Rock Glen Family Resort is a members-only RV park and campground located in Arkona, Ontario, Canada. For over 50 years, the resort has provided guests with experiences in their more than 100 campground areas and variety of cabins for both short and long-term vacations. Members can enjoy many premium experiences at the resort, including fishing, indoor swimming, and outdoor recreation at the nearby 67-acre Rock Glen Conservation Area.

Because the area’s temperatures can drop below freezing and remain there for several weeks, any unoccupied cabins are at risk of their pipes freezing and bursting. Recently, one of these cabins experienced a serious pipe freeze during the cold Ontario winter and caused major damage.

“One of the cabin doors blew open, and it froze the pipes,” said Rob Russell, president of Rock Glen Family Resort. “It burst and the leak wasn’t noticed for over a week. It did a lot of damage.”

Without a way to monitor for these kinds of events or mitigate the damage, the repair costs ballooned with every minute that the issue wasn’t addressed.

“We spent over $10,000 repairing the cabin that had that frozen pipe burst and did not want to go through that again,” explained Russell.

To monitor each cabin effectively, each one would require its own way to monitor for floods. However, hardwiring a system across so many different buildings would require an immense amount of work, and the resort’s 5+ acres was nestled among some heavily wooded areas which made wireless connectivity inconsistent.

As a self-proclaimed “tech guy”, Russell reached out to Ted Bielawski from TNT Security to create an advanced, comprehensive system that would be able to mitigate damage if another pipe burst as well as manage the resort’s overall security and automation needs.

Bielawski and Russell utilized nearly every single automation and mitigation device offered by Johnson Controls to create a powerful, seamless system for their cabins to keep their guests safe and prevent further damage to their property. The system was designed around the IQ Panel 4 and the range and reliability of PowerG to ensure wireless communication with each device across the property, including the heavily wooded areas.

To mitigate any further flood damage, an IQ Temp, Alarm.com Thermostat and IQ Flood Sensors were placed in every cabin. In the event of extreme temperatures, the IQ Temp will alert Russell while the thermostat automatically adjusts the climate indoor to prevent freezing. If flooding does begin, the IQ Flood Sensors will detect flooding and automatically notify Russell and the central station as soon as it begins. Each flood sensor also enables instantaneous response to the issue by pinpointing the specific cabin and area where the flood is occurring.

The cabin’s frozen pipes began with a door blown open by the wind, so Bielawski added motion and door sensors to each cabin as well. This way, if a cabin should be empty but a door is opened, movement is detected, or the AC or heat is running when it shouldn’t be employees can quickly find out why and act accordingly. These sensors also help the resort monitor cleaning crews and ensure cleaning schedules are being followed.

As part of these improvements, Russell and Bielawksi added many additional devices to enhance their customers’ experiences at the resort and help their business processes run smoothly. The two pools now use IQ heat detection to ensure the pool temperature is correct. Smart carbon monoxide detectors were added to each cabin to monitor for unusual levels of CO₂. Each cabin also has an IQ Lock PG that provides a door code for renters which terminates at the end of their stay. Finally, with IQ Switch PG and motion detectors in the community bathroom, lights are automatically turned on upon entry for safer nighttime visits.

By implementing these measures, Rock Glen Family Resort successfully addressed the damage caused by frozen pipes, prevented expensive repairs in the future, and ensured the efficient management of their business.