Continuing Discussion from old DIY Thread. - https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1279229546608066611
#Bradford White GEA2 Discussion
plush hound
@cedar turtle @dense robin I created a new spot for this.
I got the pcbs and final parts for the boards from here https://github.com/mulcmu/esphome-ge-laundry-uart/tree/main I flashed the washer esphome fw - it has uart debug enabled. here's some of the logs. I'm still trying digest it, but of interest around 16:30 I triggered some settings changes - switching modes) on the heater itself.
by at least the start of each uart line they look to match what is described in the doc: #1279229546608066611 message
plush hound
lol nevermind these are the codes sent to the device from the esphome side. I will compile a fw with just uart debug lol
cedar turtle
Nice, wondered what happend to our previous thread, haha. Lemme know how yours goes.
I got my logic level shifter, now I'm just trying to figure out how to invert the serial interface on my Nano 33 IoT since I have to talk 3.3V on the low side. I need to keep the high side of the logic level shifter free for the water heater side at 5V
cedar turtle
Well, I had a silly idea that seemed to work, haha
Instead of using the logic level shifter (I couldn't get my Nano 33 IoT to invert its signal), I just used some diodes I had laying around to prevent the TX pin from interfering with what the water heater was trying to send.
Receiving at 5V now!!
I probably need to get some diodes more suitable to "high-speed" serial, since this doesn't look very sharp, but hey, it's working for now :D
cedar turtle
Small update, I'm going to do a more complete write-up when I'm done. Getting real close though.
Arduino running off the water heater, put into vacation mode over WiFi using MQTT:
publishing b'4mAMu98UBAoyqqnj' hex: e2 60 0c bb df 14 04 0a 32 aa a9 e3...
cedar turtle
@dense robin If you get a chance, could you specify a license on your repo? https://github.com/puddly/casserole
I'd like to put my code out there when I wrap everything up, and I'm currently using your GEAFrame class to parse the GEA frames.
I will avoid redistributing if that is your preference.
dense robin
<@652580495892152331> If you get a chance, could you specify a license on your r...
Sure, I've licensed it under Apache 2.0
cedar turtle
Not all documentation finished, but I finally have something up and working. Thanks for all your help!
Have you had any luck with your project tube?
plush hound
not much luck. also haven't spent much time on it.
cedar turtle
New electric rate plan already paying dividends.
My A/C, water heater, and car charger are all scheduled to avoid running during peak hours, and prefer running during super off peak (midnight to 6AM).
You can see with the cost in the legend how much more expensive it would be to charge the car during the day for example.
As a point of comparison, my last rate plan was $0.08/kWh regardless of time of day.
All the load I can shift to midnight only costs me $0.03/kWh, less than half
plush hound
Very cool!
I’m in the process of getting solar so will probably want to have the opposite type of schedule 😂 have gotten the HP water heater and an LG Heat Pump washer/dryer unit, and have already seen a big impact on energy usage.
cedar turtle
How low does your water temperature get?
I have a 50 gallon tank, and I'm the only person in the house. I have it set to 52 C, and by the time I've washed dishes, run a load of laundry, and taken a shower, the temp is only down to about 46.5 C (the lowest I've noticed so far), which is still plenty hot for me.
cedar turtle
I’m in the process of getting solar so will probably want to have the opposite t...
Hehe, makes sense. That's awesome, I'd love to get one of the HP washer/dryers, and especially a heat pump for the HVAC. I'm still on gas sadly. Not sure I'll be in this house for too many more years, and I hate to spring for that big an item.
I'll be interested to see how my tank handles in the winter. It's out in the garage, and in previous years it has dipped into resistive heating as it approached freezing in the garage.
Could be I'll have to let it run from 00:00 - 16:00 instead of just 00:00 - 06:00
plush hound
yeah we converted from Oil to full electric HP + Resistive backup heat shortly after moving in, when Oil prices were rising.
plush hound
I'll be interested to see how my tank handles in the winter. It's out in the gar...
same - it's in garage. but garage stays above 40 usually
cedar turtle
Yeah, oil went nuts over the last few years. So many stories about folks in New England getting slammed with like $3000 bills to fill their tanks
Do you have ducting installed on your HPWH?
plush hound
no it vents directly to the garage
dense robin
I was looking at doing this long ago and had concerns about Legionnaires' disease, from letting the water temp dip too low. I wonder if it's enough to pulse the tank to 60C for an hour every week or something?
cedar turtle
Good point. I think Technology Connections mentioned that as a concern in his video about his water heater too.
According to the US Department of Energy:
...while there is a very slight risk of promoting legionellae bacteria when hot water tanks are maintained at 120ºF, this level is still considered safe for the majority of the population. If you have a suppressed immune system or chronic respiratory disease, you may consider keeping your hot water tank at 140ºF.
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-savings-project-lower-water-heating-temperature
I don't have any of the medical conditions they describe, but could definitely push the temp to 60 C (140F) to keep it between those 2 numbers they list (120 F - 140 F).
WIth mine dipping below 46 C (115 F) on a relatively mild day, it could get much lower in the middle of winter. I could do probably change my schedule to something like:
- heat to 60 C from 00:00 - 06:00
- heat to 50 C from 06:00 - 16:00
- do not run from 16:00 - 20:00
- heat to 50 C from 20:00 - 00:00
plush hound
interesting.