Bathroom Fan Control

[mrxmas]

Hi I am still very new to my ISY system, I want to use a keypad in the bathroom to control the exhaust fan. I would like to use the on/off buttons to control it. I would like to use the other 4 buttons to either A) turn on the fan for 15min and then off // or just push the button and have the fan go off in 15min. Are either on of these possible??????? and then program the other 3 buttons for other off times like 30min, 1hr etc.

[oberkc]

It is certainly possible. This is not the simplest of tasks, but not the most complicated, either (I suspect the use of variables to offer the most efficient solution here). I have not personally felt the need for such a program. Given the cost of a keypad, I found it more economical, and equally functional, to simply use an off-the-shelf solution from Lowes or Home Depot or similar places. The only benefit is see to using an ISY program is if you prefer the look of the keypad, or unless you desire some unusual time settings (such as 8 min 23 sec) not available from a standard wall timer.

 

I also recall threads on this topic and, perhaps, a wiki article. You may find it valuable to search for these. A lot of folks are incorporating motion sensors and lights as a trigger for turning the fan on and off.

[apostolakisl]

I use a regular switch to control the fan rather than a kpl. It is a lot cheaper and doesn't confuse anyone.

 

Tap on once it stays on for 5 min. This is what happens if someone uses it who has no idea about anything.

Tap on twice (fast on), it stays on for 10 min.

 

You could expand on that if you wanted more options.

 

Fan off, click off, turn on for x minutes

fan off, double click off, turn on for y min.

Fan on, click on, stay on for z minutes.

 

And so forth.

 

As far as using kpl buttons.

 

If

kpl button b status is on

Then

turn on kpl load

turn off kpl button a

turn off kpl button c

turn off kpl button d

wait 5 minutes

turn off kpl load

turn off kpl button b

 

If

kpl load is turned off

Then

turn off button a

turn off button b

turn off button c

turn off button d

 

 

You could write 4 programs for each of the 4 buttons just like this. What will happen, if you push the load button only, it will just work like normal. It will stay on until you turn it off.

 

If you pressed any of the 4 other buttons, it would turn the fan on (or leave it on if it were already on), turn off the other kpl buttons and abort their programs if already running. And after the specified wait, it turns the fan off.

 

Potentially you could use the "radio buttons" mode which automatically turns off the other kpl buttons when you push one of the others, but I am not sure if that would also send an Insteon "off" mesage to the ISY so as to abort the other program if already running.

[LeeG]

"not sure if that would also send an Insteon "off" message to the ISY "

 

Radio buttons (button groups, mutually exclusive buttons) do not send an OFF when turned Off by another button On press.

[apostolakisl]

"not sure if that would also send an Insteon "off" message to the ISY "

 

Radio buttons (button groups, mutually exclusive buttons) do not send an OFF when turned Off by another button On press.

 

Thanks, I kind of thought that was the case.

 

So, you would have to write the programs as I listed, otherwise, for example, if the 5 minute button were already running, and you pushed the 10 minute button, the 5 would keep going and shut off the fan prematurely.

[johnnyt]

I have 2 bathrooms in which I use KPL's to control the fan and am very happy with them.

 

In one bathroom I use the KPL to also control the light. An inline relay replaces the bathroom fan switch but you could leave/use the switch. I just worried people would gravitate to it first to turn the light on instead of looking for the KPL button that says "Light ON".

 

I use one scene with all the needed secondary buttons (e.g. C-On, D-15 mins, E-30 mins) as controllers and the fan relay as a responder (no choice on that front). Each button in the scene is set to turn the relay to 100% and the other buttons to 0%, which will turn them off. (Note that this approach doesn't work to turn off a secondary button on another KPL - to do that you would need to have a program send an OFF to a scene with the other KPL's secondary button in it. This is not a problem here, am just mentioning it to maybe save you some time figuring that out later)

 

Then I have programs that do the following:

 

1) if KPL.C (Fan On) status is ON, wait 45 mins then turn the scene off (this is the max I let the fan stay on)

2) if KPL.D (15 mins) status is ON, wait 15 mins then turn the scene off

3) if KPL.e (30 mins) status is ON, wait 30 mins then turn the scene off

 

By having mutual exclusion and checking the buttons for "status" ON you would never have more than one program running at a time.

 

In the second bathroom, I use the KPL load to control the fan and a regular switch for the light. This is idiot proof for lighting but I also don't have any lighting scenes in this bathroom like I do in the other one.

 

I might add that for both bathrooms I use humidity sensors (via a HomeSeer based solution right now) to turn the fans on automatically when someone takes a shower (hum delta > 15% with rest of house) so I also have a "disable" button to keep that from happening when desired (i.e. when someone wants to take a long bath). That button is also in my scene mutually exclusive of the others, and the scene is turned off an hour later in that case.

 

I found the KPL cost effective because the button labeling adds clarity and I use the buttons I don't need for the fan or light to do other things and/or let me know about other things going on in the house. In my case, in bathroom 2 (master bathroom) I can turn the furnace fan on high (or know that something did, since I have programs that will do that) and I can turn all the lights downstairs off or on (each it's own button). I also have a button that tells me if ISY and HomeSeer are no longer communicating (ON is bad).