurring Flow Alerts are often caused by small, intermittent leaks or low-flow devices, including:
A leaking toilet flapper
Dripping faucets or outdoor spigots
Whole-home humidifiers that use water intermittently
Plumbing noise in homes without a Pressure Regulating Valve (PRV)
Certain well systems that create low-level pressure or electrical noise
What should I do?
Check your toilets for leaks.
Add a few drops of food coloring to the toilet tank
Do not flush
Wait 15 minutes
If colored water appears in the bowl (not the tank), the flapper is leaking and should be replaced
Inspect faucets and spigots.
Check indoor and outdoor faucets for drips
Look under sinks for moisture
Remove and clean faucet aerators if dripping is present
Check appliances that use water intermittently.
Whole-home humidifiers are a common cause
Turn the humidifier off for 24 hours
If the alert moves from Active to Resolved, the humidifier is the source
Contact a plumber if you cannot find the source.
Why did the alert resolve on its own?
Phyn evaluates Recurring Flow Alerts once every 24 hours. If the source of the recurring flow is fixed, the alert will automatically move from Active to Resolved the following day.
What if I don’t find a leak?
In some homes, especially those without a PRV or with well systems, Recurring Flow Alerts can occasionally be triggered by background plumbing or system noise rather than an actual leak.
If you have thoroughly checked your home and are confident there is no issue, you can disable this alert type.
Open the Phyn app.
Go to Settings > Device > Notifications > Alert Settings.
Select Recurring Flow.
Toggle notifications off.
Disabling this alert will stop notifications for recurring low-flow patterns, but other leak and water activity alerts will continue to function normally.