Temperature logging

[freeon]

I'm looking for a solution to monitor the temperature of a water pipe. I would like to also be able to create a log that would show the temperature at predefined intervals. What is the best way to accomplish this.

[Rupp]

One of the one wire temp sensors should fit the bill for this. I'm not sure where one sources these sensors these days though.

[Pete]

I am currently using one of these with my Zee-2.

The device pictured was purchased around 8-9 years ago. It worked fine with Homeseer 2.

Here also utilize Temp08's, Temp05's, Maxim USB and Serial 1-wire interfaces.

You can purchase 1-Wire Maxim stuff from here ==>

1 - 1-Wire-Maxim

2 - Embedded Data Systems

3 - Ebay

Hobby Boards recently closed up shop.

[sooty]

I'm looking for a solution to monitor the temperature of a water pipe. I would like to also be able to create a log that would show the temperature at predefined intervals. What is the best way to accomplish this.

Not sure if you have Z-Wave and/or if the Fibaro FGK Door/Window sensor is available in your frequency but if so, then you could use one of those with a DS18B20.

I purchased 10 of the waterproof type DS18B20's with 1 metre of cable pretty cheaply from Ebay. 8 of these have been in permanent use with 2 Fibaro Universal Binary Sensors for over 18 months without any issues. Not sure if the Universal Sensor is available outside Europe, hence mentioning the FGK.

For pipe temp monitoring, I just clamped the sensors to the pipe underneath the insulation.

WRT logging. I use my own bespoke data collection system here, but there are a few data logging / charting solutions available for HS3 or you could just use a script to write the values to a CSV file or similar for later use.

Paul..

[Uncle Michael]

I would like to also be able to create a log that would show the temperature at predefined intervals. What is the best way to accomplish this.

Jon00's Virtual Device Graphing and Database Charting utilities are two options.

[randy]

I do what you are wanting for every aspect of my hydronic heating as well as my air conditioning units. I monitor supply and return temperatures for each hydronic zone and my DHW temperature. I also monitor all air temperatures and coolant line temperatures for my 4 zones of Mini Split air conditioning. I also look at ambient air and exhaust air for the two outdoor units.

The temperatures are monitored by DS18B20 OneWire sensors and EDS OWServer devices. Each OWServer can handle 21-22 probes depending on firmware. The EDS servers interface with UltraJones' Ultra1Wire3 plug-in.




Then I use Jon00's database charting utility to store the data. You can set up the charting to sample temperatures on intervals or on device value changes. For these charts I sampler once a minute, which is roughly the sample rate of the OneWire plug-in. The OWServer's sample is dependent on the number of devices and loop length, but will be once every 5-20 seconds. Jon00's utility can create virtually limitless chart designs. You can have the utility generate charts on a schedule, or you can generate one as needed like this.



Another nice feature is dynamic charting, where you can hover over a chart and get the specific value and time for any of the displayed devices.




Jon'00's utility can also show the data points as a table.





You can also tighten up the time window. This one is fun, because you can see the point where my boiler burner shuts off as the supply temperature quits rising, but the circulator continues to run until the supply and tank temperatures are equal. This lets me extract a lot more of the energy from the boiler in the summer. The burner stops with the boiler supply at 180 and the tank at 131F and the circulator stops when the supply and the tank are both at 141F

[freeon]

I do what you are wanting for every aspect of my hydronic heating as well as my air conditioning units. I monitor supply and return temperatures for each hydronic zone and my DHW temperature. I also monitor all air temperatures and coolant line temperatures for my 4 zones of Mini Split air conditioning. I also look at ambient air and exhaust air for the two outdoor units.

The temperatures are monitored by DS18B20 OneWire sensors and EDS OWServer devices. Each OWServer can handle 21-22 probes depending on firmware. The EDS servers interface with UltraJones' Ultra1Wire3 plug-in.

Thanks. This exactly what I want to do as well, monitor my in-floor heating system. And the logging look like what I need. Additionally do you have anything to monitor if the water is flowing.

[randy]

Thanks. This exactly what I want to do as well, monitor my in-floor heating system. And the logging look like what I need. Additionally do you have anything to monitor if the water is flowing.

No, but I can make assumptions based on temperatures. Since I look at boiler supply and return as well as supply and return on each zone. My system uses older Honeywell motorized valves, so the actual valve status is reported to HomeSeer via the limit switch to an Arduino. Since the micros witch tells me the valve has opened, I can employ logic that alerts me if a zone doesn't have adequate temperature rise when the valve is open. I also have event that look for a zone valve to become open within 30 seconds of demand. If the limit switch doesn't trip within that time limit then I have a bad valve motor, limit switch or some other problem. The system caught a bad zone valve limit switch last November.

[freeon]

No, but I can make assumptions based on temperatures. Since I look at boiler supply and return as well as supply and return on each zone. My system uses older Honeywell motorized valves, so the actual valve status is reported to HomeSeer via the limit switch to an Arduino. Since the micros witch tells me the valve has opened, I can employ logic that alerts me if a zone doesn't have adequate temperature rise when the valve is open. I also have event that look for a zone valve to become open within 30 seconds of demand. If the limit switch doesn't trip within that time limit then I have a bad valve motor, limit switch or some other problem. The system caught a bad zone valve limit switch last November.

While looking up those DS18B20 OneWire sensors I came across the Arduino which I have never worked with before. From what I have read this week it appears I could accomplish the same thing with the Arduino instead of the EDS OWServer. I see you use Arduino for your actuators so you know both system. If both system will work for what I want to do is there a benefice to use one over the other?

[randy]

While looking up those DS18B20 OneWire sensors I came across the Arduino which I have never worked with before. From what I have read this week it appears I could accomplish the same thing with the Arduino instead of the EDS OWServer. I see you use Arduino for your actuators so you know both system. If both system will work for what I want to do is there a benefice to use one over the other?

I chose the OWServers for two reasons. First a sensor capacity of 22 vs a best case of 8 for Arduino - more realistically 5. Second being loop or run length, OWServers are good for hundreds of feet vs 10-25 for an Arduino.

The pull-up for the DS18B20 for an Arduino is a fixed resistor of 2.2-4.7k, the data line on the OWServers is dynamic. During the calculation phase on the sensors they draw more current. The fixed resistance of an Arduino will introduce errors when there are more than a handful of sensors or long loops or both.

With the high sensor count I planned it would have taken more than 8 Arduinos with 8 Ethernet shields ports, etc., though at first the scope was smaller. For accuracy and ease of wiring, OWServers made more sense to me.

The HA7Net supports 100 devices, but I think there were some differences in the interface. Ultra's plug-in supports both. I started with only my hydronic system and one OWServer, so expansion with additional OWServers made sense.

[freeon]

Glad I asked. I thought 1 Arduino could connect more sensors than that and didn't know about errors. One thing that I'm confused about on the OWservers is it says it supports 22 one wire sensors yet only has 3-RJ12 jacks and according to their wiring diagram the configuration is:

Pin1-No connection
Pin2-No connection
Pin3-Signal Data
Pin4-Ground
Pin5-No connection
Pin6- 5+volt

So how are you able to connect 22 sensors?

[waynehead99]

What about a Pi? I just recently started doing some research on this and interested as well.

[randy]

Glad I asked. I thought 1 Arduino could connect more sensors than that and didn't know about errors. One thing that I'm confused about on the OWservers is it says it supports 22 one wire sensors yet only has 3-RJ12 jacks and according to their wiring diagram the configuration is:

Pin1-No connection
Pin2-No connection
Pin3-Signal Data
Pin4-Ground
Pin5-No connection
Pin6- 5+volt

So how are you able to connect 22 sensors?

The sensors have three wires - 5V, Data & Gnd. They are wired in parallel. You can connect all 22 to a single RJ12 or split them up however it makes sense. On my hydronic system, there are 8 zones plus hot water. The valves are distributed around the house. I have 10 zone sensors on 1 channel of the OWServer. The boiler, 2 more zones and hot water are another 11 on a second channel and the third has none. The three connectors are so you can break up your loops, but there is no minimum or maximum (other than 22) for any single channel.

The DS18B20 go into a calculation phase when requested by the server. The server does this by the hard coded address in each sensor in a round robin fashion. When one sensor reports, it goes on to the next. This is at a very low data rate. In the attached screenshot you can see the channels, device numbers and temperatures from one of my servers. You can see the loop time of 21 seconds, which is about 1 second per sensor for calculation and reporting.

[randy]

What about a Pi? I just recently started doing some research on this and interested as well.

A Pi and Arduino are equivalent. The biggest hurdle is the dynamic power allocation for the data line to accommodate long loops and many sensors.

Greig's Arduino sketch is limited to a single onewire pin, but if you write and compile your own sketches you can use more pins and accommodate more OnwWire loops.

My game plan was predicated by the need for reliable temperature reporting and these servers were reported to be and have been bulletproof.

I have a single DS18B20 on each of my Arduinos, just to measure the temperature at the board, but they have been reliable as well. Not so much when I tested 8 DS18B20s on a 25 foot wire.

[freeon]

The sensors have three wires - 5V, Data & Gnd. They are wired in parallel. You can connect all 22 to a single RJ12 or split them up however it makes sense. On my hydronic system, there are 8 zones plus hot water. The valves are distributed around the house. I have 10 zone sensors on 1 channel of the OWServer. The boiler, 2 more zones and hot water are another 11 on a second channel and the third has none. The three connectors are so you can break up your loops, but there is no minimum or maximum (other than 22) for any single channel.

The DS18B20 go into a calculation phase when requested by the server. The server does this by the hard coded address in each sensor in a round robin fashion. When one sensor reports, it goes on to the next. This is at a very low data rate. In the attached screenshot you can see the channels, device numbers and temperatures from one of my servers. You can see the loop time of 21 seconds, which is about 1 second per sensor for calculation and reporting.

Ok that makes sense. So if you connect 8 sensors on the same connector do you have the 8 wires going directly in the connector or do you have some kind of connector that goes 8 to 1 then in the connector.

Is this the unit you use? http://www.embeddeddatasystems.com/O...n-2_p_152.html. Are you using WIFI or hard wired?