Hello, did every one used an zigbee valve to control on / off water flow? If yes, which driver should match? something like this chinse product:
I use a dome (z-wave) This seems like a knock off
I there a generic driver for shoot off valve on zigbee, or on z-wave?
The known brands are much more expensive... (100 usd + vresus 20 usd)
Thank you!
My example, is 27 usd on China market, with delivery to Europe.
Since this is a device that could save you thousands if a pipe bursts, it might be worth spending a little more upfront for the reliability of a well-known brand.
Having said that, Hubitat has a generic z-wave valve driver, and a few other named drivers for both zigbee and z-wave valves. It’s possible this zigbee valve could work with the zigbee driver as-is, or it might not.
2 Likes
I've posted this before but a good thing to do is mount an inexpensive contact sensor to the handle and base that way you now have independent confirmation that it is working. The other thing is set up a "testing" rule that temporarily closes and opens the valve at the beginning of each month and sends you a notification.
edit: I am doing this with my Bulldog valve and it works nicely..
4 Likes
very good idea, you test it by the contact sensor
1 Like
Try the generic Zigbee Switch or perhaps an on / off ... light?
1 Like
This is not the area in my house where I would buy a cheap chinese electronic device.
1 Like
I would generally agree but its likely better than having nothing. Which I will guess is the majority of Hubitat users.
IMHO As long as the valve is of good quality then a cheap device is better than no device.
2 Likes
I agree - I think it's manageable as long as you accept and plan for the various potential failure modes.. Running regular test routines can help identify an issue before it occurs hopefully.
1 Like
Thanks, I would buy a Chinese good quality valve, but not over 50 usd... In my opinion this kind of products should be less than 100 usd. Until now I handled sonoff as well as ikeea products.
I won't say this is a oxymoron but the odds of getting a robust valve drop quite a bit. While China is more than capable of making top quality products, more often than not they go for cost over quality.
I know Chinese castings from other products tend to be brittle and have impurities in the metal.
So my opinion, the cost of a valve that goes into my main water system where it enters the house must be good quality. I'm certainly not rich but I've learned over the years that there are some things you shouldn't scrimp on.
As for the cost. Electronic part are low cost, mostly due to the process and sometimes the volume.
Mechanical parts are expensive and metal vs plastic cost even more. So until someone invents a valve that has no or few mechanical parts the cost of the mechanism is not going to change much. Perhaps if they were required by building code the price will drop but they will still not be cheap.
2 Likes
This. 100%.
I will add to your concerns about metal quality - the motor on these valves generates very poor torque. I've had one and tossed it out because it quit working on a brand-new smooth moving ball valve after about a year.
