So I have 3 ThirdReality Vibration Sensors on my washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher. I’m trying to create a flow for each device that essentially states that when vibration is detected for at least 15 minutes and then no vibration is detected send a notification that the machine has completed its cycle.
However, I’m having difficulty with the flow triggering when the machines are off and not triggering when the machines are running and the cycle has completed.
Example:
When:
Vibration alarm turns off
Then:
Start or replace timer “Dishwasher timer” for 15 minutes
When:
Dishwasher timer finished
Then:
Send notification “Dishwasher is finished”
When:
Vibration alarm turns on
Then:
Stop timer Dishwasher timer
You can use the Chronograph app for timers.
So I was wanting it to time how long the alarm is going for. Different cycles take different times. I wanted the flow to say dryer is detecting vibration for at least 10 minutes (to avoid false triggers if I was loading/unloading machine) and then it no longer detects vibration send the notifications.
I test the flow and it works but when I dry a load of laundry I see the vibration sensor detects the dryer as running but no notification it has stopped.
Washing Machine and Dishwasher are the same. detects vibration but wont send notification when cycle has completed
You seem to think that the ‘stopwatch has a duration longer than 10 minutes’-card pauses the flow for 10 minutes. It doesn’t.
You can easily check this if you longpress the device-tile and select the far right option.
Right, what I was wanting it to do is detect the vibration and time it for greater than 10 minutes then run the rest of the flow if true so I don’t get any false notifications when I’m loading and unloading the machine.
I understand what you are trying to do. It simply doesn’t work that way. To bad you are completely ignoring the working solution @smarthomesven handed you.
So a Flow like this? Because having the vibration alarm off start a timer and then the vibration alarm on stops the time seems backward to me…
So there’s something with my sensor. I watched the alarm notification go on and off while the dryer was running. It will detect vibration for a like 2 minutes, then not detect vibration for like a second, then detect vibration again restarting the timer. This feels like a sensitivity issue on the sensor itself. But then I try the same flow on the washer it will send like 50 notifications that the washer is done throughout the cycle.
Almost there. You have to start the timer when the sensor alarm turns off. And stop the timer when the sensor alarm turns on again.
So when the timer finishes there was no new vibration during 15 minutes.
How do you stop the timer from starting if the vibration sensor is off when the machine is idle?
You described that, during a washing cycle, the vibration alarm is on for 2 minutes and it takes a few seconds to detect that there is still vibration.
So when you start the washing machine vibration will be detected and the vibration alarm is turned on. When the vibration alarm is turned on the timer is stopped. But there is no timer running yet.
Then after 2 minutes the vibration alarm is turned off and the 15 minute timer is started.
After a few seconds the sensor detects new vibration and the vibration alarm is turned on again. And when the vibration alarm is turned on the timer is being stopped. And so on.
When the cycle is done there is no vibration to be detected. So the timer will not be stopped and will end after 15 minutes. And when the timer ends a notification is send.
NB1 If there’s always only a few seconds between two alarms a one minute timer is long enough.
NB2 at the beginning of an idle period the vibration alarm is turned off only once. So the timer is started only once.
So here’s my flow. I get like 20 notifications when I start the washing machine…There’s obviously something I’m not doing correctly. Perhaps the washing machine just does too much stuff for a vibration sensor to be a viable option to determine if it is complete. Some cycles run 40 minutes while others can take 3 hours.
How about using the newer trigger cards?
This one should trigger when there’s no motion (or vibration) during 15 minutes straight after a motion/vibration event.
No need for a timer.
Replace the ‘timer is stopped’-card by ‘timer has ended’
Most people just implement their smart washer and dryer with a smart switch instead of a vibration sensor. You can just measure the power usage and when the power usage becomes less than 5W, the laundry is ready. It will be way easier with less chances of false positives.
Another advantage of using a smart switch is that most washing machines will actually continue their program when a power interruption occurred. This will allow you to even program the start of your washing program by homey. You can build a flow that whenever power usage becomes higher than 20w, you calculate wether the washing program should continue, or weather it is better to run it at a later time (taking solar, wind, electricity prices into account). If so, you just turn the switch off, and turn it on again when you want it to run.
So I got a smart plug with energy monitoring and was able to implement a flow which accurately tells me when the washer has completed. However, the dryer has a crazy 30A 250V plug so I’m stuck using a vibration sensor for it. Unless someone makes a huge dryer specific smart plug that I am unaware of.
I am wondering about the Aqara vibration sensor versus the ThirdReality one. If they are similar in accuracy or one was more adaptable than the other? Or if I should wait for the new Aqara multi-purpose sensor to come out? I even bought a cheap ThirdReality hub to update the firmware on the vibration sensors and still not getting accurate readings.
There are no smart plugs that can do that, but there are plenty of smart circuit breakers that could work even at that current.
P.S. 7.5kW at 250V might seem crazy in the US, but are quite normal all throughout Europe where 250v is the standard and most houses have either 1x40A or 3x25A connection. A 1x40A connection would mean you will have 32A circuit breakers.
I’ve not heard of a smart circuit breaker. I know doing some research I know Aeotec has a heavy duty Z Wave switch for large appliances and EV chargers. But those have the be wired between the circuit breaker and the appliance. With 30+ amps possibly running through there I might need an electrician for that. But a smart circuit breaker might be easier.
