A smart restroom monitoring system for running toilets and cleaning on demand
A smart restroom monitoring system measures restroom conditions so teams clean and repair on real need. Aqueduct combines odor sensing for hydrogen sulfide and methane, sound levels measured without recording audio, PIR occupancy and sink or line water meters, so it can flag a running toilet in an empty restroom and a cleaning need after heavy use.
Clean when it is needed, fix what is running, and never record a word.
Water and sound in an empty room means a leak
- Occupancy context
PIR shows the room is empty, so flow and noise at that moment are not normal use.
- Sound without audio
Minimum, maximum and average sound levels reveal a continuous fixture, with no recording.
- Measured flow
Sink or line meters show the water being lost and confirm the repair stopped it.
Cleaning sent by use and odor, not the clock
- Odor sensing
Hydrogen sulfide and methane levels rise with use and show when a restroom needs attention.
- Use counts
PIR occupancy patterns show which restrooms are busiest and at what times, so rounds follow real use.
- Visit confirmed
The short VOC spike from disinfectants and cleaning products shows that the cleaning visit actually happened.
Persistent problems separated from routine cleaning spikes
- Persistent odor
Odor that stays high after cleaning points to ventilation or plumbing, not hygiene.
- VOC trends
The size and duration of VOC peaks separate normal cleaning spikes from an ongoing contaminant source.
- Tickets routed
Issues go into your CMMS with the restroom and the sensor trace attached.
Restrooms, before and after Aqueduct
- A running toilet is found on the bill or a site walk.
- Cleaning follows a clock, not use.
- Odor problems arrive as complaints from occupants.
- Privacy concerns rule out measuring anything at all.
- Repairs are assumed to have worked.
The Aqueduct way- Flow and sound in an empty room flag the fixture.
- Cleaning follows measured occupancy and odor levels.
- Odor trends surface ventilation and plumbing issues.
- Sound levels are measured, audio is never recorded.
- The meter confirms the flow stopped.
Why restrooms waste water and staff time
Restrooms are cleaned on a clock and repaired on a complaint.
Running toilets run for weeks
A stuck flush valve can run day and night, and nobody reports it until the bill or a site walk.
Cleaning on a fixed round
Busy restrooms are cleaned too rarely and quiet ones too often, because the round ignores use.
Odor complaints come first
Ventilation or plumbing problems are discovered when occupants complain.
Privacy limits what you can measure
Cameras and microphones are not acceptable in restrooms, so most buildings measure nothing.
How Aqueduct monitors restrooms
One running toilet and one cleaning call, from sensor to fix.
A restroom air sensor reports odor (hydrogen sulfide and methane), VOC, sound levels and PIR occupancy, and compact meters report water on sink lines or the restroom main.
Normal patterns are learned per restroom: water and sound follow occupancy, odor rises with use, and VOC spikes when cleaning products are used.
Late at night, PIR shows no one present while steady sound and continuous water flow persist. Aqueduct flags a likely running toilet.
A ticket routes to your CMMS with the restroom, the water trace and the sound pattern. Separately, sustained odor after heavy use triggers a cleaning request.
After the repair, flow returns to zero when the room is empty. Cleaning VOC spikes confirm the visit happened.
What it needs on site
Sensors measure sound levels only and never record audio. Devices are installed through partners.
| Device | What it measures or does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom air quality sensor | H2S and methane odor, VOC, CO2, temperature, humidity | Cleaning needs, ventilation issues and cleaning confirmation |
| Sound level sensing (in the same sensor) | Minimum, maximum and average dB per interval | Continuous noise of a running fixture, no audio recorded |
| PIR occupancy (in the same sensor) | Whether the room is in use | Separates normal use from abnormal flow |
| Compact water meters | Total gallons on sink lines or the restroom main | Measures waste and confirms repairs |
| LoRaWAN gateway | Backhaul over Ethernet, Wi-Fi or LTE | Connects battery sensors without new wiring |
Outcome
What changes when restrooms report their own condition.
Running toilets waste water for weeks.
Flow and sound with no occupancy flagged as a likely running fixture.
Leaks caught early and repairs confirmed at the meter.
Odor discovered by complaint.
Odor and VOC trends by restroom.
Ventilation and plumbing issues found before complaints.
Cleaning rounds ignore real use.
Cleaning requests triggered by use and odor.
Staff time sent where restrooms need it.
Who cares about this
The seats that ask for this first.
Where teams put it to work
High-traffic restrooms on real need
Terminal restrooms with heavy, uneven use are cleaned by measured occupancy and odor rather than a fixed hourly round.
Learn more
Event-day restrooms under load
Venue restrooms flag running fixtures and cleaning needs during events, when crowds are largest and complaints spread fastest.
Learn more
Quiet floors, no wasted rounds
Office restrooms on lightly used floors are cleaned when needed, and running fixtures are found overnight instead of at the next site walk.
Learn moreRestroom monitoring by building type
Restrooms fail the same way everywhere, but the cost of failure differs by building.
Commercial offices
Restrooms on quiet floors run fixtures for weeks without anyone noticing, while busy floors need more cleaning than the round provides.
- Running fixtures on quiet floors
- Cleaning by use, not clock
- Odor trends that point to ventilation
- Measured
- flow, sound level, odor, PIR
- Main gain
- water and cleaning hours
- Aqueduct
- ticket per restroom
Airports and transport hubs
Use follows flight banks. A restroom near a busy gate can need cleaning several times an hour, then sit idle.
- Use counts aligned with peaks
- Cleaning teams sent by need
- Visit confirmed by the cleaning VOC spike
- Measured
- use and odor
- Main gain
- passenger experience
- Aqueduct
- dispatch by measured need
Stadiums and arenas
Hundreds of fixtures with automatic flush valves sit unused between events. A non-event day shows any fixture that keeps running.
- Dark-day flow per block
- Fixture faults before the next event
- Odor after events
- Measured
- flow per block
- Main gain
- water between events
- Aqueduct
- pre-event fault list
Universities and schools
Term and holiday patterns leave whole buildings empty, which is when running fixtures cost most and are noticed least.
- Holiday flow baselines
- Restroom main meters per building
- Cleaning rounds by term occupancy
- Measured
- flow and occupancy
- Main gain
- holiday water waste
- Aqueduct
- building-level alerts
Hospitals and clinics
Public and staff restrooms carry hygiene expectations. Odor and use data help schedule cleaning without adding rounds.
- Odor and VOC per restroom
- Use counts by time of day
- No audio recorded anywhere
- Measured
- air and use
- Main gain
- hygiene and staff time
- Aqueduct
- cleaning on demand
What each pattern of readings usually means
Single readings mislead. Combinations of sensors tell the story.
| Pattern | Likely meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Flow and steady sound, room empty | A fixture running continuously | Plumbing ticket with flow trace |
| High use count, rising odor | Restroom due for cleaning | Cleaning request |
| Short VOC spike after a visit | Cleaning products used | Visit confirmed |
| Odor stays high after cleaning | Ventilation or drain problem | Engineering ticket |
| Flow returns to zero when empty | Repair worked | Close as verified |
| Sensor connection rate falling | Device needs attention | Replace battery or device |
What the sensors never do
No audio recording
Sound is measured as minimum, maximum and average levels per interval. No audio is captured or stored.
No cameras
Occupancy comes from PIR motion sensing, which detects presence without images.
No people tracking
Data describes the restroom's condition and use counts, not who used it.
From a pilot block to the whole building
Battery sensors and LoRaWAN make restroom rollout quick. An illustrative sequence:
Gateway and pilot block
A LoRaWAN gateway is placed and one busy and one quiet restroom are fitted with sensors and compact meters through partners.
Learn normal
Use, flow, sound and odor patterns are learned per restroom, and cleaning confirmation is calibrated to the products used.
Extend and route
Sensors extend across the building. Plumbing and cleaning requests route into the CMMS or cleaning system.
Change the round
Cleaning rounds are rebuilt around measured use, and repairs close only when flow returns to zero in an empty room.
sites in 21 countries run on Aqueduct.
and 9 clinics in one of India’s top hospital chains.
US airport running water intelligence on Aqueduct.
of commercial real estate under Aqueduct.
FMCG manufacturing campus.
operations run on Aqueduct.
Related
Common questions
It is a set of sensors and software that report restroom conditions so cleaning and repairs follow real need. Aqueduct combines odor, sound levels, PIR occupancy and water meters to flag running toilets, cleaning needs and ventilation problems.
No. The sensors measure sound intensity in decibels and report minimum, maximum and average levels for each interval. No audio is recorded, which preserves occupant privacy.
It looks for continuous sound and water flow while PIR shows the restroom is empty. That combination points to a stuck flush valve or leaking fixture, and a ticket routes to your CMMS.
Yes. Odor from hydrogen sulfide and methane rises with use. Sustained odor after heavy occupancy triggers a cleaning request, and the VOC spike from cleaning products confirms the visit.
A restroom air quality sensor that includes odor, VOC, sound level and PIR occupancy, plus compact water meters on sink supply lines or the restroom main. Battery devices connect through a LoRaWAN gateway.
Running toilets and stuck valves waste water continuously, so finding them early matters. Restroom monitoring is one source of findings, and each fix is verified at the meter against a weather-normalized baseline.
Aqueduct routes requests into your CMMS or work management system. It does not replace it or manage cleaning staff.
Usually one combined sensor for odor, VOC, sound level and occupancy, plus a compact water meter on the restroom main or sink lines. Large restroom blocks may need more.
No. They are battery powered and connect through a LoRaWAN gateway, so most installs need no new wiring.
Requests route as tickets into your CMMS or work system, which can pass them to a cleaning contractor. Visit confirmation comes from the cleaning VOC spike.
Continuous flow on the restroom meter and a steady sound level while PIR shows nobody is present, often overnight.
It gives both sides a shared record of use, requests and confirmed visits. Many owners use that record to move from fixed rounds toward need-based service levels.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.