[RELEASE] Thermostat Manager - An alternative to Thermostat Mode Director

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#204

Well, currently there is a verification check performed upon automated mode changes. If after 3 attempts the mode fails to change over, the user can be notified by push or by text, chosen by user preference. It is a rare circumstance that should really only happen if your HVAC unit is having problems.

Personally I’d recommend setting some, “custom monitor” notifications in SmartThings to notify you if the temperature reaches a particular high or low.

#205

@jmarkwell thanks for going to all the trouble to get this going. Gonna try to configure this tomorrow…haven’t had the patience to do so as of yet…been a hell of a week. lol

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#206

Hi, when I say I want to monitor the hvac working, It’s not a problem of changing modes. I literally need to see if the heat is going up or staying at the set point or if the AC is one, I need to know if the temperature is rising to 85 from the 69 setpoint.

So it’s not a mode change issue, sometimes your heat goes out or your AC is out of gas. Everything is working according to the thermostat but the unit the thermostat is controlling isn’t doing what it is trying to do. Measuring the the current temp against the set temp will tell the user that long before just notifying at an absolute temp.

Rick

#207

I recommend setting some, “custom monitor” notifications in SmartThings to notify you if the temperature reaches a particular high or low.

#208

Thanks for the recommendation but I already have that installed and it does not do what I am looking for.

Again, I can set a “notify if temp is 50 degrees or below”. That’s great. I’ll know the heat is broken by the time it reaches 50 when it’s set to 65. However, that could take days to drop from 65 to 50 depending on the outdoor temp. My property is 3 hours away so I have to monitor it from afar. If instead of an absolute temp, it would notify me when the temp has dropped so many degrees below the set point, it would save me potentially days of not knowing the heat was malfunctioning.

#209

NEW BUILD: 2021020704

  • 1: Improvements to the error handling of the new dual capability system.
  • 2: Users will now be notified when Thermostat Manager fails to make an automated change due to a missing device capability.
  • 3: openContactPause() will now only set state.lastThermostatMode on the first time run per pause.
  • 4: Updates to code comments.

Mostly error handling improvements geared toward the flow of the new dual capability system. Users will now be notified (if notifications are enabled) when TM tries to change something but can’t because of a capability that has not been selected, like a missing thermostat or a missing thermostatFanMode device capability. Let me know if you have any comments or concerns.

#210

NEW BUILD: 2021021801

  • 1: Discovered that Zen Thermostat’s device handler doesn’t have the emergencyHeat() command. Revised set commands to use parameter based setThermostatMode() and setThermostatFanMode() instead.
#211

NEW BUILD: 2021022104

  • 1: tempHandler() will no longer set “heat” or “off” mode in the case that Externally Controlled Emergency Heat is enabled and the currentOutdoorTemp is below the emergencyHeatThreshold.
  • 2: “off” mode can no longer be conditionally set when the currentTemp reaches the heatingThreshold in “emergency heat” mode.
  • 3: Added currentOutdoorTemp to tempHandler() debug logging.
  • 4: Updates to code comments.
#212

@jmarkwell
Thanks again for all of your work. I have just now had the opportunity to test everything. Everything seems to install and load as normal, however it does not appear that TM is talking to the dh. For example, using the energy saver feature, when a door is open past the limit, TM sends a message that it is turning off the A/C due to an open contact as it always had before the smart things changes. The dh however does not respond and the command from TM is not followed. I have checked and double checked my settings, all seems to be correct in TM (including all switches on for using the alternative thermostat), and I cannot find a problem there. Sorry to bother as always, but… any ideas? Thanks again

#213

@hsbarrett

Hard to say at this point. The only thing I can think of to try immediately would be to play around with the device handler. Trying the old ones, etc. Other than that, turn on debug logging and let it run for a while. Make sure you capture some attempted mode changes. If you don’t mind to post it here, you can do that and I will review it. Otherwise you can DM me and if you prefer I can give you an e-mail address you can e-mail it to. We can try to see what is happening. TM will report if it fails to successfully achieve a mode change.

#214

@jmarkwell
Ok. Will do. I am planning on having a full week to try all of this shortly. I will let you know. Again, thank you

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