Home Automation

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Home automation is the residential extension of building automation.

It is automation of the home, housework or household activity.

Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.

Warning: Working with electricity can result in injury, property damage, or even death if it is not done properly. Please keep this in mind while assisting others. If you are not sure about what you are doing, hire a licensed professional.

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Automate my hot water heater (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by tortuga3385@alien.top to c/homeautomation@selfhosted.forum

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I am typically the first one in my house to take a shower and I like hot showers. I have noticed that if I take a shower first, the hot water is not that hot and doesn't last very long. But if others take showers before me and the hot water has to recharge then the hot water is HOT and lasts a long time.

I have a 50 gallon hot water tank.

The only two things I have (besides sinks and showers) that use hot water are a dumb dishwasher and a dumb washing machine.

What I was thinking was to set up an automation in HA to somehow trigger something to use hot water for like 10 minutes in order to get the hot water heater to recharge.

Any ideas?

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[–] captfitz@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Cold pipes in the morning is not a water heater problem, that's pretty typical.

A recirculation pump would definitely work and would have the added bonus of immediate warm water at any time, but it's going to use extra energy 24/7 to do so--especially considering it sounds like OPs system already has a lot of passive heat loss along the pipes.

Might not be worth the extra cost if the primary problem is just the morning shower.

[–] NathanStoughton@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Most times you don't even need a pump if there's enough elevation change. A cleverly placed loop pipe should circulate the water by gravity. I put a loop in a 4-story house a few years back. But that being said it's constantly using energy to heat up the water.

[–] justin-8@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

There has been people. I’d read a thread on the home assistant forums a couple years ago. It wouldn’t be too hard, have a couple schedules, presence detection, etc and you’d be good to go