I am trying to plug a hole in my pool automation with Home Assistant, and have been stuck on the approach.
My pool pad includes a Pentair IntelliCenter, IntelliFlo pumps, etc. which all feed back to HA. My pool heater is a Raypak, and doesn’t provide any data points beyond what comes from IntelliCenter.
So, I can tell (from IntelliCenter) whether the heat is “running” (really whether heat has been turned on), set temperature, etc. The problem is that sometimes the ignition fails and the heater just sits there with an error code on the screen.
After enough time, I could figure out that the temp isn’t rising as expected, but it’s often too late, and we realize at the last minute that the pool isn’t as warm as expected.
So, other than pool water temp, I’m trying to figure out a solution to determine if the heater failed to start.
It seems that the best options would include:
Measure the exhaust temp (would be exposed to outdoor conditions and extreme heat)
Determine if gas is flowing (not sure how this would work)
Power usage (it’s hardwired into my pool panel, and it probably doesn’t draw much power during use anyway)
I can’t find anything similar in my searches, so I’m hoping somebody either has addressed this, or has a clever idea. I imagine there may be something electronically that could be monitored with a relay switch, but I don’t know anything about the electronics of the unit.
I was not aware of DHT sensors, but will research further. The exhaust temp runs up to roughly 450-degrees, so a sensor that can handle 1000 would be great. Thanks!
Also, to sense if burner is on, you don’t have to measure the “hottest point” of your device. You could sense some lower temperatures near that burner, even if not directly measuring output.
Personally, I use a Quibino Flush 1D Relay with its optional temperature sensor to control my pool heater and measure the outlet temperature of the water. The relay turns the Pentair gas heater on/off via dry contact and the outlet temperature is measured and if it isn’t greater than a specific temperature after 5 minutes, I’ll get a notification that the process failed.
Fairly easy to implement and the sensor is taped to the metal heater outlet with aluminum tape. Never had a problem with it.
Thanks for the clarification. It seems like a thermocouple temp sensor on the outlet side might be best. I was hoping to maybe tie in to something electronically (the heater must have a tell that it failed, since the screen will show it), but I’ve not found anybody who has done it that way.
Have a look if there is some output for errors. A LED? Alarm output?
I’m also quite sure you could sense consumption with Shelly PM if there is pump or blower that stops when ignition fails.
This seems to be the best approach. In looking at the options, I’m thinking about repurposing the 3/4"NPT connection they include for a pressure relief valve (that we don’t have):
From there, if I understand correctly, I need something like the MCP9600 to connect to (is that correct?), and then to get the reading to HASS do I need to connect the MCP9600 to an ESP board?
I personally would go that route only if I needed to measure exhaust temp.
To sense heat outside from exhaust would be much easier.
Anyway, yes with thermocouple you need amplifier module and esphome devboard.
