I have tried to create a fully automated “Smart Home” using many technologies with integrated workflows and automation. Alerting when the Washer and Dryer have finished their cycles has been one of the most convenient automation feature for my wife and I. I can’t tell you how many times we have started the laundry, forgot about it, and had to rewash the sour wet clothes. Here is how we do it.
First, and explanation of how this works.
I have my Washing Machine and Dryer, each plugged into their own Z-Wave Power Metering Switch/Plug. This give me insight into how much energy each are using, when they are powered on vs off. I use these plugs specifically: Zooz Zen15
When we start a load of laundry (Washer or Dryer), these Zooz Power Switches sense the energy being used, and SmartThings Hub assumes (correctly) that the laundry is being ran. Since there will always be a tiny bit of power being used, even when the laundry isn’t used, it only assumes the laundry is on when power usage exceeds 10 Watts. This power usage fluctuates during the cycle, especially for the Washing Machine. So the rule I have set in place is to monitor the usage and alert my phone when the Laundry is done. It knows when the laundry is finished when the power usage drops below 8 Watts for 4 mins. BOOM! Perfect solution, and it works every time.
Here is what you will need to pull it off, and I assume if you are reading this, you are already a SmartThings user and have some idea of how the IDE works.
- SmartThings Hub
- Zooz Zen15 Power Meter Adapters, one for Washer and one for Dryer
- Better Laundry Monitor IDE Device from GitHub
After you have added the “Better Laundry Monitor” device type in your SmartThings IDE, go into your SmartThings app, Marketplace, Smart Apps, and scroll down to My Apps.
See Video Below