After one month of owning a Hubitat C-8 Pro

Thanks, I will keep all this in mind.

That's what I was thinking as well.... :wink:

1 Like

I will check it out thanks

370 devices and still counting😃

How many hubs? If more than one, what is the max number of devices on any one hub? Just curious.

Yeah, my total comes to 351 right now, but that includes virtual devices.

Mine was plumbed with CPVC for the main line coming in from the meter. I cut out a section and put in a 2 foot section of copper and a quarter turn copper valve for the auto shut off. It has worked great for a few years now.

A neighbor of a friend of mine just had a major leak in their CPVC piping and it cause 10s of $1000s in damage. Their insurance company denied the claim because it was CPVC and past the class settlement date. Thank goodness I have no CPVC in my home.

2 Likes

Presumably they've filed a lawsuit against their insurer? I know of houses plumbed with polybutylene pipe. This might sound nuts, but in many places around the world, polybutylene pipe is still approved for residential plumbing ....

2 Likes

Two hubs, the one counts > 200

1 Like

I have this shutoff valve. It has worked great. I have it connected to a button for testing and shutoff if I need. It has never failed to actuate. It isn't difficult to install. If your quarter turn valve is large enough that the shutoff valve clamps will clamp onto a portion of the quarter turn valve then the piping can be PVC, abs plastic, PEX, copper, etc. the torque and pressure is on the solid part of the valve that way. If the clamp must be on the pipe, the plumbing needs to copper.

I had a plumber out yesterday to get a quote on replacing my mostly PEX shutoff pipe with copper. He said I did not need to and that he has seen many PEX pipes with smart valves installed without a problem.

He may be correct. He is a plumber.

No debate from me that it could be installed without a problem, my concern would be the potential impact of cumulative stresses over time on the (non-metallic) fittings.

And I readily acknowledge that's perhaps much ado about nothing -- I'm admittedly just extremely conservative with this sort of stuff. For me, the bottomline is always that a new solution should never introduce any new concerns (even if they're low potential).

5 Likes

This my setup:

It has been working for years and went through over 20000 cycles so far.

3 Likes

I would feel good about that setup, since that leg of PEX is nicely strapped down on both sides of the valve and device, and the device's mount is comfortably away from any fitting. My concern with the OP's setup is that it's more of a "hanging out in open space" kinda thing.

As I'm sure you've already done (since I know you know what you're doing!), I would just caution other users installing this kind of offset-mounted device to just make certain there's zero skew to the vertical alignment axes of the valve lever and the device arm.

4 Likes

My thinking is that other than an occasional test, there won't be any stress. The plumber was adamant that I did not need to replace the PEM with copper. Which I found refreshing! I did ensure that I know how to shut off the main water valve in the pit in the yard, i.e., the water meter. Just in case.

I'm thinking of doing the shutoff valve with something like this:

I haven't decided for sure on this particular manufacturer, but if not this one, something similar (highest quality I can find.) Currently, my in-house shutoff is a typical spigot type water valve that takes many turns to close. I'll need to get a plumber to install whatever valve I end up going with and probably a Zooz dry relay to actuate it.

Anybody on here do something similar?

I just installed the Aqara Valve Controller T1. So far it works extremely well. I've tested it about 20 times so far, no movement or any issues. Super easy to install too, depending on your plumbing. I read that this should not be used with PEX piping so I had a plumber come out to give me an estimate to replace it with copper. He said that would not be necessary and he's seen numerous shutoff valves used with PEX. Another feature I like is that this is battery powered (4 AA) and the manufacturer claims that using it once per day they would last two years. A couple of caveats you want to ensure the bolts of the shutoff valve and the Aqara are aligned, and that there is a gap between. It's hard to see in the photo but there is about a 1 mm gap there.

Another caveat is that in Hubitat I had to configure this using a "Generic Zigbee Switch" driver, i.e., Type. I have rules that when a water sensor reports wet, it shuts the valve off, sends text messages to my wife and me, and plays a warning through my Sonos speakers.

Highly recommend it!

3 Likes

Always a dangerous combination!

3 Likes