tmorse305 Posted June 28, 2016 Posted June 28, 2016 Does anyone know if there is a way to get ISY to communicate with GE's ConnectPlus? I'd like to be able to control my water heater setting via my ISY. Thanks, Tim http://www.geappliances.com/ge/connected-appliances/geospring.htm
Teken Posted June 28, 2016 Posted June 28, 2016 Does anyone know if there is a way to get ISY to communicate with GE's ConnectPlus? I'd like to be able to control my water heater setting via my ISY. Thanks, Tim http://www.geappliances.com/ge/connected-appliances/geospring.htm Hello Tim, You have two choices one is if you have the *Network Module* and you can connect to the IFTTT Maker channel. The other is subscribe to the ISY Portal which also includes the Network Module. Which then would allow you to use Amazon Echo, IFTTT, etc to control the HWT. Keeping in mind GE has a dedicated IFTTT channel already for this smart appliance: https://ifttt.com/ge_appliances_geospring
tmorse305 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Posted June 28, 2016 (edited) Thanks Teken, I didn't realize that there was an IFTTT for GE. Great news! Tim Edited June 28, 2016 by tmorse305
Teken Posted June 28, 2016 Posted June 28, 2016 Thanks Taken, I didn't realize that there was an IFTTT for GE. Great news! Tim Hello Tim, Please keep the group updated with your efforts as I am sure others who are interested in the same would like to know how you make out. As an aside would you be able to provide a summary and personal review of the product for the membership? Of interest to me is how do you find the features and options in this smart HWT? Does it meet all of the adverts and does the very same operated as expected? I ask because quite a few people who are in the market for one have been less than pleased with some of the Rheem and others that tout *Smart* when in fact it only offers very basic options. So in no specific order here are my Q's for you: 1. Does the appliance actually tell you the tank temperature and is it accurate? 2. Does the HWT track energy, water, and draw usage and show your history? 3. Can this Smart appliance be controlled locally with out the aid of the cloud? 4. Does the unit operate in a fail safe vs fail secure mode should there be a failure of the electronics? 5. What kind of alerts can be had and what do you think about them? 6. If you had to do it all over again would you buy this smart appliance? 7. What is the total cost for this unit and what capacity do you purchase? 8. Is this device energy star rated and is yours a NG vs Electric? 9. Does it offer leak detection? 10. Does it offer vacation and custom scheduled modes for time of day, week, months? 11. Is there an emergency over ride should the electronics fail?
tmorse305 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Posted June 29, 2016 Hi Teken, The IFTTT worked perfectly, now I can say “Alexa turn boost on” and run a 4 hour program which at the end returns it to Hybrid mode. Makes the wife happier, now she can turn it on without my help. The GE IFTTT channel offers direct recipe to Alexa but there is no way to implement a timer to shut it off later. To answer your other questions, I have a GE Heat Pump Water Heater, made in USA. (http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-specs/GEH50DEEJSC ). It was a replacement for a Bosch HPWH that only lasted 2 years. The GE has been in operation for about a year, and so far is trouble free and works as expected. It has a Phone App that allows you to change the operating mode, the tank temperature, and to put it in vacation mode. It also sends notifications for maintenance and error messages if something goes wrong. The operating modes are a combination of HP and Electric water heating. See below on your specific questions 1. Does the appliance actually tell you the tank temperature and is it accurate? No it only displays the set point. 2. Does the HWT track energy, water, and draw usage and show your history? No none of that, I was disappointed that it didn’t offer a way to track at least HP vs Electric. 3. Can this Smart appliance be controlled locally without the aid of the cloud? The control panel on the front can be used, but I’m sure the Phone App talks to the cloud. BTW the WiFi capability does not come with the appliance. You have to purchase a module to enable remote control (~$40) 3. Does the unit operate in a fail safe vs fail secure mode should there be a failure of the electronics? Nothing states that it does and thankfully I haven’t had a problem yet. On my Bosch the HP was the problem and it automatically switched over to Electric when the HP quit working. I would hope this one does something similar. What kind of alerts can be had and what do you think about them? The app has 3 categories of alert: Major, Minor, and Maintenance. So far no alerts. I wish the Bosch had alerts. I had no idea that the HP died and the control panel gave no indication, so this is a big step ahead of my old one. If you had to do it all over again would you buy this smart appliance? Yes What is the total cost for this unit and what capacity do you purchase? $1000 plus a few hours of labor to install. That price does not reflect retail; the dealer gave me a better price after the Bosch failed so soon. I have a 50 Gal, it also come in an 80 Gal version. I have a special needs daughter who needs a bath daily, in retrospect I probably should have bought the 80 Gal. Is this device energy star rated and is yours a NG vs Electric? Yes, Electric Does it offer leak detection? No Does it offer vacation and custom scheduled modes for time of day, week, months? Vacation mode only, that’s why ISY control was desirable. Is there an emergency over ride should the electronics fail? No, not obvious or documented in the user manual. I phrase it that way because I learned from the Bosch Tech access to special menus using multiple key presses. There may be something similar on the GE. Tim
Teken Posted June 29, 2016 Posted June 29, 2016 Hello Tim, Does the unit make noticeable amount of back ground noise? Lastly, have you ever used the cooling aspects of this unit for something? Thank you so very much for the detailed reply and feedback. ========================= The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.
tmorse305 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Posted June 29, 2016 Hi Teken, I'm glad you asked that question. The cooling and drying aspect of the water heater is a bonus I forgot to mention. I have the unit in my basement and since I started using it I no longer have to run a dehumidifier. I have ~2300 sq ft unfinished basement. The temperature year round runs in the low 60's. As for noise, its pretty quiet, mostly fan noise you have to really listen up close to hear the compressor. Tim
Teken Posted June 29, 2016 Posted June 29, 2016 Hi Teken, I'm glad you asked that question. The cooling and drying aspect of the water heater is a bonus I forgot to mention. I have the unit in my basement and since I started using it I no longer have to run a dehumidifier. I have ~2300 sq ft unfinished basement. The temperature year round runs in the low 60's. As for noise, its pretty quiet, mostly fan noise you have to really listen up close to hear the compressor. Tim Hello Tim, That is a fantastic side benefit of the HP system. As you're probably aware sometimes trying to keep the basement at the proper RH seems like a endless battle and the long term costs in running a dehumidifier can add up. What I have always been interested in is seeing what the standby and running consumption is for these units. Sadly, I have not met very many people who have energy management / energy monitoring devices like I do to document the consumption and costs of said device. Thanks again for the detailed reply . . .
shifmeister Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I bought the same water heater about a year ago and would definitely recommend it. I agree with all his comments about the water heater. The extra cooling/dehumidifying in my basement shop is an excellent side effect. I would say it is definitely quieter than a standard dehumidifier, but my point of comparison is an 80's era rattler in my parent's basement. In a workshop, it doesn't matter at all. The initial cost was about $1000, same as tmorse305. But, with a $500 BGE rebate, $300 federal tax credit, and the energy efficiency 2.5 greater than a straight electric heater, the water heater should pay for itself in 2-3 years. I have not made the jump to tieing it into my ISY yet. There are two options that I found when I first bought the hot water heater. The official GE Connect Plus adapter, which seems to work well through IFTTT, is the easiest option. However, there is also a little device called the Green Bean that acts as a usb bridge to control GE appliances with a raspberry pi or similar machine. https://github.com/GEMakers/green-bean Does anyone have any experience with this guy? It might be a more direct way to hook into the hot water heater controls and can even control all individual components of the hot water heater, bypassing the built-in controller. This seems to give more direct monitoring of the inner workings. https://github.com/GEMakers/gea-plugin-water-heater I know some programming, but am by no means a programmer. Thoughts from others would be appreciated.
Teken Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I bought the same water heater about a year ago and would definitely recommend it. I agree with all his comments about the water heater. The extra cooling/dehumidifying in my basement shop is an excellent side effect. I would say it is definitely quieter than a standard dehumidifier, but my point of comparison is an 80's era rattler in my parent's basement. In a workshop, it doesn't matter at all. The initial cost was about $1000, same as tmorse305. But, with a $500 BGE rebate, $300 federal tax credit, and the energy efficiency 2.5 greater than a straight electric heater, the water heater should pay for itself in 2-3 years. I have not made the jump to tieing it into my ISY yet. There are two options that I found when I first bought the hot water heater. The official GE Connect Plus adapter, which seems to work well through IFTTT, is the easiest option. However, there is also a little device called the Green Bean that acts as a usb bridge to control GE appliances with a raspberry pi or similar machine. https://github.com/GEMakers/green-bean Does anyone have any experience with this guy? It might be a more direct way to hook into the hot water heater controls and can even control all individual components of the hot water heater, bypassing the built-in controller. This seems to give more direct monitoring of the inner workings. https://github.com/GEMakers/gea-plugin-water-heater I know some programming, but am by no means a programmer. Thoughts from others would be appreciated. That is so awesome - I did notice the link to the green bean is dead?
tmorse305 Posted June 30, 2016 Author Posted June 30, 2016 That is very interesting, thanks for sharing the links. I found this on Google: http://market.firstbuild.com/products/greenbean
Teken Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 That is very interesting, thanks for sharing the links. I found this on Google: http://market.firstbuild.com/products/greenbean Only $19.95 for this fabulous device?!?! SOLD . . .
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