Got this Solar panel hooked up to my generator and it works great. Battery stays charged.
You might want to see if you can access the wiring that goes to the switch that turns the controls on & off. If you can, you can then add a dry contact relay such as the ZOOZ ZEN16 Z-wave relay. That allows you to turn the controls on/off remotely. The ZEN16 comes with three separate contacts, so you could also automate the start button if needed. For example, if you only want to run the generator long enough to keep the pipes from freezing you could have a temperature sensor trigger the ZEN16 to turn on the control power then start the generator and allow it to run only long enough to reach a specific temperature. Then the temperature sensor could trigger the ZEN16 to shut the generator down and then turn off the control power to preserve the battery and propane reserve during an extended power outage.
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This is exactly what I'm thinking. I don't think those buttons are accessible on a new machine like mine. Maybe spoof an error code. An added wrinkle is that the transfer switch must shed load before the generator starts or stops. I might have a way around that.
Another problem is that the controls latch on virtually everything, so that most errors have to be physically cleared at the machine. I found one for stop/start that doesn't latch. I'm not optimistic about cutting power to the control panel. Worth a shot though.
I think @mcdull 's solution has promise.
I saw this thing on Amazon. It displays voltage and opens a relay when under a set voltage and closes the relay at a set voltage. The Zen 16 can be set to be normally closed, plus simple automation makes it flexible. The Zen16 consumes a lot less power when open. I think the new multirelay may have features that could make it more reliable, but I have to look at that. The thing is, Hubitat must be counted on to fire up the app correctly to sequence the transfer and startup-I'm nervous about that.
I in the same situation and will be using a Shelly Uni to monitor voltage and a Deltran Battery Tender to keep the battery charged.
Shelly Uni - I just got 4 of them yesterday to monitor voltage and to get notifications if the voltage drops. I ordered 4 of them directly from Shelly Shop USA. It looks pretty straightforward to install them. But I'm not sure yet on whether to use the Shelly app or Hubitat.
Charging - Deltran Battery Tenders, in the classic car world, are the gold standard for maintaining batteries. I've had one on one of my cars for 12 years and the battery is good as new. They have algorithms built to maintain the battery. Battery Chargers (batterytender.com)
WHAT MAKES A BATTERY TENDERÂŽ âINTELLIGENTâ**
- It has internal sensors and intelligent microprocessor controlled circuitry, which enables it to constantly check and adapt to your batteryâs level of charge.
- Unlike trickle chargers, which have a reputation for âfryingâ batteries, it can perform a series of functions based on the level of charge which ensure that there is no damage caused to your battery.
- Whereas trickle chargers are known to over-charge and cause battery âboil outâ, the sensors in a tender will actively monitor the condition and charge level of your battery using a series of modes to best suit the situation.
(What is a Battery Tender- All You Must Know (batterychargersexpert.com) )
I'm going to try to install the Shelly Uni today, so we'll see how it goes.
I hope this helps.
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Let us know how the Shelly Uni install works out!
As it stands, I setup a Uni yesterday with the Shelly app, but I haven't been able to add it as a device in Hubitat. I've been making some headway, but still no luck. I've also posted in this thread ... Vote for Shelly UNI - #60 by naelgh.
FYI, I finally got the low voltage alert working today ... see this thread for more info - Vote for Shelly UNI - #70 by olliesshop.
I'm still waiting on that low voltage cutoff thing. Talk about the slow boat from China. It'll be 6 weeks if it arrives 'on time'. I didn't notice where it was being shipped from when I purchased it on Amazon.
Another thought occurred to me though. While the generator is running to recharge its own battery, the battery will, I assume, show the value of the charger's voltage, and thus be an inaccurate representation of the battery's state of charge. Is there any way around this?
Since the battery charger is connected directly to the terminals of the battery, the voltage across the terminals will be equal to the voltage across the charger. The only way to avoid this would be to put a dry contact switch in the positive wire from the charger to the battery and then disconnect the switch when reading the battery state. However, that is risky as if the dry contact does not close properly the battery might lose charge. I would not recommend messing with the system. As long as you get a voltage reading between 12-13.6 volts, you know things are working properly.
I came up with an idea. I measured the amps on the positive lead from the generator battery with a clamp on multimeter that had the capability to measure AC or DC current. My current thinking is a voltage monitor to turn on the generator to charge the battery, and a clamp on ammeter to tell the gen to shut down after the charging rate gets down to a suitable level. Now, to find one, and get that signal into the house. Although I did run some 6(?) conductor thermostat wire out there. It would be nice to get a digital display in the house for when I'm home as well.
I had another idea. Monitor the AC current supplying the charger when the generator (or utility) is running. Maybe use a spare Fibaro outlet I have and rig up a plug and outlet arrangement on the circuit.
I am very new to this Shelly World. I'm not one that just asks questions without doing my Homework. I am wanting to use a Shelly Uni to monitor voltage on a 12V deep cycle battery. Can anyone tell me how to wire this up on the uni? I smoked my Uni today trying to figure it out and guess it's better to ask than to keep smoking a Uni.
First, connect Red on + and Black on -. Connect to it via its web interface and ensure that it is set to 30v under the ADC range setting. Then, add white on + and green on - to mesure the voltage.
Iâm not sure if the issue you encountered is because of reversing the black and red, because all 4 were connected at once, or a defective board⌠I have seen it happen before howeverâŚ
Also, welcome to the community!
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Thank you very much. And thank you for the quick help!
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Got it hooked up and everything is good. Being so new to this I cannot figure out how to get the voltage of the battery. It seems to only be showing the uni's current draw. Once I complete one new operation and know how things flow and can go on with my other projects for the uni. I hate feeing stupid.
It can be a bit of a learning curveâŚ. Youâre not the first and wonât be the last to walk that path!
Have you downloaded and installed the driver? Once you have, if I remember correctly, you just need to put in the UNIâs IP address (be sure to make it a static address to avoid problemsâŚ). If you use Tomâs driver, it will automatically create the child devices. One of those will poll the UNI for voltage.
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Thank you. I'll follow all of those steps
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And I do have the drivers loaded. I do see the drivers and it did create the child devices. I have not attempted to configure in Hubitat yet but that's my next step.
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