ZW after generator install

wecoyote5 · December 1, 2021, 5:28pm

Hi all, I have a whole home generator installing soon which will obviously require a whole house electrical shutdown. Obviously prior to that I'll do controlled shutdowns on all the smart devices I have (HE, RPis, etc). I'm wondering about the ZW mesh; knock on wood, I have been fortunate to have a pretty reliable ZW mesh setup with upwards of ~75devices. Once power is out I'm sure the mesh is gonna go nuts as at least all the battery powered devices (if they wake) won't find anyone to talk to. How long should I wait to let the ZW settle down after power is restored before I concern myself about any slowness/oddities in the mesh?

Side note, are there any Kohler generator integrations available for monitoring, I looked but didn't see any? It'll be connected to my network and has a App called OnCue.

Thanks!

Madcodger · December 2, 2021, 11:40am

I live on a small island in a small lake (we call them ponds) in rural Maine. Power outages are not at all uncommon (I'd say 6-8 per year, lasting from a few moments to a few days each). With three hubs and three buildings with Z-wave, I never notice a problem at all once the generator (also a Kohler) kicks in. Everything just works.

I don't use OnCue for monitoring but would be interested in your experience with it if you care to share that once installed. I just monitor the temperature of the gen housing to monitor whether the generator is running if we're away. It works, but I'm open to other ideas.

On a final note, I'd advise having your Hubitat device(s) and all comms equipment (modem, router, satellite if applicable, etc) on a UPS. It only needs to support them for the few seconds it takes the generator to start and come online, but will save you a world of aggravation.

wecoyote5 · December 2, 2021, 12:14pm

Thanks @Madcodger, hopefully it'll all come back up clean. If I get something worked out with OnCue then I'll be happy to share. And yes, being an aging EE I know the benefits, I have a few UPSs that cover all my smart devices strewn about the house.

Eric.C.Miller · December 2, 2021, 7:23pm

I don't know how similar the Kohler controller is to a Generac. I have a Generac and use GenMon to monitor it. Some integration work has been done but I have not tried it yet.

github.com

jgyates/genmon/blob/master/README.md

# genmon
# Generator Monitoring Application using a Raspberry Pi and WiFi

This project will monitor a backup generator that utilizes the Generac Controllers over a WiFi or wired connection.  The following generator controllers are supported:

* Generac [Nexus](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgyates/genmon/master/Diagrams/Nexus_Controller.jpg) and [Evolution](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgyates/genmon/master/Diagrams/Evolution_Controller.jpg) (1.0 and 2.0) Controller (Used in Generac's residential product line)
* Honeywell and Eaton use the Generac Controllers, they call them Sync 1.0 (Nexus), Sync 2.0 (Evolution 1.0) and Sync 3.0 (Evolution 2.0)
* Generac [H-100](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgyates/genmon/master/Diagrams/H-100_Controller.png) Industrial Controllers
* The H-100 controller is used in industrial generators from Generac and Eaton.
* Generac G-Panel based Industrial Controllers
* Generac PowerPact
* [2008 Era Generac Pre-Nexus](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgyates/genmon/master/Diagrams/2008-PreNexusController.jpg) controllers. See [this](https://github.com/jgyates/genmon/wiki/Appendix-D-Known-Issues) page for more info.
* Generac PowerZone controllers

The project is written mostly in python and has been tested with a Raspberry Pi 3 (Pi Zero, Pi Zero W, Pi 2 and Pi 3b+ have also been validated). To use this project you would need to create a physical enclosure for your raspberry pi and possibly [make a cable](https://github.com/jgyates/genmon/wiki/3.1--Making-a-Cable) to connect the raspberry pi to the generator controller or purchase [pre-assembled hardware](https://github.com/jgyates/genmon/wiki#pre-assembled-hardware). If you are comfortable doing these things and you have a backup generator that has a supported controller then this project may be of interest to you.

## Functionality
The software supports the following features:

* Monitoring of the generator to to detect and report the following:

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aaiyar · December 2, 2021, 7:34pm

This is solid advice. I have a portable generator that plugs into a manual transfer switch. So, during a power outage, it takes me about 10-15 minutes to get it all setup. And putting everything on a UPS makes it all work without any issues caused by power loss ....

wecoyote5 · December 2, 2021, 8:21pm

Cool, thanks! I'll give it a look and see what may be compatible.

brad5 · December 2, 2021, 8:51pm

My Generac transfer switch has a microswitch that is normally closed but opens when the switch calls for standby power. I have that connected to an ecolink zwave contact sensor. It won't actually tell me if the generator is running, but it will tell me that the transfer switch hopes it is I bet the Kohler has something similar. I also use a bunch of Ring extender gen 2 zwave repeaters. They have a small battery that powers them when the power fails, and they also report whether they are on mains or battery power.

I have noticed that my zwave mesh will occasionally look really odd on the zwave details page shortly after power is restored, but I have found a reboot of the hub usually clears it right up. Other times (usually if it kicks in at 3am) I have just left it alone and when I got out of bed to check it everything was just fine. So the oddness may be a temporary artifact of the abrupt shutdown of many of my zwave devices and they probably recover just fine on their own.