For many buildings, the building management system (BMS) functions as the operational control centre, bringing together alarms, status points and response processes across critical infrastructure. According to Quensus, when water risk sits outside that environment, incidents are more likely to be missed, responses tend to be slower and producing clear evidence for governance becomes significantly harder.
LeakNet is designed to bring water risk into everyday building operations by integrating directly with the BMS. Instead of managing escape-of-water events separately, they can be handled like any other critical system, with clear alarms, visible isolation status and an auditable response trail.
A whitepaper from Quensus explains how LeakNet connects into a BMS, the signals that can be exposed and how integration can scale from individual buildings to full portfolios.
In practice, BMS integration has two parts: technical and operational. Technically, the BMS must receive reliable alarm and status signals when a water event occurs. Operationally, those signals need to trigger consistent response workflows, from notification through to incident close-out. LeakNet supports this by providing standard outputs for alert and valve status, giving teams a stable foundation for consistent operations.
How LeakNet connects into a BMS
The simplest form of integration is delivered through the LeakNet Gen2 control panel, which includes BMS outputs for both alert and valve status. These outputs are specified as volt free contact signals, a detail that is particularly important in building systems integration. Volt free contacts are widely supported by BMS input modules, making them straightforward to implement and reducing the need for custom interfaces or additional translators.
In practice, this allows BMS engineers to configure LeakNet as standard points such as a water leak alarm or an isolation valve open or closed status. Once integrated, these points can be displayed on graphics, routed through alarm management systems and incorporated into site operating procedures in the same way as other building services.
LeakNet’s design as a prevention system also shapes how it behaves during an incident. It can automatically close an isolation valve to limit damage, while using a two-stage alert approach that includes a remote alert before shut-off.
This is particularly valuable in operational environments where unnecessary disruption must be avoided. From a BMS perspective, operators can clearly see whether an alert is active or whether isolation has already occurred, helping them align decisions to the building’s containment state.
Designing for resilience and operational clarity
Quensus also highlights the importance of resilience in BMS integration. Not every site wants core protection to depend on cloud connectivity. LeakNet supports offline operation using preset thresholds for time, volume, flow rate and inactivity.
Even when offline, the system can continue to generate local alerts and valve status signals, which the BMS can still display and route. This ensures that water risk control remains active on site, while online connectivity enhances diagnostics, history and multi-user access when available.
Good integration outcomes also depend on design choices beyond wiring. Alarm points need to be mapped to zones that reflect operational reality, whether by plant room, riser, floor level or other high-risk areas.
Clear naming and grouping reduce response times and help avoid unnecessary shut-offs in the wrong locations. Equally important is defining response workflows, including who receives alarms, who is authorised to re-open supply and how incidents are closed out.
By providing straightforward BMS outputs for alert and valve status, LeakNet makes it practical to bring water risk into the same operational environment as other building systems. Combined with automated isolation, staged alerting and offline capability, this approach supports faster response, stronger governance and a more resilient model for managing escape-of-water risk.
Read the full blog from Quensus here.
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