I'm a occasional DYIer. As such I have some cordless tools which everytime I needed them the batteries were dead. Well I solved that problem. I plugged my chargers into a powerstrip and the powerstrip into a IRIS V2 plug. Now twice a week Hubitat turns on my chargers for 30 minutes which is enough to keep the batteries charged so when I need a cordless tool it's ready.
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I do the same thing except the power strip IS my on/off control, 2 different cordless battery charges, a fridge and a freezer (for energy monitoring) all on this power strip. They ran a sale on these about 3 weeks ago (5 smart plugs - in - one). Zooz Z-Wave Plus S2 Power Strip ZEN20 VER. 2.0 - The Smartest House
Love this idea!
I can't believe I didn't think of this myself! This is one of those ideas that makes me want to snack myself in the forehead and yell out "d'oh" a fair number of times!
I've got a couple of zwave outlets seeking a purpose! This is it! Thanks!
This is a good idea. But why not leave everything plugged in all the time ? Why do you need a smart switch ?
In a phrase, Vampire devices. When the battery is full, it makes no sense for the charger to be connected. Once every so often to top the battery up is sufficient, and arguably better for the batteries. The charger eats some power even when the battery is full. So why not turn it off?
True... I wonder what else I should do this with...
What appliances that draw power that I could turn off safely...
Besides what scottgu3 said not all battery powered devices turn themselves off when they are fully charged. Some will continue to charge which damages the battery at best and may cause a fire. Google it.
Annnd, if you're still using nimh batteries, this is something to be concerned about.
Since switching to lithium, I can't recall the last time I charged my tools, but they all work Everytime I pick them up.
Until they don't. Good luck.
Thanks, I typically disconnect the batteries when not in use, since good condition lithium batteries should hold a charge for 6 months, at the very least. In any event I love the ingenuity.
To be honest I don't know what my batteries are. I should go look. All I know is the charge doesn't last forever and it just seems like every time I went to use them the battery was weak or dead. I'm sure that is not always the case but it is a PITA when you need it and the battery is dead.
Anyway it is just a suggested use and works for me. If it works for someone else that's great. If you don't need it that's even greater.
Update: I just checked my batteries. They are Ni-MH. Bought them on Amazon when the original ones failed. $16 which is about half what a third party lithium battery costs. The lithium batteries are probably superior but I'm not a pro so a $16 battery works just fine for my needs.
