I wanted a simple washing-machine notification blueprint for Home Assistant beginners.
Many appliance blueprints offer a lot of options. This one deliberately does one job:
Detect that the washing machine really started, then notify you when it is actually finished.
Why the helper?
A simple “power below 3 W = finished” automation can create false notifications while the washing machine is only in standby.
This blueprint uses an input_boolean as a small memory:
Power rises above the running threshold.
The helper is switched on.
Later, power stays below the finished threshold for the configured time.
Only then is the notification sent.
The helper is reset for the next cycle.
Requirements:
Power sensor for the washing machine
One input_boolean helper
Home Assistant Companion App
Suggested starting values
Running above: 10 W
Finished below: 3 W
Finished wait: 120 seconds
Every washing machine is different, so the thresholds may need a little adjustment.
One additon I made was to send a notification if the power didn’t rise above a given threshold throughout the wash.
At least in the UK, washing machines typically take cold water input and then heat the water with an electric heating element (instead of having a hot water input). A common failure mode of washing machines is the heating element burns out (because of increased resistance due to linescale, etc). If the heater burns out, your wash may run cold. Unless you are in the habit of feeling the front door during a wash, it could be a long time before you realise it is not heating up.
So i added a notification at the end of a wash if the power did not go above 1kW. Its a very simple addition to your implementation, but worth adding.
Quick project update: The beginner-friendly blueprints are now collected on one page with direct imports, example values, GitHub source, and short explanations: Home Assistant Blueprints: 3 Vorlagen | WATTZAHLS.DE