For leak detection I plan to build my own sensors based on MySensors all you need for leak detection is pieces of wire.
I was looking at some of the vendors Petro mentioned. May be picking another challenging one but was considering the FortrezZ model with the additional probe.
I can’t see if this thing can display the main unit vs the probe separately or if they only have one alert. Also no idea if this thing can act as a repeater when plugged in. The documentation is just missing it all that I can see.
Based on conversations here, I’m assuming though no one was a fan of the first part, either I need to extend with an active USB cable the z-wave stick closer to the first floor, or have something in the lower level that can repeat the signal.
Also it talks about Z-Wave but never mentions plus so not sure on that one.
Usually anything battery powered will not act as a repeater, unless the battery is used for backup power if the mains power goes down, ie: Linear (Nortek Security Control LLC) WA105DBZ-1 Main Operated Siren
Yeah, kind of figured. Also thinking there are no mains power water sensors. There was some that believed the Aeotec water sensor I struggled with was a repeater if you attached it to the dock but I don’t think that was the case.
Note I’ve been debating on this one.
Says if I plug it in it will act as a repeater. Looks like something I could extend but depending on the length of the cord maybe can run this past my water heater and into my sump pump down to the point where I’d want something to go off should the water level get to high. That said the one video I’ve watched so far showed a guy submerging this thing in water and took forever to trigger. With this won’t be able to separate between water dripping from my water heater and the sump pump getting to high.
shame - I was about to ask you to open a issue on OZW github repo with logs? I work closely with Aeotec and I’m sure we could figure this out at least in the 1.6 repo (if its a OZW related thing) or I can report back bugs to Aeotec and they usually are responsive in fixing them.
haha. Thats a very simplistic description of the z-wave mesh networking. It doesn’t even cover mains powered versus sleeping (Listening/Non-Listening devices), nor does it Plus/Non-Plus networks etc.
Do you think the fact that one the buzzer went off once, never again and the other doesn’t seem to respond at all to water is something with HA configuration?
By the way, so I’m guessing either I need to build up my core Z-Wave infrastructure or switch to another technology Wi-Fi/Zigbee or per the original title of my thread call it a day again with automation. Always start off good with these things and then when I get down to expanding to things the house doesn’t already have, these cool tools, it gets a bit difficult to get a solid solution or I need to focus on things I’m less interested in to make the network work better.
If I decide to continue down the Z-Wave route, what type of devices should I be focusing on? As mentioned, not a big fan of ripping out all my Lutron and Leviton switches that I had installed 5 years ago during a remodel, but if that’s the path I can consider it. So in other words, IF I want to create a strong Z-Wave infrastructure, what’s a good path to take?
Out of curiosity, would putting in these help and would they need additional wiring since they are always on anyway? Most usually suggest wall switches and stuff and needing to install neutrals but why no one suggests wall plugs?
The DZR15-1RZ manual indicates it requires neutral for install.
So without me taking it apart, all three pronged outlets don’t have a neutral then?
I thought you indicated your home didn’t have neutral wires, my mistake.
Yeah I did but was talking in my own head specifically to my wall switches. Never pulled a wall plug out but my basic question is for those don’t they all have a neutral? Isn’t that what the two prongs are? Hot and Neutral so those wall power plugs would have to have a neutral even if that wasn’t extended into my wall sockets.
Depends on the age of the house, some older houses don’t have neutral wires at all.
I’ll have to check then but then what’s connected to the second slot on the wall outlet another hot connection? So if I do not have a neutral and have three pronged wall plugs:
1 slot has to be hot
Grounding one should have a grounding wire but in my house I think the whole house is grounded with metal conduit so no physical ground wire that I’ve seen.
The other slot then would be what?
For reference my house is from 1972.
What country ?
I don’t know of ‘any’ that rely on Conduit/Trunking for earthing (they run a separate core and count trunk/conduit as a suplimentary (edit: as they are prone to rust))
Yes - I know Pyro could be considered a type of conduit (I don’t think so but …) I’ve seen and done battering and crushing on pyro that leaves the pyro looking like … well, just cringe worthy. But test it and it’s still phenominally still good. Austrailia uses a lot of Pyro in lift shafts I think, Nuff Said.
I’m in the US
@finity is the right guy for you to speak to
But I would generally advise that unless you KNOW exactly what’s happening in your house (wiring wise) then you should grab a quick consult with a professional electrician on site and (given some recent actions (by other members)) employ them to carry out any modifications.
finity, over to you ! Cheers 
Oh, geez! Now I’ve got another long thread I have to read to get up to speed before I can give a (hopefully) good answer.
Thanks! 
Let me try to catch up here and I’ll get back to you…
No, I think he joined towards the end (should start a new thread maybe.?)
Besides, if your bored - what else are you going to do.? 
Edit No ! I’m wrong, sorry, you have a loooonnnng thread ahead…
Though maybe you can get away with the last 10%…? SORRY ! 
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I know I’m late to this party but since Mutt was kind enough to invite me…
I think you kind of answered your own question there.
“the first two times I linked this device it didn’t have three of them”
That’s likely because the first time you paired it it created those entities. Then when you paired it the second time it created them again but since those entity names already existed it added a “_2” to the end. Then the third time… You get the idea.
I wouldn’t be surprised if yuou looked at the atytributes of those sensors and saw that the node_id’s were different.
And that’s why only one of the entities changed when you put the probes into water. Because the others were from a different (non-existant) node.
I’d say yes.
I’m pretty sure that’s not possible.
You have to have neutral wires unless you wired your entire house to run on 240vac. I’m sure that would play hell with all of those 120vac appliances you would try to run on it.
There’s a bunch to cover here.
The way a residential electrical system works in the US is that the power comes into your breaker box as 240vac phase to phase (or 120vac phase to ground on each leg).
Then inside your breaker box you have two parallel circuits. each parallel circuit supplies 120vac to ground. The box is laid out so that each 120v (single pole) breaker on the same side is connected to alternating phases of the 240v incoming line. That’s why when you need 240v for a range or dryer you will need a two pole breaker that is arranged side by side - that way it can pick up both parallel lines and will supply 240v to the load.
The ground wire is typically grounded to any convenient metal object that is driven sufficiently deep into the earth for it to make good contact with the earth (hence the name “ground”). Typically that is your water supply pipe. If not then the electrical contractor could have supplied a ground conductor to the breaker box from the service connection. And then they will use a 10 to 15 foot long grounding rod driven into the soil outside your house and connect that ground wire to that instead. But rest assured that somewhere that ground wire is connected to earth.
The neutral wire is connected to the ground bus inside the breaker box as well. So when you measure the voltage between the hot leg and neutral you are actually reading the voltage between hot and ground potential. You can verify that the neutral is connected to ground by hooking an ohmeter between the ground hole on the outlet and the neutral hole. The neutral is always the wider slot (or at least it should be if any qualified person hooked it up correctly). You should get 0 ohms or very close to it. And that’s how the 240v line in is split into 120v at your outlets.
So yes, you have three holes in a normal 120v outlet. the narrow slot should be the hot leg. the wide slot should be the neutral and the round(ish) hole is the ground. And again the neutral & ground should be connected together at the breaker box.
If you pull the outlet from the wall and it is a standard 3 hole outlet you should have all three wires (black, white, clean copper) connected to the appropriate connections on the back. If not then your house isn’t up to current code. But you will always have to have at least a hot and neutral at a minimum for the outlet to even work at all.
The ground wire is only ever there to provide equipment/personal protection in case there is a fault in the attached equipment that provides a path for the hot leg to the (un-insulated) case of the equipment so it will hopefully cause the breaker to trip before it goes thru you and you get electrocuted.
You should never use the ground wire as a regular circuit component. It should never be used to carry any non-fault current.
In a 240 circuit you will still have three holes. each of the slots are hot wires (240v phase to phase, 120v phase to ground) and you still have a ground hole with a ground wire connected to it.
Now, that said, lighting circuits can be different.
They may only have one wire connected to each of the connection points. That wire should be the hot wire from the breaker box and the other side provides power to the light fixture when the switch is closed. You may sometimes have a neutral available at the switch but not always. It all depends on how the contractor ran the wiring.
And again, you should never put the switch in the neutral leg going to the light fixture. you should always switch the hot leg.
And you might or might not also have a ground wire connected to the ground connector screw on the switch. It’s good practice but not absolutely necessary.
How was that? Did it meet expectations? 
What else would I do on Thanksgiving Day?
I had to work anyway so…here we are…
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