I have a simple automation that runs every 15 minutes and checks for a temperature differential between our first floor and second floor. If that differential exceeds 2 degrees F, the fan is set to ‘on’, else it is set to ‘auto’ (see below). It works like a champ, but as soon as it executes, the ecobee goes from our normal schedule (away, sleep, etc) to a permanent hold state at whatever range was active when the automation first triggers (e.g. home 68-78). I can cancel the hold on the thermostat itself, but at the next 15 minute interval, it is set again. I’ve done some testing, and it it seems like a hold state is set whenever the fan mode is changed by Home Assistant. However, that is not the case when I change the fan mode on the thermostat itself. Has anyone seen this before? Is it an Ecobee thing or an integration thing?
alias: HVAC EQ
description: Automation to normalize temperatures between upstairs and down
triggers:
- trigger: time_pattern
minutes: /15
conditions: []
actions:
- if:
- condition: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.temperature_differential
above: input_number.temp_delta
then:
- action: climate.set_fan_mode
target:
entity_id: climate.tstat
data:
fan_mode: "on"
else:
- action: climate.set_fan_mode
target:
entity_id: climate.tstat
data:
fan_mode: auto
mode: single
Correction: The same thing happens when I change the fan mode on the ecobee app. It switches to a hold mode at whatever the current setting are, but reverts to the next preset at the appropriate time. For some reason, my automation is not allowing it to revert. I’ll experiment some more and report back.
OK - Ecobee only allows schedules on the half hour. My automation time pattern was also making changes on the half hour and appears to have been overruling the ecobee. I solved it by having the automation run on the 2nd and 32nd minute of every hour. Even though it still causes a range hold, its OK because the ecobee had time to reset the appropriate range and home assistant adopted it.
In retrospect, if I had just looked at a state change in the temperature differential value, I probably would never have run in to this problem, but I was trying to avoid short cycling the fan.
I’ve been talking to myself this whole time, but maybe it will save someone some time in the future.
I do something similar, and have one of my ecobee thermostats run the fan for 10 minutes every hour. I see the same problem where the thermostat is set to a temporary hold that resets at my next schedule change since that’s how I have the ecobee set.
As a workaround, in my “turn off fan” script I call a tap on the “clear hold” button on the ecobee which sets it back to the regular schedule. The only drawback is that if anyone set a temporary temperature change that gets cleared also.
It would be nice if there were an easier way to trigger the fan without causing a hold…