Detect when a washer/dryer is done?

Hi,

I'd like to be able to detect when my washer or dryer are done with a cycle. Each can make an audible beep/alarm, but I don't see any off-the-shelf Z-Wave device to detect that inexpensively. Any ideas?

I have Indigo 7 and Z-Stick Series 2 controller with a handful of other devices. I also have Insteon.

Thanks in advance,

-jonathan

Insteon makes a module called Synchrolinc that can detect voltage to appliances etc.
I hooked one up to my washer but so far haven't had any luck getting it to report anything
back to Indigo.

Carl

I am using a fibaro plug with watt usage. And have a timer start when it's over 10w the timer is for five minutes, the timer resets every time the watt change. So when watt is unchanged for five minutes indigo knows the laundry is done


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[jay (support)]

Any wall-wart on/off device that also reports energy usage can be used. The pattern in this discussion of how I used to use a SynchroLinc would work just as well on any module that reports energy usage, you'd just trigger on usage changes rather than the on/off message the SynchroLinc would send.

I tried to make this happen with a Synchrolinc a few years ago, but couldn't seem to be able to figure out the right 'trigger' for the consumption. I'd love to hear any strategies to make this work.

[jay (support)]

Just realized I forgot to include the link in the post above.

But it's quite simple really: find out what the longest delay is between the various start/stops of the washing machine, then use a delayed action that's a bit longer than that. With my washing machine, I found that the longest it would go between cycles was 9 minutes. So I added a 10 minute delay on the trigger that sent the notification when the SynchroLinc went off (of, if measuring energy consumption, it goes down to 0 or whatever the value is for an idle state). Then added a trigger that fired when it went on (high usage) that canceled any delays from the other trigger.

LOL, I see I was the originator of that thread 6 years ago.

Here's my fix now: about a month after that post we had our first kid. He's 6 now, so we just ask him to check.

I've done the same as listed above using the timers and pesters plugin. So when watts drops below 5 I start a timer, if watts goes above 5 then I stop and reset the timer. If it stays below for 5 mins then it changes the variable to be off and an email to a push notification service is sent which pops up on our phones. Next thing to do is introduce presence so it only sends a push notification to whoever is home


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On a side note this is probably the most appreciated HA feature I've implemented that swmbo actually likes as opposed to tolerates


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I've done the same as listed above using the timers and pesters plugin. So when watts drops below 5 I start a timer, if watts goes above 5 then I stop and reset the timer. If it stays below for 5 mins then it changes the variable to be off and an email to a push notification service is sent which pops up on our phones. Next thing to do is introduce presence so it only sends a push notification to whoever is home


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We don;t send a push; we've got a few light up decorations (plasma ball, lava lamp, etc) setting around that we trigger with appliancelincs when the washer or driyer is running or doors are unlocked and turn off when they are done... I've been looking for some kind fo chime that's not too annoying to add another touch, but haven't found one yet... now I'm thinking a google or alexa could speak a message?

[jay (support)]

I don't believe it's currently possible to push anything to an Alexa device. However, with the recently introduced notifications, maybe some day they'll allow skills to push notifications out. I like the yellow pulsing circle as a non-intrusive notification mechanism (no sound yet AFAIK).

IMO, push notifications to phones/watches, etc., are the best solution for this particular problem (we use Pushover to push to our phones and watches).

I'm late joining an older thread, obviously...

I was considering trying to set up notification of washer/dryer events... Am I correct that Insteon SynchroLinc is no longer available? I didn't see it for sale at SmartHome or with a quick google search. I might be inclined to think that the Insteon folks retired this model to replace it with a newer dual-band version, but from what I can tell, this product was never very popular, so it seems more likely that they just dropped it. Anybody know?

Is there a z-wave product that would do the job? Would something like Aeotec Nano-Switch with Power Metering (https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Switch-co ... 3c974a4e93) be a workable substitute? I kind of like that one because it fits inside the box and thus doesn't stick out of the wall. Does Indigo have to poll this device for power usage or does the device broadcast changes? Would creating triggers in Indigo based on a washer or dryer be feasible with this?

Any other recommendations for alternatives devices/methods for washer/dryer monitoring?

I use this Dome power metering Zwave device. Yes, Zwave will check in with Indigo periodically and that's configurable for most Zwave devices how often it happens. For me I'm doing a simple trigger system where if there is active energy then it sets a variable and if the energy stops it sends me an alert. I also have it tied to HomeKit as so it raises the alert on my watch, phone, etc, when the load is done.

[jay (support)]

I'm using the NEO Smart Power mini (may be the same as the Dome). Works great for this exact purpose (much faster/more reliable than the SynchroLinc and iMeter Solo that I used to use) and it's TINY.

I'm using the NEO Smart Power mini (may be the same as the Dome).

It is the same device and I got my idea from you so it only makes sense... My wife is still asking why I thought that was necessary when "I can also just look at the time and know when 30 minutes is up" but she doesn't get that I do silly things like this just because I can, not because it's needed.