I used DS18B20 sensors and ESPHome. The ones on the pipes are only really accurate when water is flowing. The tank sensor I slipped under the insulation behind an inspection panel half way up.
I use a Shelly PM to switch the heat pump on in the middle of the day (off-peak, or usually excess solar power) and to measure power consumption.
I cut off the heat pump when the differential between in and out of the heat exchanger is 30°C as after that the COP plummets. This has enough hot water for me.
Fridays the tank always gets a full heat cycle and there is an override that heats the tank fully if I have guests staying.
Because that’s all that’s needed for the OP’s use case
With my setup I monitor the tank top and bottom temperatures, and the solar collector temperature, courtesy of serial data from the HWS controller, and switch the booster as required with a Shelly PM in the switchboard, and an automation that takes into account temperature and power price.
I love this so much but I probably shouldn’t… I’ll need to think on it and figure out how things work! Out of curiosity, how is everyone making their esps outdoor safe? I don’t have a 3d printer, nor a lot of diy experience, so doing something like this is a little scary, but I’m open to learning and to getting ideas
The sealed box is available in a lot of sizes in ABS or polycarbonate. ABS is slightly cheaper than polycarbonate but does not resist UV as well and is not as strong.
I was reading somewhere that its all a bit complicated and that ventilation and/or a one way moisture valve of sorts is actually important due to “pumping effects” of temperature differences and condensation.
I’ve had four of the project boxes I linked to out in my yard for years. No moisture has ever entered them. They come with a gasket you have to put into the lid. I always make sure the join is at the bottom, no gaps and I run a small bead of silicone grease on it. I also only use outdoor rated cable so no moisture can wick in that way either.
Yeah I may have wound up in a rabbit hole with that one and probably practically it’s fine.
I think part of the point of some of the things I was reading was that unless it is quite air tight then air comes in and out from suction effects from heat differences and drives condensation. Hence why headlights have special breathers.
Well that’s my fuzzy recollection of it. I’ll see if I can dig up some links.
Edit: Like this. My recollection / understanding was a bit off.
Same experience here with similar Jaycar boxes. No water ingress issues at all.
They do yellow with the UV over time (one of my boxes has been in the sun for the better part of 10 years and is still holding up OK).
What is the pick of the bunch nowadays in terms of dimmable, colour-spectrum-adjustable (mainly interested in the warmer end of the spectrum) E27 bulbs that work locally with HA?
RGB not required, just colour temp adjustment. The brighter the better (as long as the light output at min brightness is actually very low). Protocol agnostic as long as the bulb supports local control.
I currently have four 2200-4000K IKEA Tradfri bulbs - all about four years old - which have been reliable. But, there’s a few things about them which I wish was different - their minimum brightness is still quite bright, the light takes on a yellow-ish rather than red-ish hue at warmer colour temp settings (and ideally I’d like something that can go a bit warmer than 2200K), and the light quality generally leaves a bit to be desired (to my eyes at least). I now need two more bulbs - and would consider replacing the existing four if a better option exists - hence the question.
Thanks. I have had a search around too… but first-hand experiences are appreciated, and there’s so many posts in this thread it’s pretty unwieldy nowadays!
Lifx white to warm is 1500 to 9000K, 1000Lm but now only available in B22 socket in Aus. Not cheap but they have other handy features like being able to set the colour temp and brightness before you turn them on (no longer get blinded late at night).
I have the older no longer produced day/night globe. Its colour rendition was good and could be dimmed quite low. In fact I have a bunch of those globes I no longer need (moved to dumb bulbs and smart dimmers), some in E27 if I remember rightly. Hit me up in private if you are interested. EDIT: I do not remember correctly. They are all B22.
1500K on the lower end is appealing, as is low min brightness (assuming this is the same as the older ones you had). Only 80 CRI not so much. Do you know if your older ones were only spec’ed at 80 CRI too? (Given your comment about colour rendition being good, and spec sheet data not being the be all and end all).
Also - even though not listed on LIFX’s website, this appears to be the same product in E27? https://amzn.asia/d/0fOienon
I have a couple of the Arlec Grid Connect E27 (CCT) lights. They’re about $10 from Bunnings. Mine are the older 9W variant whilst the newer are 12W, but under the covers they’re all Tuya devices with BK* chipsets. Basically anything branded “Grid Connect” is Tuya.
If you’re prone to some tinkering you can get ESPHome running on them.
Or you could setup Tuya-local (this was my approach before Libretuya was merged into ESPHome).
Be aware at 100% duty cycle they drive the leds quite hard (typical for any cheap LED bulb really), so you might want to dial them back a tad.
If you use a lower PWM frequency you can dim them down incredibly low - I have one in use as a night light for my youngest.
I have a 90s brick veneer house with Architrave mounted switches. I don’t think I have neutral wires behind the switches. What is the approximate cost to add a neutral wire from the lighting circuit? I’d be moving the switches onto the wall at the same time and replacing them with a momentary Clipsal button + Shelly 1 Plus/Dimmer. Going straight to Shelly Dimmer without adding neutral is also an option, but adds up quickly and there isn’t enough space in the door frames.
It’s going to the the hourly rate of your electrician multiplied by how long it takes them. Which depends on a lot of things. Materials will cost next to nothing compared to that. Get a quote or three.
Would you say it is approxmiately 10 mins, 30 mins or 1 hour job per switch? Assuming relatively straightforward access to the roof space? I’ve been quoted 80-120 per switch for the wall relocation bit, but not sure about the added neutral
Thanks Peter. I’m a bit hesitant about Arlec Grid Connect devices based on some prior poor experiences (re, reliability) - but given how cheap they are, I guess it’s probably worth at least trying one.
When you say “If you use a lower PWM frequency you can dim them down incredibly low” - I assume that requires getting ESPHome onto the light, not something that can be done with the standard Tuya firmware?
