I'm thinking of using Axial to alert me when my washing machine is finished its cycle. Any thoughts on how I could do this?
The only way I could think is to use something that could detect a voltage drop, so once the spin cycle is done and the door has been unlocked, I'd get a notification. What device would I use for that? Can Axial do this?
I do this now... I use the http://blog.wigwag.com/aeon-labs-z-wave-smart-energy-switch-review/ Smart energy switch on my washer and dryer. The switch supplies watt usage... I have a scene set to email-to-text me when the watts are =0 for X mins. Then i just hide the actual switch from the app view so people dont accidently kill the power to the smart switch when its in the middle of a cycle..
Cool, I'll probably do the exact same thing. Thanks!
But how are you using that with your dryer?
I have a gas dryer... So it uses a regular outlet for the electronics. If you have an all electric dryer.. you would have to use one of those aeon labs energy meters. I use one on my whole house, but I don't see why you couldnt put it just on your dyer power leads. https://www.google.com/#q=aeon+labs+energy+meter Probably a bit of a waste, but my woman LOVES the texts she gets when doing laundry.. You can't hear our washer or dryer when it finishes in the basement. She used to have to keep checking in on loads.
Thanks! Yeah, mine is electric. I've been meaning to try one of those electricity meters for a while now. I've always wondered: how do I install that? How do you install it on the whole home and just on the dryer?
It is two plastic "clamps" that just clip over the main breaker wires.. If you want to monitor just the dryer you would clip the clamps on the two wires comming out of your dryer breaker in the panel. If you are not good/comfortable with electricity, putting it on your dryer wires is way safer, you can just shut off the dryer breaker and clamp them on, even though there is no actual electrical contact or "wireing" to do.. The clamps are actually "current transducers" or CT's (google) they work by monitoring the electric field outside of the wire.
