Patent ID: 8457908

Claim:
A method for monitoring a flow of a liquid in a distribution system within a structure, the method comprising: monitoring pressure at a first point in the distribution system, producing an output signal indicative of the pressure in the distribution system; detecting liquid-related events occurring in the distribution system based upon one or more changes in the pressure indicated by the output signal; and identifying a specific type of the liquid-related events that has been detected, from among two or more different types of events, by comparing characteristics of the output signal with one or more determinative criteria associated with the two or more different types of events, wherein: when two or more different valves are coupled to the distribution system, detecting the liquid-related events comprises: using the output signal to detect a change in a state of a valve of the two or more different valves; and the change in the state of the valve occurs when the valve opens more or closes more; one or more of the two or more different valves is associated with a specific fixture from among two or more different fixtures, the two or more different fixtures are coupled to the distribution system; and the method further comprises: identifying the specific fixture with which the valve of the two or more different valves that has changed state is associated.