PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2003) -- With help from the NASA-funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) and a top-level engineer with NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, Port Charlotte inventors John Coffey and Walter Kaiser are producing and selling their innovative “Flood Knot” product to consumers.
John Coffey, a mathematics and science teacher with a military background in electronics, and Walter Kaiser, a former submarine chief responsible for electronics and propulsion engineering, teamed up to produce a device that may save the world billions of gallons of water and prevent internal water damage caused by leaking appliances and plumbing.

Kaiser came up with the original idea three years ago when his house was flooded due to a leaking washing machine hose. “While the property damage came to over $75,000, the emotional damage was immeasurable,” said Kaiser.

Coffey and Kaiser figured if they could develop a valve, using a microchip that could read when a leak was occurring, they could sell the device to consumers and the plumbers. “We needed something that could process information and do several things at once,” explained Coffey.

Before they could settle on the design, they needed to agree on what constitutes a leak. Walter and John asked themselves, “Are a few drops acceptable? How much water would be considered damaging?” Almost two-and-a-half years were spent testing, modifying, and improving their invention. A prototype was developed, but it was costly to produce.

Fortunately, the Office of Economic Development of Charlotte County told Coffey and Kaiser about SATOP and the free engineering assistance the program offers to small businesses and inventors. They were so sure they were on to something, they filled out a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA) form and submitted it to SATOP.
SATOP paired the duo with Joe San Fillipo, a Honeywell engineer at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in White Sands, N.M. “I volunteered to work on this RTA because I have some experience in selecting the type of components for which Flood Knot was searching,” said San Fillipo.

After San Fillipo conferred with the duo about their prototype, the problem was clear. “Flood Knot had developed a system that contained a pressure switch. Below the set point, the switch is off; conversely, if the pressure rises above the set point the device switches on,” said San Fillipo. “Flood Knot's challenge was to find a suitable pressure switch that was much smaller and less expensive than the switch used in their initial design.”

To tackle the problem, FilIipo researched what switches were on the market. “First, I performed a market survey of commercially available pressure switches and contacted several manufacturers to determine if they could manufacture a special product that would meet Flood Knot's needs,” he said. “Unfortunately, I was unable to find a switch that met Flood Knot's performance and cost requirements.”
The solution that eventually was reached was a team effort, says San Fillipo. “During the course of the investigation, Mr. Kaiser notified me they had located a pressure transducer and asked me to assess its viability. A pressure transducer is used to measure pressure, however when it is combined with additional circuitry it can provide the same functionality as a pressure switch,” he explained. “I was later informed that this is indeed the solution Flood Knot decided to implement.”

San Fillipo guided the two inventors as they fine-tuned their device until a final version was complete. “Amazingly, the Flood Knot’s low-end leak threshold is now one drop in 30 seconds. No one has been able to detect a leak this small in any device that’s affordable,” said Coffey. “We have successfully solved the problem of how to protect a home from internal water damage, with NASA’s engineering help, of course.”

The two are organizing a production force to keep up with demand for the product. “You know this is the greatest country in the world when you can ask for help from an extension of the United Space Program, and it’s free,” said both inventors.