Towel Warmer Plug

Share your Projects! Custom Integrations
1

Hi!

I have a few towel warmers at home and I created several scripts and automations to make sure that they run according to a schedule. As I created something in regards to controlling dehumidifiers and it was useful for its purpose, I decided that I would do the same for the towel warmers (much simpler) so I would be able to:

  • connect a towel warmer to a plug
  • set the daily start and end hour of the towel warmer use, controlling the switch of the plug
  • define the minimum power threshold detected by the plug so it can detect if it’s running, turned off or malfunctioning
  • define how much time can I run a towel warmer manually (outside of scheduled hours) so that I don’t forget about turning it off (manually)

The outcome is Towel Warmer Plug.

You can install this integration as any other custom component, through HACS.

If you try it, any feedback is welcome.

2

Choosing the right plug might be important here, since some towelwarmers can draw quite a lot from the plug.
There is a discussion about it here.

3

Your link talks about a motor (inductive!) and not a resistive load (heating element). The requirments for a plug couldn’t be more different :wink:

4

It also talks about high loads welding the contactswhen switching. That was what I referred to.

5

:factory_worker:

You can expect that the usual towel warmers use something between 200 and 500W. That’s about the opposite of a high load. Typical plugs are mostly rated somewhere from 2000 - 3500W (230V, Schuko type) :bulb:

6

As I stated in the other thread, I am no electrical engineer.
It was mostly as a warning and someone mentioned that even USB stuff can kill a poorly made plug.