Hot water heater timer app? With countdown timer?

SmartApps & Automations Automation Ideas
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I have a hot water heater recirculation pump that I have been using a X-10 module to turn on and off as needed. I had a x-10 programmable controller that would automatically turn the pump off 30 minutes after it was manually turned on. I want to recreate that functionally and maybe do a little better with a SmartThings hub and an Aeon Labs appliance switch.

What I would like to do is tap an ON button on my iPhone app and have the pump come on and stay on for 10 minutes, then automatically turn off. At the same time, I would like to see a count down timer (or maybe bar graph?) displayed showing the remaining time left until the pump turns off.

If I tap the OFF button while the timer is running, the pump would turn off and reset the timer to 0. Also, if I tap the ON button (again) while the timer is running, 10 additional minutes would be added to the timer.

So, I know that I can use the developer tools to create a simple function like a timed turn off after a certain amount of time. My questions are:

  • Can I setup a timer clock within the iphone ST application?
  • Can I customize the look and feel (size, placement, etc.) of what is displayed (ON, OFF, TIMER)?
  • What is the best way to accomplish this? ST development? SmartRules? ActiON Dashboard?
  • Is this a quick and easy task, or am I looking at many hours of development and tuning?

Thanks for any input you can provide to this really new (just got the hub today!) user.

Jim Smith

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Exciting project, and there will be a few ways you can meet the requirements.

I suggest, though, as a brand new user, that you explore more basic functionality and the various add-on apps so that you might even deduce the best solution yourself… or at least grasp the ideas presented really easily due to the familiarity you obtain. Have fun!

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Welcome! I suspect the switch control functionality exists, but customizing the display may be the trickiest part!

First, start exploring the apps that already exist. The Power Allowance smartapp, for example, is popular for on-demand water heaters and other devices that you run for a fixed period of time.

Next, get an overview of the many scheduling options available:

Once you’ve gotten a feel for all that, if you decide you’re going to need help with something that doesn’t already exist, there’s a topic for that–it’s listed near the end of the scheduler FAQ. :blush:

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I also have a recirc pump for our master bath. I just did a basic setup with a GE outlet that I can control via a Mon-Fri schedule, or manually pressing the ST button before we want to use the master shower or whirlpool. I also use the turn off after 5 min feature, which for the most part works well.

Here is a link to some code a guy on here created for recirc pumps. I was going to use this but I found that the basic setup was fine for my needs.

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