From Lake Michigan, probably a dozen. Lake Erie, maybe just one.
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Or maybe one childs toy from China........
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Been using this device since September 2019. Works great until it doesn't.
Several times it stopped working and had to fiddle with it to get it going again. I have also use the Samsung Mult-purpose sensors as garage door sensors. They have never missed a beat and cheaper as well.
Thanks for the report. Was your fiddling mechanical or Communications?
First off, sorry to be the bearer of bad news after having already purchased one. I agree the build looks great. I have to fiddle with the tilt sensor (the gold thingy in the middle). I had no problems with the communications. I have been thinking about turning it into a sensor to tell HE when the hydro goes off. There are project on this forum that show how.
Thanks for the information. Had I known the tilt switches were an issue I would have still purchased this device. I like the hardware quality and it seems there signal and communications are fine.
I've already ordered some mercury tilt switches from eBay and I have no issues replacing the device on the board. Cost of 10 switches delivered $2.01
I'll let folks know how I make out as things occur (or don't)
And please do not feel bad about supplying the truth. Even if it turned out bad for me, the next person would benefit from your experience.
John
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That sounds like a good plan. I have a mercury tilt switch in an old garage door security sensor that has lasted a couple decades .....
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Out of curiosity, do you get multiple events from the mercury switch because of the mercury bouncing around?
No. Also, mercury doesn't really bounce around in the context of a garage door being raised or lowered.
The original z-wave version of the ecolink sensor used a mercury tilt switch. I imagine it was replaced by a metal ball-bearing tilt switch in the zwave+ version for cost .....
And perhaps the metal ball is more environmentally friendly. Sometimes you just got to love old tech.
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I just about guarantee it is this. The change might not have even been because of the US market (I.E. European standards?) , or maybe just for some particular state regulation (California?) and it was easier to just make them all the ball type. The ball bearing one probably costs more if anything.
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No, as @aaiyar said the mercury doesn't bounce around. There actually seems to be some hysteresis. Once it hits the 2nd electrode the contact is solid. I would guess the mechanical ball has more bounce than the mercury switch, and so the electronics must have some "debounce" built in.
John
Mercury really is a fantastic solution for these types of switches. Too bad people doing silly things and not treating it correctly and letting it get out into the environment means the rest of us can't have nice things.
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I agree, unfortunately, most / all our laws are determined by the lowest common denominator. And / or Greed.
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I've had mine for several years and its held up to the Arizona heat in the summers with no issues. I have had about 3 times where it got stuck I just tapped the top and its been fine each time. Its been some time since the last occurrence of getting stuck. Till now, since I mentioned it! lol
ive had for 5 years or more.. just replaced with the zwave plus version.. no issues. but if you want a wired switch to hook up to it just get the window/door sensor.. much easier. It also has the wire terminals. In fact that is all they do to make the water sensor, just hook up the sensor to the terminals of a door one. I guess the chip is slightly differnt as it has a different footprint on join.
Out of curiosity, what are the advantages of a tilt switch for a garage door as opposed to a simple contact sensor? I'm using a contact sensor attached with removable double sided tape from those 3M Command hooks cut down to size.
I just stick it on and it detects with the sensor up and down or open and close. Nothing else is needed but that one sensor
ive done both.. no real difference.
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The Linear/GoControl opener comes w/a tilt sensor that has lasted me many years, no issues. The opener itself can be troublesome/fail over time (there is an easy fix w/adding a couple resistors), but the simple tilt sensor is rock solid.
