Automation for those cold mornings

[GC1710]

Didn’t know if there are any other geeks here. I have my block heater on a “zwave” switch controlled with “SmartThings”. (My whole house has over a hundred doodads...)

Anyways, I can have it turn on the block warmer at a preset time or I can tell Amazon Alexa to turn it on. Good for those nights when the snow is already falling.

 

[MossRoad]

I used to have most of my house controlled by x10 technology. Lights, dimmers, programs, routines, swimming pool pump, chlorine generator, holiday lights, etc...

5 minutes before my wife gets up, the closet lights come on at 20%. The kitchen lights, basement stairs, hallway and workout room lights all come on at 30%. She gets up, goes to workout, and as she works out, the lights brighten to 65% over 15 minutes. Lights in living room come on at 50% about 5 minutes before her workout ends. Kids aquarium light would come on 30% at her wake up time.... all lights but the kitchen go out 20 minutes after we leave if we forget to turn them off.... you get the idea.

Anyhow, it was fun for many years, but once in a while, if you're staying up late, or getting up early, you forget to override the program and you either get lights out on you or blinded while you're sleeping on a Monday holiday, or a vacation day....

About the only thing it was useful for was the timing of the outdoor holiday lighting and the pool pump, chlorine generator, and movie night. Hit the movie mode and it would slowly bring down the overhead lights over the course of 5 minutes until they were off, and the table lamps would go down to 10% and stay there for a nice, movie theater-like glow.

 

[Phillip w]

I don't know that is geeky, but moving technology down the road. My grandfather had a couple of plug ends in the machine shed wired so that they got there power from a light switch on the back porch. He would park his tractor and plug in the block heater. Then he go to the house, heater plugged in but no power to the plug in. Next morning he turn on the switch on the back porch to get power to the block heater. He had his breakfast, did his morning routine and walked out to a tractor ready to start. But with today's gadgets it in some aspects is more complex and yet way more convenient.

 

[4570Man]

If only I had a block heater that worked on a photo cell except in reverse. I’d want it to come on at daylight instead if going off.

 

[MossRoad]

If only I had a block heater that worked on a photo cell except in reverse. I’d want it to come on at daylight instead if going off.

Photocell applies power when it gets dark, and cuts power when it gets light.

So wire the photocell to hold a normal closed relay in the open position at night, and it'll close during the day, applying power to an outlet of your choice.

 

[GC1710]

If only I had a block heater that worked on a photo cell except in reverse. I’d want it to come on at daylight instead if going off.

You can use the sunrise/sunset time via NOAA to automate switches and movements. Self adjustment as the year changes is really nice for security and perimeter lighting

 

[aeblank]

I have multiple WeMo outlets. In the summer, I use them for window air conditioners.
In the winter, they run my block heaters. I did add a wifi access point in the garage for that, as well as general use.

If I'm going to blow snow tonight, I'll click it on before I leave work. hour drive, dinner, and it's plenty warm.
If I'm going to blow in the morning, I'll schedule it to come on at 3am and it'll be ready to go at 5.
If I'm going to drive the truck, I try to schedule it's switch to come on a couple hours before.

Of course, on Monday I set the tractor timer.............for PM instead of AM................ DOH.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Wasn't sure if an x10 would work through the main panel and out through the sub panel in my shed, and I don't think my WiFi signal is all that strong out there, so I bought a skylink remote and switch for my block heater. Works great!

 

[RobS]

I put a peephole in the garage door to the house so I can see if the overhead doors are shut without opening the interior door. Does that count?

Used to have a lot of the X-10 stuff but it wasn't terribly reliable. As Mossroad said, used mostly for Christmas lights. We have a lot of windows and I had a candlelight in each one. Photocell timer to turn them all on/off with the sun.

 

[MossRoad]

Wasn't sure if an x10 would work through the main panel and out through the sub panel in my shed, and I don't think my WiFi signal is all that strong out there, so I bought a skylink remote and switch for my block heater. Works great!

I ran my pool pump on an x10 20 amp outlet on the side of our garage, fed through a sub-panel from the main house of years and years. Christmas lights, too. As long as there isn't a transformer between the two, it'll work just fine.