Is there a device that...? (Need to monitor a gas stove.)

"What noise, honey? I don't hear anything...wait - DON'T GO INTO THE PANTRY!!!

:wink:

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I bought a fancy rice cooker when I lived in tokyo. It had no English text but I had memorized the characters for cooking white, brown and studio rice so I could navigate it reasonable well.
Took it home to california. It was kind of fancy with inductive cooking, fuzzy logic that determines optimal heat based on steam in the pressurized outlet valve, all kinds of gizmos...

i figured 110v in california vs 100v in Japan, odds are it should work. Guess what, it wouldn't start. I tried one of those electronic switched voltage converters but it burned out under a highly inductive load.

So I bought an old fashioned ring transformer... My rice cooker was 1,100 watt so a pretty hefty transformer, probably 10lbs or so... Wife hated that thing. She tolerated it for six months until one day it was gone. I think I paid twice as much for the transformer as I paid for the rice cooker, I should have cut my losses when it didn't work with the wall outlet in california. And we don't even eat rice that often...

I learned my lesson....

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I remember when AC3 was the standard for home theater audio signaling along with LaserDisks for the best quality video and audio. Most newer audio / video devices were putting out optical AC3 but my every expensive receiver only supported coax. It was hard back then to find a decent optical to coax converter for less that $1k. Finally I found this "underground" converter that no only had 4 optical digital inputs and could switch into the coax it also stripped the DRM bits from the stream.

Well in order to use this thing right I had to put a guide on top the equipment stack that gave a flow chart for what equipment to set the what channel for watching TV, VCR, Radio, and the LaserDisc. I was out of town for two weeks and I found when I returned all the stuff from the family room put into my office and a cheep unbranded color TV connected to the cable box. I guess WAF caught up with me and she took matters into her own hands.

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They eventually do, don't they. :wink: Always challenging being an early adventurer.

I never owned a laserdisc, but used them at work for interactive video training we developed w/the media on laserdisc. Required quite a setup to deliver - powerful (for that time) computer w/special graphics card, monitor w/built in speakers, laserdisc player. My best friend's father was an early adopter, and I remember he had the first VCR I ever saw ("What the HECK is that?!), a laserdisc, early microwave, etc. Going to his house was like visiting the future. :wink:

just got one of these for sale.. will put on my steam humidifier error light in basement, but also would work on the hot surface light on our electric stove.. could alert say if on more than an hour.. may get one for that.. neat little device

HS-FS100-L Z-Wave Indicator Light Sensor – HomeSeer

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Great device. Only thing that has ever given me a completely accurate indication of when my very low wattage front loading washer is finished.

also just got a second for alert of the loop broken on the underground dog fence..

what device handler do you use in hubitat.

The built-in HomeSeer Flex Sensor driver

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Where did you mount it? Can you share pics?

Sure, but it's pretty boring :wink:

NVM...just saw the video on their site, I get it. :slight_smile:

But you could still post a video w/a cool soundtrack and I'll watch it. :wink:

So wonder if this might work w/sensing gas flames on the cooktop? I'd have to mount it so it's sitting on its edge w/the sensor pointing across the three front burners on the stove. I wonder if it could see/sense across the entire cooktop. (Wife might not be too happy w/two of those "cluttering" around the stove.) Also wondering if it would differentiate between the gas flames and the hood light, which is pretty bright.

Any thoughts @SmartHomePrimer, based on your experience w/it?

no it has to be right on top of the light so stray light doesnt set it off. it would melt.. if your burners have an on light maybe.. but dont think it would work with gas stove.

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Well now that I bothered to go down and take photos, you're gettin em!

I used their hook to keep it from falling off the washer. Works well. The light sensor is inside the machine. I didn't want an ugly wire and sensor showing and it would have interfered with the touch-type start/stop button. I found that the light was visible from inside the machine, so I carefully cut a hole in the plastic that surrounds the all-in-one electronics and control panel so that the sensor would react properly to the light.

Thanks...figured it was a long shot.

Wait - you think that's boring!?!!? Mind - blown. :wink:

I am impressed w/the install and having it inside. :slight_smile:

Are you talking about using the optional temperature sensor with it? This is for sure meant for status lights, and as @kahn-hubitat said, it cannot have stray light interfering with it. I realized that it wasn't defective when I finally put the lid back on the machine and then tested it. But up to that point, it wasn't working properly because of the ambient light too bright, and I didn't have it installed in the "normal" way it's intended.

But there's an option temperature sensor. It can't be exposed to direct flame though.

Thanks...temp won't work, as it would have to sense across the full width of the stove. THink I'm going to stick w/my plan to pull the front-panel off and see if I can stuff a contact sensor inside, and magnet on the knob, to sense on/off that way. Probably the most reliable option I have at this point, if the contact sensor will fit.

Curious to see what you come up with. Our stovetop is Gas too and my wife has left empty pots on the stove without turning the burner off, many times.

@SmartHomePrimer - as you said to me earlier: :slight_smile:

Stove Safety Mod is done! And if I may say so, this may result in words and phrases like "genius!" and "What an ego that guy has!" being bandied about. :wink:

Starting point - 6 burner gas stove.

Remove knobs and front panel:

Plenty of room behind the front panel to hold the contact sensor.

Plenty of room in the knob to place the magnet.

Magnet taken from magnetized hooks we had on hand. Use plumbers putty to hold the magnet in place.

image

Position sensor on back of the front panel so that it overlays part of the opening where the magnet on the knob will be positioned so the contact sensor reads Closed when the knob is in the Off position.
Holding the knob w/magnet in place on the other side so I can see what my clearances are. Confirmed it's working - sensor reads closed.

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Looks like this from the front.

Four sensors mounted. I only wanted to monitor the four burners we use for longer-term simmering. For some reason/habit that's the front three and the left-rear.

Made sure batteries are easily accessible (not blocked by any flanges or other protuberances. This is the main "gotcha" - will have to take off the stove front panel to change batteries. Takes 8 screws and about five minutes - not a huge deal.

Also ensured all sensors had fresh 100% batteries installed.

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Had my son help me hold the panel in place and tested each burner (installed knob with magnet) before really sealing things back up. BINGO!!! Houston, we have liftoff! :slight_smile:

2020-12-14 17_09_24-Dashboards

Burner on:

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Contact sensor open:

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Looks the same as when I started. No wires, no dangly bits, nothing to fall off, or get moved accidentally, or catch fire/melt. :slight_smile:

WAF is running at 100%. :smiley:

Really happy with this (so far). :slight_smile:

Now time to make automations - will be making some lights change color and have some voice announcements ("Then left burner has been on for 20 minutes."), etc.

Light strip on, letting us know one or more burners are on. It's intentionally set to a reduced level in this shot. We still haven't settled on how bright we want it. The good news is that it's very noticeable in person, even at this level during the day.

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