These buttons are for my central heating, which also does hot water. It’s a dumb thing, keeps the water heated during the night and when we are away during the day. I would like to be able to toggle it on/off with something like a Switchbot but that won’t work with these buttons.
Anyone who has a DIY or readymade solution that works?
Perhaps you can try a servo.
Probably need a beefy one so keep that in mind when you get a power supply.
But you could perhaps also try and open the case and change the buttons all together.
Or replace them with relays.
Are they really “flip-flops”? Or is there a spring in some? Else you can try those “magnetic” switches.
this idea: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07PDYYJ47/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_oIr5Eb8MSAP7R
(then you would need 2 per switch and you need to make some “frame” to hold them.
Solenoids are very violent.
They are fast moving and will probably hammer through those buttons after a few punches.
I don’t think there is a spring inside, they really ‘click’ when you toggle them.
Then this is an option… use the solenoids with care, make some rubber on the top and don’t place them on it directly. I think you have your solution there.
Not necessarily. It sounds like you’re using radiator heating, which is supposed to be more comfortable than forced air heating. What part of the world is this system in, and how old is the house? Many older homes use radiator heating because forced air wasn’t an option way back in the day.
During the summer months it certainly seems like this is wasteful, though I imagine some people get around such inefficiency by storing water in an insulated tank. I’m just speculating and would be curious to hear from people that use hot water radiator systems.
By any chance is your system like this?. This is really neat. In the summer the system pulls in cold water from the city/well as hit water is used by showers/washing. When that cold water traverses back to your hot water heater, it is warmed up by absorbing heat from your house. This has the added advantage of removing heat from your house while getting “free energy” to heat your hot water tank.
Belgium, yes radiators. In Europe you rarely find air heated homes. The house is quite old, nothing like the thing you’ve linked to 
What would be interesting is to be able to switch between electricity powered and fuel oil when the solar panels are generating lots of electricity.
Is this a method you have tried personally or seen somewhere?
Rubber usually breaks apart when struck repeatedly by high impacts.
Be more positive @Hellis81, try to help instead of critisize.
If there is a lot of space between the button and the pillar rubber will not break. The rubber will be part of the “hammer” hitting the switch. But only the tip of it.
But again, it’s only an idea. Propose something else if you have a better idea.
That is what I’m doing.
I’m helping OP not going this route because I really don’t believe it’s a good idea on many levels.
Why would that matter?
Generally I would think the more space there is the higher the speed will be since it accelerates.
But that is a guess, I have no facts on that.
In what way will that help?
Or let me ask you this, will the rubber know if it’s the part that is moving or stationary?
Think of it from the rubbers point of view, it sees a black button labeled “boiler” coming at it in high speed. But does it know if the button was moving or was it itself that was moving?
So how does that make any difference?
Then you could have included that in your post, don’t you think.
You expect someone to buy six of these (+ material to mount it) to try out your idea, but you don’t really say that it’s just a thought/idea.
As I said before solenoids are powerful, I have experience of them. I have one mounted in my kids IKEA kitchen.
Have you ever used one?
I have.
Read the second post in this thread.
Read my 1st post. “try” & “idea”, I said it. Stop characterising!
OP is not stupid being on this forum and at least thinking about it.
Stop it you two.
I personally would replace or augment the switches with relays.
Why dont you put in something like a z-wave dual relay to replace the switches? The physical switches then connect to the dual relay to allow manual control of the relays but they can then also be controlled be Home Assistant via z-wave.
I deleted my post with about the same idea but with sonoff mini.
But we don’t know for sure if there is mains voltage in those cables.
I have no experience of this device but I assume it needs mains and output mains to connected devices.
So if the cables behind the switches have lower voltage then it won’t work and could potentially destroy the boiler.
Also we don’t know if the current switches is two way or just one way. Too much unknown at this point as I see it.
FYI I got the BNE 2 boiler, see tech details here: https://www.acv.com/d/asset/nt-664y6000-d-bne-1-bne-2-en-with-add-24d08d94a49a04d303f269e3d5d94689.pdf
Excellent, you now have complete documentation.
When you say this, I assume you just mean the master on/off switch?
The on/off yes, and more interestingly the burner/electricity switch. That way I can have HA switch it over to electricity when my PV panels are generating a lot.
To be honest, I don’t mind tinkering with electronics but opening up this thing… I’m not so eager to do that, hence why I was looking at Switchbot and the like to have a non invasive option.
What ever method you choose you will still need to mount the solution.
I don’t believe tape will be enough to hold a switchbot or similar.
