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Author Topic: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!  (Read 179280 times)

brobin

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #210 on: January 31, 2021, 01:52:14 PM »

Check this out.  It continuously monitors water flow so you can see if something is leaking.  No plumbing required.
flumewater.com
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bkenobi

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #211 on: January 31, 2021, 05:06:50 PM »

From the looks of it, the flume device is a very nice cloud based implementation of a device DIY'ers have been building for years. MySensors has a water meter reader project that uses a Hall Effect sensor identical to this that can be built for around $20USD last I checked.

Example:
https://www.mysensors.org/build/pulse_water

I've considered installing one in the past, but I'm pretty sure the range is too much for my home considering its 150' and underground.

On the other hand, why not consider an X10 solution since this is the x10 forum?

https://www.x10.com/wd13a.html
« Last Edit: January 31, 2021, 05:10:10 PM by bkenobi »
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brobin

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #212 on: January 31, 2021, 07:52:18 PM »

The X10 water sensor is fine for detecting a leak when a specific spot gets wet but won't help find a leak that's not so obvious like a running toilet or a cracked irrigation line where a small continuous flow can go undetected.  As for rolling your own as opposed to buying a finished product, that's certainly an option for those so inclined. 
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bkenobi

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #213 on: January 31, 2021, 08:59:35 PM »

I don't think you can use a whole house water meter to determine where a leak is. If you want to know if you have a leak, you can buy a device to monitor usage or you can look at your existing meter to see if its moving. If you have a leak, the small dial will be moving.

Tuicemen

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #214 on: February 01, 2021, 11:03:49 AM »

Water leaks are not much of a concern at my off grid place. If I'm not there water is off. If a small leak occurs like a toilet running it isn't long before my non electric water softener kicks in.

However I do have other sensors in mind for the off grid place. I was given a ESP-01S a year or so ago and just started to play with it.
Since my Pi/Cm15a case is getting crowded out with exccess wiring I may move the DHT sensor to it and add a different sensor to the PI.
The  ESP-01S is only 3 volt so some sensors are just to much for it, with out a different power source.
Then again there is always the wemos board like what HG-Mini uses. I've been thinking of picking up a few of these inexpensive boards and maybe even making a HG-Mini.
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HA Dave

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #215 on: February 02, 2021, 10:01:17 AM »

Check this out.  It continuously monitors water flow so you can see if something is leaking.  No plumbing required.
flumewater.com

The video I watched... looks good.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1FRf0l3mjg And I can get this right through Amazon (delivered FREE tomorrow).

Of course.... if I was on vacation or wintering somewhere I'd still want to turn off the water heater and close the value on the water line. But for our normal busy (pronounced: distracted) day-to-day lives.... this might be perfect.



On the other hand, why not consider an X10 solution since this is the x10 forum?

https://www.x10.com/wd13a.html

I already had/have moisture/water detection (and a sump pump that never runs) as I like safety & security automation. BUT.... This is where X10 could really shine. This is maybe a little closer to deep-state automation. More likely the kind of stuff old serious automation peeps are drawn to. There is NO REASON X10 can't expand on it's cloud-based automation. I would be happy to send my money to X10 instead of flumewater.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2021, 10:14:11 AM by HA Dave »
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Tuicemen

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #216 on: December 08, 2023, 02:30:51 PM »

Ordered some rechargeable led light bulbs from Amazon that my wife had stumbled across. Figured they'd be handy to have both for here and the city place. These work like regular lights and charge while you have power and they're in a light socket. If they're on and power is lost they remain on till turned of or 4- 6 hours which ever comes first. They also come with a handy addaptor that let's you hang them from places that have no outlet.with a built in on off switch. The ones we got aren't dimable and have no remote ( I suspect that would shorten there on time while on battery power any ways) though I had not planex on using them with X10  I can report they work fine in a  X10 module 🤗 ( though obviously not when house power is lost)
I may have to get a few more of these for my city place!
 rechargeable LEDs
« Last Edit: December 09, 2023, 07:23:41 AM by Tuicemen »
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Brian H

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #217 on: December 08, 2023, 06:01:37 PM »

It will interesting to see how they work on a Lamp Module.
As they have the Local Control sensing on their output.
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Tuicemen

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #218 on: December 09, 2023, 07:21:58 AM »

I've tested on an appliance module and it works fearlessly on a soft start lamp module it does work but I need to do a bit more testing. The bulb I tried needed to be charged. Update: Although the light is controlable with a soft start lamp module via X10 when power is lost the bulb fails to stay on. :'( The bulb also doesn't seem as bright but that may just means it needs to charge more. I'll still do a bit more testing. >!
« Last Edit: December 09, 2023, 07:32:51 AM by Tuicemen »
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Tuicemen

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Re: Tuicemen's Off grid setup!
« Reply #219 on: March 29, 2025, 01:04:39 PM »

Time for a update, since I'm retired I spend most of my time here now.  I still use the rechargeable led bulbs but mostly charge them then use them as a light where no light exists when they die out I replace them with a charged one from a lamp connected to a soft start lamp module.

I still use mostly X10 here. My Broadlink rm pro  and  it's software used from my phone, tablet, or Alexa provide 99% control.
The Cm15A still runs with a pi inside with HomeGenie this can also be control from my phone or tablet.
I also have a WM100 still in use controlable from my phone or tablet.
 In the fall added a mini split for some air conditioning on those realy hot days as well as some heat when it isn't cool enough to have the furnace running. This wasn't controlable with Alexa out of the box but the Broadlink Rm Pro was able to capture the IR signals so I can control the features I want of it from the app or Alexa. As well I picked up a newer Alexa dot 4th gen I believe with motion sensor and temperature built-in

 I also added led grow lights in the basement to a x10 appliance  module and put them  on a timer in the Broadlink app. For those ice dams that use to happen on the north side of the building I added a long ice melting cable and plugged it into an x10 outlet so I can turn it on/off when needed. I do this when the sun is shining bright and only for a few hours at a time which does the trick. I have the module programed into the broadlink thus making it Alexa controlable but have yet to use her to control this ::) :'

My solar trackers started to fail so I moved to RF motor controls from Amazon I used the Broadlink software to learn the RF codes and created timers to turn my arrays during the day and return to the home position in the evening.
My x10 setup hasn't grown much any more here but my overall automation setup has >!
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