Rheem EcoNet

[quote=“zj4x4, post:60, topic:18791, full:true”]
When I use rule machine or the ST app the temp changes immediately.[/quote]

@zj4x4
OK. What indicates to you that it happens immediately in that context?

Also, I’m still lost on doing it from Rule Machine.
Do I need to edit the device handler to add actuator to it? If so, any chance you could do a quick pointer on doing that?
I know I’ve added a capability to something before, but I haven’t done it enough to be comfortable just knowing what to do off the top of my head yet.

Rule machine has the option to test the custom commands. I ran each of the commands and then checked both the ST and Rheem/EcoNet apps and they reflected the temperature change right away.

On the main Rule Machine page below where the rules are listed (if you’ve created any) is an area labeled Expert Features, below which is a function labeled Custom Commands. Click that. Click New custom command and use the capability Actuator on the device you have setup for your water heater, then use the setHeatingSetpoint command with a number parameter and the temperature you want to set. Create additional setHeatingSetpoint commands for any other temperatures you want to set.

After this you can create the rule you want. The one I showed above sets mine to 120 when the mode changes to Traveling and then back to 140 when the mode changes from Traveling to anything else. This rule fits my requirements but you could trigger the temperature changes on just about anything you want.

Here are some images…mine looks a bit different than what you will see since I’ve already created the 2 custom commands I need but hopefully it helps.

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[quote=“zj4x4, post:62, topic:18791, full:true”]
…On the main Rule Machine page below where the rules are listed (if you’ve created any) is an area labeled Expert Features, below which is a function labeled Custom Commands. Click that. Click New custom command and use the capability Actuator on the device you have setup for your water heater, then use the setHeatingSetpoint command with a number parameter and the temperature you want to set. Create additional setHeatingSetpoint commands for any other temperatures you want to set.

After this you can create the rule you want. The one I showed above sets mine to 120 when the mode changes to Traveling and then back to 140 when the mode changes from Traveling to anything else. This rule fits my requirements but you could trigger the temperature changes on just about anything you want.

Here are some images…mine looks a bit different than what you will see since I’ve already created the 2 custom commands I need but hopefully it helps…[/quote]

Thanks!
So, this is it, and I don’t need to make any changes in the Device Handler then?

Correct…

20 char

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@zj4x4
OK, I ran a test in there (not intuitive at all; so, still learning), and saw the same immediate changes as you mentioned above.

I also created two new commands; one for setting it low for when gone, and the other for setting it up for when home.

Dude!!
Thanks a lot for the assist.

Now the only thing left (other than creating the rules in Rule Machine) is finding out how long it takes to heat up to the desired temp so that I can create the rules to make it turn it up long enough before getting home that it will be up by the time we get here.

I assume that kind of info can be found with google’s help, but if anybody has that kind of info on the top of their head, please share here. :slight_smile:

So, for the guy thinking of buying a Rheem Econet, was it decided that its more reliable now? Is the reliability at the app side? or the hardware side?

In all honesty, the more I think about it, its not something I would use often… but is a convenience…

Now ( thanks again to @zj4x4 ), I have three rules in Rule Machine to (hopefully) keep my water heater at the temp I want; based on presence and time of day.

Away
If nobody’s home, set it to 120 (no lower than 120 in order to prevent legionnaires disease)

HomeDay
If anybody is home during daytime, set it to 135 (might modify this one)

HomeNight
If anybody is home at night, set it to 125

I would like to add motion as a condition into the mix as well (e.g. somebody gets up in the middle of the night, or stays up late, or has to get up early to take somebody to the airport, etc), but it seems complex. So, I will do some studying and testing to see if I can find a good method for including it.

As for whether or not to buy this particular device, the jury is still out. I will come back to report on how it’s going after I’ve let it run like this for a week or so.

However, as for whether or not to do something like this at all (i.e. buy a product that gives the ability to control a water heater from a home automation system that can be configured to turn it down and save money during low need/low use periods), I say, absolutely yes!

For me, it’s not really for convenience at all…

I mean, yes, it makes it convenient to be able to change the heating level of my water heater from my phone whenever I want to, but I don’t want to be the water heater nanny all the time.

What’s really helpful is being able to modify the heating of the water heater automatically based on home automation input to reduce the amount of gas burned unnecessarily during times when we’re either gone from the house, or asleep at night.

It’s not a full-proof (or fool-proof) system, but it’s better than what I had before…which was basically nothing (i.e. in light of how inconvenient it is to go down to the water heater in the basement all the time to manually change it when I want it down or up, I never did at all, and it just remained up at the higher level all the time; wasting money on heating water that didn’t need to be hot).

If the fixes they introduced recently end up making this thing reliable, then I would once again recommend it as a product (BTW, it is getting reduced in price at some HDs. So, if you want to give it a try, check your local HD’s clearance section). Once I have enough actual results from testing this current setup of Rule Machine rules, I’ll report back here…

I’m seeing this error from my copy of Jason’s ( @copyninja ) Rheem SmartApp in Live Logging…

groovyx.net.http.HttpResponseException: Unauthorized @ line 230

Anybody know what that means?

Keep us posted! I actually keep mine at 120 permanently, as I believe that is the recommended temperature.

Rheem just released an iOS update that it Works with Nest! Apparently, if your Nest goes into Away mode, it will put your Rheem into a more efficient energy savings mode. I am not sure what that means…it still shows 120 degrees for me, but wondering how it works for others. This is great because SimpliSafe automatically puts my Nest into Away mode when I enable my alarm (which is done via ST integration when I leave the house). All this logic starts with ST and then uses 2 different Works with Nest integration which to this point have been reliable for me.

I modified my water heater rules in Rule Machine so that they no longer use ‘time of day’ as trigger points.
Instead, they just use sunrise/sunset. Of course, that’s not ideal. So, I will be looking into other ways of doing it.

My first thought is to set up something with a combination of IFTTT and virtual switches.
I know that IFTTT is not reliable tor immediate or critical timing changes, but for something like changing the temp of the water heater, I figure it won’t likely usually matter much if the change in heating set points is delayed 10-15 minutes. It takes the water heater a while to heat it up anyway. So, at least this way, I would be better of than a system where the water heater always remains at the same level (which is what I have had up to this point).

If after testing, IFTTT seems more reliable for these kinds of non-immediate and non-critical timing events, it may come in handy elsewhere too.

I’ll report back on how it goes with using IFTTT for this kind of timing, but if anybody has any more ideas, please share, or point to another thread. Thanks. :slight_smile:

Well to update everyone on the Rheem/Works with Nest integration…it’s buggy…when I got home last night, I opened my Rheem app and it still said it was in “away mode” even though my Nest was in Home mode. It gave me the choice to override the auto away mode and I did so…this morning I left my home for work and my Nest’s went into away mode but my Rheem is not. When I click on settings in the Rheem app, it still says it’s “active” to my Nest. Bugs…

How are you triggering the Rheem to go away based on your NEST? It seems like perhaps the process your following is more buggy then the Rheem itself.

If the Rheem app by itself works fine, I tend to think the Rheem is fine, and its the “other factors” that are the issue.

Thoughts?

When you integrate “Works with Nest”, it automatically is supposed to do this logic for you. I am not sure what Away mode in the Rheem actually means though.

This is the beauty of “Works with Nest”(when it works) as it works perfectly with my SimplSafe alarm. (When my SimpliSafe goes into Away mode, so does my Nest, and when my SimpliSafe goes into Home mode, so does my Nests). Works with Nest is a platform that is more for beginners and doesn’t require any sort of technical skills or programming like Smartthings does.

None of this has anything to do with the ST integration, but this is a good forum to talk about it.

Fair enough. Do you feel the Rheem unit itself is operating properly?

(I have to buy next week, still questioning whether to go with the smart water heater or not. Still evaluating the true benefit of the 100 extra, plus the 80ish addon)

Since the update a month or so ago, it definitely seems to be more stable. Where I am struggling now is determining an actual use case for automating this piece of equipment. This is why I was hopeful that the Works with Nest would prove some value, but it’s not working quite yet. I keep my temperature at 120 degrees, but I guess if you like to keep it higher, you can dial it down to 120 when your not home. All the research I have done indicates you should never turn it below 120.

I just had a Rheem AC unit and Rheem fully modulating furnace installed, both connected to an EcoNet thermostat with WiFi. Is there anything out there that will connect my thermostat to Smart Things? It would help to be able to pull the static pressure readings off the EcoNet for my Keen vents to ensure my system runs at healthy levels. Having all the other functionality of the EcoNet integrated with Smart Things would be great as well.

I have followed the instructions, but when i set up the smart app i do not see a list of devices to choose from. The options page after authentication information is completely blank. I am using the Android App. Are there any suggestions?

By the way. It seems like the Nest integration works well now. I am still not sure what exactly where it will set the the water temperature to when Away.

Thanks for the help.

@Luttinen, getting the same problem.

I’ve been using this SmartApp/DeviceHandler for a long time now, and suddenly, in the past few weeks (or more?), it seems to be completely disconnected from the actual water heater.
i.e. no changes from within the SmartApp/DeviceHandler make any changes on the water heater, yet the official (and recently updated) Rheem app still works with it.

So, today, I decided to remove everything related to this water heater from my SmartThings setup and start over again.
However, when I try to add it, it fails with “An unexpected error occurred”.

Well, then I figured I might have messed something up with my customized version of Jason’s code (I always add my own intro section to whatever SmartApps and Device Handlers that I install).

So, I backed everything out, and tried it again with Jason’s native code. With that way, it seemed to go all the way through and added both the SmartApp and Device in my ‘Things’. However, it’s still not working.

Just as before, when I go look at the Device, it says it’s at 125 degrees, whereas the Rheem app reports 135.
So, I changed the temp in Jason’s Device (pressed the up button five times to put it up to 130), but it doesn’t do anything on the water heater or Rheem app (which, right now, are still reporting 135; which is where I have it set from the Rheem app). Then, when I click the Refresh button within Jason’s Device, it bumps back down to 125 (meanwhile, the Rheem app still reports the water heater being at 135).

Anybody else seeing this?

Did Rheem’s recent updates to their WiFi module and app somehow disable SmartThings integration?

p.s. I just heard back from Jason. Seems like Rheem updated their API, and since he no longer has this equipment, I think this is the end of the road for this SmartApp/DeviceHandler, unless anyone else wants to pick it up and work on it.
:frowning:

Any takers? :slight_smile: