Water your Garden with Home Assistant 💦

[@max_and_cheese]

I have a suggestion. I would move away from trigger delays and use timer helpers. That way- if for some reason you reboot your home assistant instance while your sprinklers are on, the timer helper would resume and still shut off your sprinklers. The same suggestion for delay timers.

[@handydadtv]

Thanks so much! I didn’t know that.

[@johnchan6191]

Gr8 suggestion, but wouldn't b considered a smarthome.

[@handydadtv]

Yes it would. A Timer is a kind of helper in Home Assistant that keeps its state even if HA is restarted.

[@Smoothy0911]

​@@boehserenkel hi, why updated? thx for explanations.

[@AdamKirbyMusic]

@@boehserenkel Can you tell us what the current best practice is instead of unhelpfully just saying "this is outdated"?

[@jeanveilleux6809]

NPT threads are the national US standard for pipe fittings. MIP fittings are a type of NPT thread. NPT threads are usually used for low-pressure, residential pipes while MIP fittings are used for high-pressure, industrial pipes. NPT threads are tapered and slightly thinner at the bottom. MIP fittings are straight and the same width all the way across. NPT threads are usually made out of plastic while MIP fittings are typically made out of metal.

[@handydadtv]

I misspoke. They are NPT.

[@jeanveilleux6809]

@@handydadtv After checking with a plumber, my new solar garden hose timer does not have NPT threads. It has a very badly done Garden Hose Threads. Both connectors are too small, so I cannot get rid of leaks. So newer valves may havee Garden Hose Threads, question is : are those threads complying with standards ??? My valve is not. Could you tell me the battery life for your soil detector ?

[@handydadtv]

I’ve only had them a couple months and haven’t needed to change the batteries. I plan to use fresh one every year.

[@SeaTaj]

Are you utilizing the gasket that comes with the connector? Garden Hose Thread requires a gasket. NPT tends to require pipe tape.@@jeanveilleux6809

[@LuisFernandez-wg1gh]

Great video! I've had an excellent experience with Yardian for my multi-zone sprinkler system. Highly recommend giving it a try!

[@handydadtv]

Thanks

[@thisballcaplife9696]

I’m old school and should probably step up my game to catch up to technology. I still pay my nephew to come and water everyday while I’m gone. Lol. Probably could have paid for the system many times over. Lol. Good vlog today!!

[@handydadtv]

Thanks so much 😊

[@johnchan6191]

Still a system that has worked for so long b4 smarthouse was created.

[@JasonOBrienThinksHeCan]

First time viewing your content; great stuff! Subscribed!

[@handydadtv]

Thanks for subscribing! Welcome to the family!

[@miatared]

So I guess you've integrated this with your Rachio system. Good. I'm putting in a sprinkler with Rachio and was wondering about my plant beds and veggie garden... That's a good optionm thank you so much.

[@handydadtv]

No, this is completely separate from the Rachio, which doesn’t support moisture sensors.

[@johnchan6191]

Unless Ranchio is zigbee, it will NOT synch up w/ Alexa. The soil sensor only sync up w/ Tuya hub, doesn't sync w/ Alexa, (I tried).

[@miatared]

I'm using Home Assistant and it will connect all those dots. 😊

[@SmokyMtnRed]

Trigger related question. I assume you could also set up a camera trigger to take a snapshot (assuming you had a camera near that could see a hose in a bed or pot) to confirm it has turned on and then again that it has turned off?

[@handydadtv]

Nothing for a camera to see. Maybe a flow sensor instead.

[@mambagr]

I have a single automation triggered by humidity. If humidity is lower than 25% valve turns on and turns off when humidity is above 35%. No need for hourly checks and keeps humidity where i want it. I use different valves and sensors(ecowitt).

[@handydadtv]

Thanks for sharing

[@Yotis]

i am trying to understand, do we need to buy the gateway also or is it programmable through HA? Thanks

[@handydadtv]

No gateway needed.

[@KameraShy]

Should have shown how you paired the soil sensor. Mine does not work out of the box to show soil moisture.

[@handydadtv]

You may have a different model. Mine worked fine with no tweaking. I found a blog article that says a custom quirk may be needed for a similar model: smarthomescene.com/reviews/tuya-zigbee-plant-soil-sensor-gxm-01-review/

[@Smoothy0911]

Hi. I like the fail-safe idea :) But I'm also worried that it could happen that an "off" command from Home Assistant doesn't reach the valve..... Couldn't the whole thing be made even safer? I'm thinking about sending further "off" commands at a certain interval after the "off" command from the actual automation (for example every 10 minutes) and doing this until shortly before the next watering. This would mean that even if there was a temporary radio interference, at least an "off" command would arrive at some point and the watering would stop. For me, it's less a fear of watering too much than that my water tank would run dry and then there would be no water left to water while I was away (on vacation).

[@handydadtv]

Tuya makes smart timers for several brands using the Smart Life app. But I haven’t attempted to integrate with HA.

[@handydadtv]

The program is stored on the unit so it works without connectivity.

[@vlycop7404]

Hi :) Have you tester that 'fail safe' with a home assistant restart ? I have done something similar with the air purifier of my AC unit, and if home assistant restart when they are on, it will never turn off :(

[@handydadtv]

You’ve discovered the Achilles Heel.

[@handydadtv]

In that case, the best thing to do is write another automation to detect when HA is started.

[@jeanveilleux6809]

You mention it's MIP threads but your reference gives NPT threads adapter ... Is the timer MIP (Male Iron Pipe) or NPT (National Pipe Threads) ???? These 2 types of threads are not exactly the same but they are much closer together than MIP or NPT with Garden Hose Thread. With these adapters, did you get any leaking ?

[@handydadtv]

You’re right. I was using NPT and MIP synonymously, but they’re not. I linked the exact adapters that I bought. They say NPT. They include hose washers so no thread tape is needed. No leaking.

[@JohnIsodore]

They thread size is perfect for Europe and probably Asia. Gueesing the US marked is not large enough for them to make an additional cast.

[@handydadtv]

Yeah

[@Dawho99]

do you know if the valve will connect to a zigbee hub like the aqara m3?

[@handydadtv]

I can’t say.

[@charliepope1953]

Nice video - I have subscribed.... About the same time you made this video I purchased the same soil sensor from aliexpress. I found that the batteries only lasted 2 weeks and also the unit leaked so the electronics got wet. Mine is now in the landfill - how did your perform?

[@handydadtv]

Mine never leaked and worked for the entire season.

[@thisisnotmatthew]

Great vid. Thinking about getting one but put off by the tuya/cloud security concerns. Was it a pain to link / add to Home Assistant? For the valve, under "Diagnostics" is there a measure of water usage? Lastly, can you think of a way to keep track of the total amount of time the valve has been on for a given month using home assistant?

[@handydadtv]

I bought the Zigbee devices, not WiFi, so no cloud needed. There’s no flow meter in these valves. Home Assistant can show a graph of on and off times, so there must be a database with that information. I just don’t know how to get at it.

[@jeanveilleux6809]

@@handydadtv I understand you're using the Sonoff Zigbee dongle. Was this dongle the secret to easily link the valve to home assistant ? With the Tuya dongle, I was not able to linkg the valve to HA, it was seen as an unsupported device. I'M totally new with home assistant and Zigbee, still using X10 !

[@handydadtv]

That’s a good question but I don’t know the answer. This is the only dongle I tried.

[@jeanveilleux6809]

@@handydadtv Does your valve was easily seen by Tuya integration in home assistant ? MIne is seen but unsupported. Do you use Zigbee2mqtt ? My question is finally how did you get the valve working in Home Assistant Thanks !

[@jeanveilleux6809]

I finally got it working ... In french we say " Why make it simple when you can make it complicated". I tried with Tuya integration which requires a graduate level in Linux and Pyton. I finally understood that just pairing the valve with Zigbee2MQTT would work. For the newbees like me it could be interesting to know !

[@johnchan6191]

Wow, gr8 irrigation system U put 2gether. Can these item be hooked up to Alex hub? Thx 4 sharing in Utube.

[@handydadtv]

Some Alexa hubs support Zigbee, but I didn’t test it with these devices.

[@johnchan6191]

@@handydadtv Got t soil sensor & does NOT work w/ Alexa. Need the Tuya app.

[@handydadtv]

Thanks for letting me know.

[@michelepicardi]

what version is your valve? I have TZE204_a7sghmms but the entity doesn't come out when I do the association.

[@handydadtv]

Sorry for the delay. I moved in January and can’t find those valves. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ronpirotta8213]

Hi Chris, I recently installed 3 Zigbee valves thinking they would be compatible with Google voice activated home assistant. However, I find that this is not the case, so that I cannot give a voice command to operate the valve. Is this correct or am I missing something? Thanks in anticipation. Ron

[@handydadtv]

Sorry I don’t know. I only use them with Home Assistant.

[@spikebruno3115]

Do you still have Rachio for your lawn?

[@handydadtv]

Yes indeed. It would be cool if they could incorporate soil sensors for each zone. Maybe someday.

[@svnlrerasdq]

Has someone thought of how to stop the water if the command "Stop watering" is sent but the device keeps watering? Is there any setting so the GIEX will again try to stop? In some forums I heard of issues of not turning off devices... Thanks!

[@handydadtv]

I send the OFF command, wait 5 seconds, and send it again. Still a risk but it hasn’t been an issue for me.

[@ddccddcd7560]

is this still working good?

[@handydadtv]

Used it all last season and worked great. I moved in January and haven’t set it up yet.

[@EpicConspiracy]

I’d pay for a new mowing video at your daughters house!

[@handydadtv]

LOL coming soon!

[@AirGradient]

Hi Chris, I sent you two emails about reviewing our open-source hardware air quality monitor AirGradient ONE that is very popular among the Home Assistant crowd. I did not hear back and I'm not sure if my messages went through. Please let me know if you would be interested. Many thanks!

[@handydadtv]

No thanks

[@deekneumann3943]

Why Zigbee and not WIFI?

[@handydadtv]

WiFi uses a lot of power because it’s a constant connection. You rarely find battery devices that use WiFi and if you do, you’ll go through a lot of batteries.

[@schilling3003]

I don't think I would trust this, I want a more fail safe system. I use an Ordbit b.Hyve, and while I do not like that it is cloud based, I do like that when I activate it I can pass it a duration to stay on, so even if my HA instance goes down, the water is going to turn off.

[@handydadtv]

That is a good point.

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

I’m not sure why KZbin binned my comment, I was just suggesting you take a look at the Hubitat C8. It has much more powerful, yet easy to use Rule machine. And it’s external antennas for Zigbee and zwave are best in class with much better range than currently available USB radios.

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

Oh and there’s No subscriptions needed to use Alexa, homekit or Google voice integrations. Or anything else for that matter.

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

FWIW I run both Home Assistant (in a docker containers) and Hubitat as HA can upload my weather station data to weather underground. They also have bidirectional integrations which can be handy

[@handydadtv]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

@@handydadtv you're welcome. :)

[@ThomasKahn]

Thanks for sharing this! I have the same setup except I'm currently using the Smart Life app to connect to and set scenes for the devices. In another video demonstrating the same devices (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXXYeWqGralofdUsi=VozALPt8Y78EhUSG) the creator (Csongor Varga) cannot make the smart valve open and close based on humidity parameters from the soil sensor. Instead he resorts to setting a timed schedule and sets the duration (which he can control) using parameters from the soil sensor. This makes me a bit confused. Can the valve be switched on and off in a scene or not? Does the fact that you use Home Assistant and he uses an app make a difference? Maybe it's the fact that you trigger the script once an hour that is the difference? If you have time I'd really appreciate it if you watched his video and maybe you could understand what's going on. Thanks!

[@handydadtv]

In Home Assistant, I could definitely use the sensor to trigger the valve, but I didn’t use it that way either. Water flows much faster than the soil can absorb it. My drip automation used time as the trigger, but the soil sensor as a condition. For example, I would turn on the valve for one minute every 15 minutes only if the soil was below 80% moisture.

[@wsb3o1]

thats all chinese manufactured tech... good luck

[@handydadtv]

I knew it was a crap shoot, but somebody’s got to do it for the good of mankind.

[@johnchan6191]

@@handydadtv not worth it.

[@handydadtv]

Actually, kinda surprised but, they’re all working well for me.

[@DarrenGerbrandt]

Yup, so is 99% of the other stuff on the market, just because it says Made in the USA does not mean the individual parts are not made in China, get over yourself.