[OBSOLETE] Smart Sprinkler System

mckenph · February 25, 2016, 2:38am

So I set up the Virtual Weather Station so the program just knows to look at what ever virtual app I have configured as a device.

mattn · February 25, 2016, 8:06am

Sorry… I was wrong! I was thinking that we had integrated with weather devices. We have only talked about it. Sorry, I should have checked…

In the scheduler app, you just need to provide your zip code. We use a ST feature to grab weather information (which comes from Weather Underground). No need to create a virtual device.

See this for details… http://docs.smartthings.com/en/latest/ref-docs/smartapp-ref.html

Dan999 · February 25, 2016, 11:58am

If you, or someone close by, has a personal weather station and upload to Weather Underground, you can type in the station ID (“pws:XXXXX”) instead of the zip code, and the app will use the data from your weather station. This is a standard SmartThings feature for weather zip codes.

mattn · February 25, 2016, 4:37pm

Nice! I didn’t catch onto that. Bonus feature!

mckenph · February 26, 2016, 1:24am

so where in the code do you do that. I would like to start making changes so that i pull temp and wind data if possible

mattn · February 26, 2016, 5:51am

There are 3 functions in the timer app that determine if it wasWetYesterday, isWet (today’s precipitation) or isStormy (forecasted be wet tomorrow)

github.com

d8adrvn/smart_sprinkler/blob/master/IrrigationSchedulerApp.groovy#L256


      
          //     check to see if virtual rainguage exceeds threshold
                 if (rainGauge > (wetThreshold?.toFloat() ?: 0.5)) {
                     if (isNotificationEnabled.equals("true")) {
                         sendPush("Skipping watering today due to precipitation.")    
                     }
                     log.info "${app.label} skipping watering today due to precipitation."
                     for(s in switches) {
                         if("rainDelayed" in s.supportedCommands.collect { it.name }) {
                             s.rainDelayed()
                             log.info "Watering is rain delayed for $s"
                         }
                     }
                     return true
                 }
                 
                 def maxThermometer = isHot()
                 if (maxThermometer < (tempThreshold?.toFloat() ?: 0)) {
                 	if (isNotificationEnabled.equals("true")) {
                         sendPush("Skipping watering: $maxThermometer forecast high temp is below threshold temp.")
                     }
                     log.info "${app.label} is skipping watering: temp is below threshold temp."

github.com

d8adrvn/smart_sprinkler/blob/master/IrrigationSchedulerApp.groovy#L267


      
                      }
                      return true
                  }
                  
                  def maxThermometer = isHot()
                  if (maxThermometer < (tempThreshold?.toFloat() ?: 0)) {
                  	if (isNotificationEnabled.equals("true")) {
                          sendPush("Skipping watering: $maxThermometer forecast high temp is below threshold temp.")
                      }
                      log.info "${app.label} is skipping watering: temp is below threshold temp."
                      return true
          		}
               }
              return false
          }
          
          def safeToFloat(value) {
              if(value && value.isFloat()) return value.toFloat()
              return 0.0
          }

github.com

d8adrvn/smart_sprinkler/blob/master/IrrigationSchedulerApp.groovy#L276


      
                      log.info "${app.label} is skipping watering: temp is below threshold temp."
                      return true
          		}
               }
              return false
          }
          
          def safeToFloat(value) {
              if(value && value.isFloat()) return value.toFloat()
              return 0.0
          }
          
          def wasWetYesterday() {
              
              def yesterdaysWeather = getWeatherFeature("yesterday", zipcode)
              def yesterdaysPrecip = yesterdaysWeather?.history?.dailysummary?.precipi?.toArray() 
              def yesterdaysInches= yesterdaysPrecip ? safeToFloat(yesterdaysPrecip[0]) : 0
              log.info("Yesterday's percipitation for $zipcode: $yesterdaysInches in")
          	return yesterdaysInches    
          }

getWeatherFeature is a SmartThings API that retrieves data from Weather Underground. I believe that wind and temps are available. You’d have to checkout the documentation to figure out how to get to it. When we were putting the weather feature in, the Smart Things documentation was not great around this feature. We had to look at the Weather Underground’s API. If I’m remembering right, the Smart Things API response closely mirrors the Weather Underground response’s data structure. That was over a year ago, so the ST docs may be better now. (and my memory may be completely failing me)

mckenph · March 4, 2016, 2:37pm

Well I started the irrigation app for the first time this week since in New Mexico it is good weather. I had it set up to run every day. Until today I noticed is was not running so I had to run it by hand. I did a little troubleshooting and noticed that whenever I had the rain delay set that the program would not run. I still need to do a little more testing but I had it set for a weather station close to my house. I had it set to not run if it was less than .25 inches and had yesterday today and tomorrow set. We have not had any moisture for the last week and none scheduled till next week.So I am really not sure why it was not running. I am going to try to set it to just the zipcode to see if that works but is there anything else I need to check?

Dan999 · March 4, 2016, 10:06pm

That’s how I run my setup (or ran last year - still cold here:) ). I would suspect the SmartThings scheduler. You can check in the IDE to see when last the scheduled task ran for the irrigation controller. You can click the new Update button next to the smart app in the IDE to try and kick start the app. If it is running correctly, you should see events in the phone app notification screen that says something like "skipping watering today due to precipitation for the times that you set your system to run.

mckenph · March 5, 2016, 1:12am

The problem that I have with the log is the the smart sprinkler sends so many things to the log that trying to go back is almost impossible to go back an look at the log more than 12 hours it sends controller status for every station every 10 min

mckenph · March 8, 2016, 9:39am

Turns out only zipcode works. Whenever you enter just a station any election for rain delay will not allow the schedule to kick off.

Dan999 · March 8, 2016, 3:53pm

What did you type in for station id? It worked fine for me when I ran it before the winter.

mckenph · March 9, 2016, 12:09am

KNMALBUQ301 this i what I used. Is it in the right format

Dan999 · March 9, 2016, 2:02pm

it should be pws:KNMALBUQ301

mckenph · March 9, 2016, 10:05pm

Will give it a shot. Thanks

d8adrvn · March 9, 2016, 10:46pm

EDIT: Actually, this worked as @Dan999 described.

@Dan999,

My recollection is someone posted they had a variant of the app that takes a PWS. I think it’s an easy fix that I just haven’t got around to implementing.

Unfortunately I am on the road and probably won’t be able to take a look until this weekend. However I am interested in adding this feature. Also I will take a look at reducing the logging.

jas155 · March 10, 2016, 12:20am

Were do you get the SmartThing ThingShield?

mckenph · March 10, 2016, 12:47am

He has a few links on his instruction page that will show you where to get everything. I think I got mine on amazon

mckenph · March 10, 2016, 12:50am

thanks. I would like to use a local station since I am up way higher then the zipcode and the weather could be a lot different …10 degrees cooler and a big difference in the amount of rain.

ritchierich · March 10, 2016, 12:54am

Direct from DT:

Dan999 · March 10, 2016, 1:35am

I don’t recall changing the code, and the version I use (2.92, dated 2014-06-16) has the zip code as a text field. It calls getWeatherFeature() which passes the request on to the WU API and they specifically mention the use of personal weather stations as a location option. As mentioned before, the location string must include “pws:” followed by the station ID.

http://docs.smartthings.com/en/latest/ref-docs/smartapp-ref.html?highlight=getweatherfeature
http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/docs?d=data/index

I hope I’m not disappointed come spring

[OBSOLETE] Smart Sprinkler System

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