Have a built-in (ie no exposed flue, that would be too easy) wood burning fireplace. House is sealed up so tight that when we use it I have to open up a fresh air vent to enable an updraft (have an electronic fresh air intake controlled by a Shelly). I’d love to find a way to detect when the fireplace is in use, preferably by somehow detecting actual fire (as opposed to door open, etc) so I could then automate the fresh air vent opening and turn on the house circ fan. Is there anything out there preferably zwave or wifi that would do this out of the box?
I don’t know about ready built units, but you can build one using ESPhome and a MLX90614 (also sold as GY-906). There is even an example on GitHub: esphome-mlx90614-i2c_IR_temp_sensor/README.md at master · 3gyptian/esphome-mlx90614-i2c_IR_temp_sensor · GitHub
Here’s one from a reputable dealer: GY-906 MLX90614ESF MLX90614 Contactless Temperature Sensor Module Compatible 4 orders – Grandado But you can also get them on Aliexpress for sub $10
I use an aoetec multisensor placed ~6’ away facing towards the Woodstove. The radiant heat from the Woodstove effectively raises the temperature enough to recognize when its on, when it’s burning hot, etc.
This coupled with a generic thermostat turns my hvac fan on to distribute the heat through the house.
I looked around for something specialized, the best bets seems like wireless grill thermometers, and the end of the day I lost interest since the temp sensor is reliable.