Program control/triggered on thermostat events?

[gduprey]

Howdy,

 

I'm looking to augment some of my thermostat functions via the ISY.  When trying to create ISY programs based on current thermostat action (like the fan being on or not), I do not see control events, just status events.  From what I recall, status events will not cause a program to trigger when they change, but control events do.

 

Short of a nasty busy loop, how would you trigger a program when a HVAC fan request occurs?  This seems like a simple thing and I'm hoping I'm just missing something incredibly obvious.

 

FYI -- thermostats are ZWave Honeywell units, though I don't think that is a huge deal -- thermostats being thermostats and the sort of things I'm looking to react to being pretty basic things.

 

Thanks,

 

Gerry

[oberkc]

From what I recall, status events will not cause a program to trigger when they change, but control events do.

 

Not true (at least not true for insteon or zwave devices I use).  Status events WILL trigger a program....any CHANGE in status will trigger evaluation of a program "if statement".

 

Short of a nasty busy loop, how would you trigger a program when a HVAC fan request occurs?

I don't use insteon thermostats, so I am extrapolating here.  But if you want a program to trigger when fan changes from OFF to ON,

 

If

status fan is on

then

do something

 

There may be problems with such a program if you have wait statements, but otherwise I would expect this to work.

Edited February 13, 2017 by oberkc

[andyf0]

I have Honeywell Z-Wave thermostats. In 4.X you can say "if calling for Heat/Cool/Idle". In 5.x I think you do "if Heat/Cool State". I haven't done anything with Fan but I'm sure there's a "if fan mode".

 

You don't use "if control" or "if status". The darn things are so reliable I haven't needed to change or the view the programs in such a long time, this is from memory.

[gduprey]

Well, status checks work just fine.  Not sure why I had it in my head they didn't, though there is some funkiness in what actually causes the "Calling for...." stuff on a thermostat (Calling for Fan doesn't seem to be the same as Fan On -- I get a subtlety there, but I can't reconcile those status's to what I'm seeing from the thermostats).  Oh well, happy enough it all works.  Thanks for getting me to believe again!

[paulbates]

The subtleties are helpful in determining if the occupants have "revolted" against automation and have take matters into their own hands at the stat