Over watering - New Version 2.3.23

[degabe]

I updated to test out the "Last On" improvements. For some reason the sprinklers seem to cycling for frequently. The graph show many more runs. It 10 AM and looks like the solar sensor is reading way high for this time of day (122). The temp sensor show 81. See attachments belows. Note the change in Evap Loss rate since the update two days ago with similar weather patterns.

Thanks

[Michael McSharry]

The sensor numbers look reasonable. Take a look at the solar factor (Other page) and the Zone factors (Zone Setup)

[Michael McSharry]

There was a message on the mcsTemp forum that it looked as if the MSNBC feed had stopped. I do not know if this is true or not, but your UV index is at 9 which is the max and if it is stuck there it will yield high moisture loss rates.

[degabe]

Yes UV index is at 9 since yesterday at 2PM. How does this get updated?

[Michael McSharry]

This is the data from the MSNBC source. Weather.com is a more reliable source, but one has to email them to get an access key. Since this seems to be a recurring problem I will put the logic in mcsSprinklers to accept WeatherXML data. To handle your immediate problem you can write to the device code to manually change it to get it off of the peak 9 value. There are others that have used weather info from Homeseer devices so if you have it available then you can go this route as well.

[degabe]

How can I write to the device code. Do I need to write a script or can this be done through the HS or mcs interfaces?

[degabe]

It seems like MSNBC is working now but my UV index still is set to 9. Here is the link I accessed:

http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?we...ns=wc:USCA0634

UV index at 9:50PM was zero.

What is failing in the access?

Seem like when a failure like this occurs there need to be appropriate levels of logging and notification?

[Michael McSharry]

It is a one-line script operation, but I looked at the code and it uses an internal value rather than what is used for display purposes.

I have finished adding Weather.com to mcsSprinklers. I want to test it for its 2nd hourly cycle then I'll post it.

The following is the extract from Jeff Farmers document on signup for weatherXML. You will want to get you access and then enter the info on the Other page after it is posted.

Register
1. If you already have an account at weather.com, skip steps 2 and 3 and login.
2. Go to http://registration.weather.com/regi...l&sponsor=null
3. Fill in the fields and submit your registration.
4. Go to: http://registration.weather.com/regi...n/xmloap/step2
5. Fill out the form for personal use.
Example.
For Industry select: Personal Web Site
For URL, something like: http://192.168.1.2/weather/weatherpad.asp
Proposed Usage: Web Site
6. Click Accept and then Continue.
7. You will receive an email from weather.com. It will have your PartnerID and License key. Once you have the information you can proceed to Setup WeatherXML.

[degabe]

How can I shut the plugin to an off or seasonal shutdown mode. When I hit the season button it appears to do nothing. I really need to shut the watering off. It has cycled many times and over watered.

I don't understand what is failing. Has the format of the UV index changed from MSNBC weather? The site appears to work.

I will checkout the weatherxml method. I played with that last year but not sure if I have the account information set up any more.

[degabe]

Another thought. Shouldn't the plug in be smarter on recognizing weather feed data problems? If the data has not changed in the last day (or maybe last 12 hours) it would seem that something is wrong. The plugin could then take an approach to override the data with some default method. Food for thought.

[Michael McSharry]

Season shutdown button should do it. I'll look to confirm. You can also use a virtual device as one of the restrictions or place a restriction that will have the effect of disabling it.

I agree that additional intellilgence is a desirable feature. To be effective the failure modes need to be well characterized and fallback schemes identified. The primary mode of operation for weather feed is to obtain the information via xAP and the fallback is to revert to internal data collection. A typical user does not want to setup the xAP to provide the primary feed so the plugin is always operating in the backup mode.

Droopyear previously posted that he observed the UV value from MSNBC sometines remain stuck at a value vs. weather.com that was more reliable. For the calculated control mode the UV is an important input and reasonablness monitoring is appropriate. A too-high value can be detected such as what you are seeing. A too-low value probably cannot with a high degree of confidence. The associated action with the failure detection is the notification of the user. A log entry is one form, but a more presistent indicator is also needed.

[Michael McSharry]

Correction to seasonal shutdown posted

[degabe]

Hi, I am have the weatherxml license information and configured it into the plugin. Still have not seen the UV reading change. Do I need to wait for the top of the hour? Also what is the purpose of the Code Area in the alternative weather source selections.

Thanks,
Rick

[Michael McSharry]

You need all three pieces of information for it to function. You may be able to use zip code. It represents the weather.com reporting station. Mine is USWA0304 for east of Seattle WA. I forget how I found mine, but I suspect I went through the process via Weather.com

It will try soon after startup and then every 30 minutes thereafter

[degabe]

I see. I thought it was a HS code. I thought weather.com referred to that as a location ID. Might be a better reference lablel. I will keep trying.