Trigger event from Fibaro FGWPG-11 switch

[MalcolmS]

I have a couple of Fibaro FGWPG-11 zwave switches. I can turn them on and off via HS but I wondered if I could do more with them.

For example, I thought I could plug my washing machine into it and get an alert when the machine had finished its cycle. I already use Pushover 3P elsewhere to notify of certain triggered alerts.

I was thinking that if I monitored the Watts usage on the Fibarao switch and when that dropped to zero I could take that as an indicator the machine had finished. Is that the best/correct way to do this?

[ericg]

I don't have a Fibaro switch, but I do have other plug control devices which can report power usage. And yes, I believe you should have no trouble using power measurement data to infer when your washing machine has finished. Others have done this.

That said, I offer a few caveats. First, you need to be sure that your washing machine is not making a bigger power demand than your Fibaro can handle. It's not just the amps. The washer has a big motor in it, thus an inductive load. Some plug controllers can handle this, but some can't.

Depending on your specific machine, you may find that its power draw never goes all the way to zero. So your "done washing" event may need to trigger on power usage dropping below a threshold, rather than all the way to zero.

Also, you may find that, as your machine cycles from one phase to the next, there may be brief periods where the power draw is temporarily almost the same as it is when the washing operation is completed.

Both of the above situations can be easily dealt with by judicious choice of your event conditions. For instance, you might decide that your washer is done if xx seconds have elapsed, during which the power draw has never exceeded yy watts. I play these games to monitor my coffee maker, and to confirm actual on/off control of remote power control plugs.

If you have the Device History plug-in (highly recommended!), you might use it to monitor your power usage throughout a washing cycle. The result will show you exactly what your event conditions should be.

[MalcolmS]

Many thanks, Eric, that was extremely valuable, I watched (manually - I'll investigate Device History later 😀) the power draw from the machine as it went through its cycle and determined the wattage value at the end (it doesn't drop to zero until physically powered off).

So my event is to check the Fibaro switch and when it changes and becomes off and the Watts value is less than 5 then trigger the Pushover 3P message send. The only thing was I was getting the message sent every minute so I added a "cannot re-run for" value.

This seems to work. Thanks for your help.

[MalcolmS]

I want to further refine my washing machine event.

It was re-triggering after the "cannot re-run for" time if we didn't get to the machine and physically turn it off. I think I can get round that by using a virtual device that's set on when the washing machine starts its cycle and I check and turn it off when I first announce it has finished. Is that the best way to do that?

Also I still get some false alerts when the watts falls below 2w. I want to add to the trigger so it only triggers if it has been below 2w for at least 2 minutes but I can't see how to do that in the HS3 event options?

[SteveMSJ]

I want to further refine my washing machine event.

It was re-triggering after the "cannot re-run for" time if we didn't get to the machine and physically turn it off. I think I can get round that by using a virtual device that's set on when the washing machine starts its cycle and I check and turn it off when I first announce it has finished. Is that the best way to do that?

Also I still get some false alerts when the watts falls below 2w. I want to add to the trigger so it only triggers if it has been below 2w for at least 2 minutes but I can't see how to do that in the HS3 event options?

As you are finding there are lots of different ways of doing this and no one way is the right way.

A virtual device to represent the running state, as you suggest, is a good way of doing it and has some advantages. I use this method for my washing machine and dishwasher and the running state for each shows as icons on my HSTouch screens. So, as well as notifications when the cycle finishes I can see the running state at any time, or even ask Alexa.

I actually use the EasyTrigger trigger 'This device's value has been in the range [X,Y] for exactly...' to detect the end of a cycle but you can construct similar natively with a combination of Triggers and Conditions.

You say you physically turn off the power when the washing machine has completed. You could automatically turn off the plug from an event when the cycle ends, if desired. In my case events turn the plugs off at the end of a cycle if the house is in 'Away' mode. So, I can leave home with the washing machine or dishwasher running knowing their power will be turned off when they finish. In fact my automatic events that run when the system detects we have all left the house, turn off the power to most devices but leave the washing machine and dishwasher on if they are mid cycle. The power isn't cut until they have completed.

You can develop automation as simple or complex as you like around these kind of constructs and virtual devices are a useful tool for all but the most simple.

If you have trouble with an event it is best to post a screenshot of the event and people will chime in with suggestions.

Steve

[MalcolmS]

Thanks, Steve, that's the second or third time someone has recommended Easy Trigger to me recently. I'm limited to 5 plugins on my Zee but I'm off to see if I can get rid of one to squeeze in Easy Trigger. The 'This device's value has been in the range [X,Y] for exactly...' trigger is exactly what I need and much simpler than multiple native conditions.

Malcolm

[SteveMSJ]

Thanks, Steve, that's the second or third time someone has recommended Easy Trigger to me recently. I'm limited to 5 plugins on my Zee but I'm off to see if I can get rid of one to squeeze in Easy Trigger. The 'This device's value has been in the range [X,Y] for exactly...' trigger is exactly what I need and much simpler than multiple native conditions.

Malcolm

Hi Malcolm. Whilst you can achieved the above with a combination of native Triggers and Conditions there is so much useful stuff in EasyTrigger that it is really worthwhile getting.

Steve