🛡Home Security > Home Security General
WD13A Water Level Detector: No periodic transmission
Brian H:
The WD13A is a Security Sensor.
Designed to be registered to a X10 Security Console.
It will not send a standard X10RF signal.
I believe you have the On Alert AHP Plug In. With the Lifejacket installation.
You should be able to install it in AHP and then let it trigger something.
https://www.x10.com/home-security/wd13a.html
Use care if you control a relay from a Lamp Module. They are designed to only drive incandescent and 120 volt halogen incandescent replacements. Minimum load 40 watts.
Driving a inductive relay may cause issues and the Local Control Sensor in the Lamp Module may keep it On or chattering when Off.
toasterking:
Whenever something at least partially conductive (i.e. water) connects the prongs of the probe together, it sends a "PANIC" RF security message. I've successfully used it in AHP macros as an HP564 Personal Alert Remote.
It's too bad that this module cannot send standard X10 ON/OFF RF commands, because then you could use it to send an RF command straight to an RF transceiver module (TM751 or RR501) which has an appliance module built in and be able to cut AHP and PLC out of the loop for better reliability. It's possible to modify an X10 RF motion detector to accept contact closure in place of the dusk/dawn sensor: http://www.laureanno.com/x10-mod1.html#reed I tried this a few years ago and it worked fairly well, but I haven't tried it with water.
I also would not use a lamp module to control a relay since the TRIACs in lamp modules don't like inductive loads; it could destroy the lamp module. There is a reason they put that warning sticker on it. I've even seen a report of a lamp module controlling a transformer power supply (also an inductive load) successfully for days and then suddenly catching fire. Please use an appliance module for your own safety.
LAF:
It looks then like the WD13A will then detect v shallow amounts of water as long as there is continuous water between the probes. It appears though that the "security" functions on AHP will only operate in PC mode so that won't work for me.
I was planning to install a snubber capacitor across the relay coil leads but maybe that would not be sufficient to control the back emf when the coil is de-energized(?). The lamp modules I have do mention use with incandescent lamps only, max 300 W, but do not mention a minimum Wattage.
Thanks for the comments - looks like I may have to spring for an appliance module but I think I may experiment a bit beforehand. :-\
Brian H:
The 40 Watt minimum is in the users manual. Below 40 watts and the current may not be enough to keep the triac from being erratic.
http://www.authinx.com/manuals/X10/LM465.pdf
A capacitor may actually make it worse.
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