Project Details
[Return to Previous Page]Programmable Water Leak Demonstration Unit
Company: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Major(s):
Primary: CMPEN
Secondary: EE
Optional: ME
Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO
Intellectual Property: YES
The WSSC Water is a bi-county, public water/wastewater utility in Maryland that was established in 1918. For over 100 years, WSSC Water has served the communities of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties providing life-sustaining water and water resource recovery services to individuals, families and businesses. WSSC Water maintains and repairs approximately 12,000 miles of buried pipes and several dozen facilities to provide water services to its community. One of the most common sources of residential water leaks is in a toilet. A leaking toilet left not fixed can amount to a significantly higher water bill to customers. WSSC Water customers unaware of this source of leak can be surprised when receiving a higher bill and may even have trouble paying the bill. WSSC Water community outreach efforts have focused on developing a tool to demonstrate to the public the most common water leaks with the use of a demonstration toilet. The attached photo shows the demonstration toilet that allows for simulated leaks. WSSC Water needs a student team to design and build the final aspect of the demonstration unit - the programmable digital display to be mounted on the display board. The digital display will show live water flow and cost information as leaks are simulated in the toilet. The student team will specify and obtain all hardware needed using the project’s budget. Students will also develop the programming of the live display. The programable digital display will need to have a graphical interface that matches the visual graphic design that will be supplied by WSSC Waters Communications department. The programmable aspect of the display will need to allow a user to easily input and adjust water cost information that feeds the calculated total leak cost valve on the display. This project will challenge PSU students to design, specify and fabricate a programmable digital display system to best inform and educate WSSC Water customers on leaks. This innovative project will help bring affordability to WSSC Water customers through knowledge and education.
