SAM Alert Types and Categories

Homeowner Summary

SAM sends you alerts when something in your home needs attention. Every alert is designed to be clear, actionable, and genuinely useful — not noisy. SAM only reaches out when it matters. Each alert tells you what was detected, why it matters, how urgent it is, and what you should do about it.

Alerts are categorized by type, assigned a priority level, and routed to the right people. Some alerts go only to you. Others are also sent to your trusted service professional so they can reach out proactively. You control your notification preferences — how you want to be contacted and how often.

Alert Categories

1. Age Warnings

What they detect: Equipment approaching or exceeding its expected lifespan.

SAM tracks the installation date and expected lifespan of every piece of equipment in your home. As systems age, SAM sends progressive warnings:

• Approaching end-of-life — Equipment is within 1 to 2 years of expected lifespan end. Time to start planning and budgeting for replacement.
• At end-of-life — Equipment has reached its expected lifespan. Replacement should be scheduled proactively before failure.
• Past end-of-life — Equipment is operating beyond its expected lifespan. Risk of failure is elevated. Urgent replacement recommended.

Examples: "Your water heater is 11 years old. The average lifespan for this model is 10-12 years. Now is a good time to discuss replacement options with your service professional."

2. Efficiency Drops

What they detect: Equipment that is consuming more energy or performing worse than its baseline.

These alerts require either monitoring hardware or recent professional assessment data. SAM establishes a performance baseline for each system and flags deviations:

• Gradual efficiency decline — Performance has degraded slowly over weeks or months. May indicate wear, dirty components, or refrigerant loss.
• Sudden efficiency drop — Sharp change in performance. May indicate a component failure, electrical issue, or system malfunction.
• Energy spike — Abnormal increase in energy consumption on a specific circuit or system.

Examples: "Your HVAC system used 22% more energy this week compared to the same period last month, with similar outdoor temperatures. This may indicate a maintenance need."

3. Maintenance Reminders

What they detect: Scheduled maintenance that is due or overdue.

SAM builds a maintenance calendar based on manufacturer recommendations, industry standards, and your specific equipment:

• Upcoming maintenance — Service is due within the next 30 days.
• Overdue maintenance — Scheduled service has been missed. Score impact noted.
• Seasonal prep — Time-sensitive maintenance tied to seasonal changes (pre-summer AC check, pre-winter furnace tune-up, spring gutter cleaning).

Examples: "Your annual HVAC tune-up is due. Last service was 13 months ago. Schedule with your service professional to keep your system running efficiently."

4. Anomaly Detection

What they detect: Unusual patterns in sensor data that deviate from your home's normal behavior.

These are the most powerful alerts, available with Shipshape monitoring hardware. SAM learns what is normal for your specific home and flags anything unusual:

• Water anomaly — Unexpected water flow when no fixtures should be in use, suggesting a possible leak.
• HVAC anomaly — Unusual cycling patterns, temperature differentials, or runtime behavior.
• Electrical anomaly — Unexpected load on a circuit, voltage fluctuation, or power quality issue.
• Behavioral anomaly — Usage pattern that deviates significantly from your home's established norm.

Examples: "Water flow detected at 3:14 AM for 45 minutes when no usage is expected. This may indicate a running toilet or slow leak. Tap to investigate."

5. Weather-Related Alerts

What they detect: Approaching weather events that may affect your home's systems.

SAM integrates weather forecast data with your home's specific vulnerabilities:

• Extreme temperature warning — Upcoming heat wave or freeze that may stress HVAC or pipes.
• Storm preparation — Severe weather approaching; recommended actions based on your home profile.
• Freeze risk — Temperatures dropping below thresholds that risk pipe freezing, especially for exposed or vulnerable plumbing.
• Post-storm check — After severe weather, SAM recommends inspecting specific systems based on the event type.

Examples: "Temperatures are forecast to drop to 18 degrees F tonight. Your home has exposed supply lines in the garage. Consider letting faucets drip and opening cabinet doors to prevent frozen pipes."

6. Safety Alerts

What they detect: Conditions that may pose an immediate risk to occupants.

Safety alerts are always treated as highest priority:

• Water leak detected — Moisture sensor has triggered, indicating active water presence where it should not be.
• CO/smoke detector age — Detectors approaching or past their replacement date (typically 7 to 10 years).
• Electrical safety concern — Abnormal readings that may indicate overloaded circuits, ground faults, or wiring issues.
• Gas appliance flag — Age or condition concern on gas-fired equipment that warrants professional inspection.

Examples: "Moisture detected near your water heater. This could indicate a tank leak or condensate issue. Check the area and contact your service professional if you see standing water."

Priority Levels

Every alert is assigned one of four priority levels:

| Priority | Color | Meaning | Response Time | |----------|-------|---------|---------------| | Critical | Red | Immediate risk to safety or property. Requires prompt action. | Same day | | High | Orange | Significant issue that should be addressed soon. Equipment at risk. | Within 1 week | | Medium | Yellow | Issue that deserves attention but is not urgent. Plan accordingly. | Within 1 month | | Low | Blue | Informational or maintenance reminder. No immediate risk. | At your convenience |

Notification Channels

Homeowners receive alerts through:

• Push notification — Shipshape mobile app (primary channel for most alerts)
• In-app alert center — All alerts are logged in the app with full details and recommended actions
• Email — Summary digests and critical alerts (configurable frequency)
• SMS — Critical and high-priority alerts only (opt-in)

You can customize notification preferences in the app: which alert types you receive, through which channels, and at what priority threshold.

Dealer Routing

When an alert is actionable and involves professional service, SAM automatically routes it to your connected service professional:

• Critical and high-priority alerts are sent to the dealer in real time via the Dealer Dashboard
• Medium-priority alerts are batched and surfaced as service opportunities
• Low-priority alerts remain homeowner-facing unless the homeowner requests service

The dealer sees the alert context — equipment details, history, sensor data, and recommended actions — so they can reach out to you with an informed, specific recommendation rather than a generic sales call.

Alert Intelligence

SAM does not just detect and forward. It applies intelligence to reduce noise and increase relevance:

• Correlation — If multiple sensors flag at the same time, SAM correlates them into a single coherent alert rather than bombarding you with separate notifications
• Deduplication — SAM will not re-alert on the same issue within a configurable window
• Contextual severity — A water heater efficiency drop in a 3-year-old unit is medium priority; the same drop in a 14-year-old unit is high priority
• Seasonal awareness — SAM adjusts thresholds based on season (higher HVAC runtime in summer is normal, not an anomaly)
• Learning — Over time, SAM refines its understanding of what is normal for your specific home, reducing false positives