TL/DR - anyone have good pointers on relays that can run for a good period of time on batteries?
I am looking to automate my fireplace... this is a touchy subject in the household as I "fixed" our last fireplace which then remained broken for 3 years until we remodeled, we now have a nice new one that my wife loves very much so I better not break it...
My ideal configuration is that the remote thermostat, which simply sends on/off would go into a relay which then goes to the actual on/off on the main board. Same with the lights. It's all low voltage DC (6v or lower). The real issue is that getting power for the relay is a challenge, without some construction I can't get 110 in there and there's no power I can tap easily. The current remote thing actually runs off four AA batteries that we change about twice a year.
If it wasn't for the power I would just use the Zooz Zen-16 which has worked great in my garage.
Does your fireplace have an RF remote? If it does have you taken a look at the bond hub?
I use this to automate my fireplace. I have the hub sitting in the basement and the signal reaches the fireplace on the main floor. You can also automate things such as on/off and flame up/down without affecting the existing remote.
It does... and as sad as it makes me that might be a good option.
The whole design makes me so mad, I’d love to just rip it all out and build my own but safety (legality for that matter) and household bliss weigh in.
What I don’t love about the RF option is that I can’t tell if the fireplace is on or not in the event I miss the signals. If I hook in between the rf receiver and the controller I know if it’s on or off and can override it.
Did you take a look at the Zen16, it has 3 relays, not knowing much about Fireplaces like that, I'm not sure sure what exactly you need, but if it's just relays, there you go.
Ya getting the feedback that its on/off will require extra work. In my case I don't run it when I'm not in the room so I just look at it. But maybe something like a temperature sensor can be setup next to the fireplace to signal its on when its above a temperature point? Even at the lowest our fireplace gives off a lot of heat.
It's battery powered and you could just connect your fireplace to the fan contacts of the thermostat. The heat/cool/fan controls are basically just relay contacts...
This proves that what I really want is possible at least from an EE standpoint.
I can’t have wires running out of the fireplace (it’s basically a free standing steal box) and if I am going to add wires to the control box it would be 110 so I can just run a any relay I want in there.
Ideally the current switch goes in, the relays sit in the middle, So if the existing remote says on the fireplace turns on unless I override. Similarly I can turn on without the remote. This is exactly what the zen16 let’s me do for other stuff but it’s a power hog so battery wise not a great option
My wife would say... so you want something that didn’t exist
The thermostat just tells me what I want is possible, which makes it all the harder to accept that I might just need to get power into the control area.
