Smart Plug (16A) for my Washing Machine (Siemens WG54G106EM) and Dryer (Haider HD90-A636)

[tame steeple]

Hey Guys! I hope this is the right channel to ask this, appologies if not 🙂

I bought some Smart Plugs from nous (Smart Matter Socket Nous A8M) a while ago and didn't really use them for anything.

Now that I got my Home Assistant setup with lights, presence sensors and all the fancy stuff, I was thinking of making my girlfriends life a bit easier and creating automations for the dryer and washing machine we have to notify her (or us :D) when they finish.

I'm a software developer with a small bit of knowledge about electronics but not enough to trust it 100% so I thought I'd ask here.

Are the plugs safe for using them for these 2 devices? currently I have the dryer plugged into a tp-link power strip which is plugged into a separate socket than the washing machine which is plugged directly into the socket. I'm from Austria if that's of any importance so sockets are ~230V.

The dryer should use 2.4A (~550W) from what I could find online and the washing machine 10A (2300W). The plugs have a maximum current of 16A and a continuous current limit of 15A from what I could find in the specification given online.

Thank you very much for any help or thoughts!

[paper crescent]

Anything with a relay (e.g. most smart plugs) should not really be used on inductive loads (e.g. things with motors).

also specifically the "Nous A8M" you mentioned is tuya based so I would not trust them.
You mentioned a TP-Link power device too so HERE is a rant write up on them if you care 😛

There are better ways to measure the power of such devices but they are a little more involved. such as wiring a Shelly-EM-Mini inline or using CT clamp based monitoring.

Have you considered putting a vibration sensor on the appliances? when no vibration for x time then ping complete. This requires no messing with power at all.

[crystal bobcat]

It's also worth pointing out that the washer, in particular, is not "done" when it stops using power; some (many?) of its modes will include a "soak", during which it's basically just sitting there, and at most occasionally powering the agitator or drum. You can sample often enough or precisely enough to notice the difference between on and off state based on amperage even in soak, but at that point, why not hook directly into the source of truth: the display or controls know whether it's powered-on, right? If they're anything like my machines, the display turns off a minute or so after it's done. One little voltage or current sensor and a T-tap splice and your job's done; no need to potentially switch thousands of watts.

[tame steeple]

Thanks @paper crescent! I'll look into the Shelly / CT clamp approach but I find the vibration sensor idea is a great idea to get it done quick and easy for now and maybe I'll get time in summer to give shelly a try!
I already had a read of the tplink write up, i'll definitely not buy more of them 👍

@crystal bobcat thanks for your reply 🙏 the machine is quite new so I'm not going to open it up and play around but I'll definitely keep that in mind for other appliances I might want to make smart in the future 😄

[grand seal]

Hi, I use plugs with power monitoring but no relay (Athom / IoTorero), based on recommendations of wise people here 😉

After that you need to analyse the working pattern of the device. I.e. my dryer finishing pattern is to use less than 10W for 5 minutes. And you need also a helper to know when the dryer has started

If you are not in a hurry, I can share my yaml for if it's useful

[tame steeple]

awesome! i'll see if i can find plugs that have no relay, that seems to be the best solution by far for now! i'm definitely not in a hurry!

https://www.shelly.com/de/products/shelly-plug-pm-gen3-white these are advertised for usage with inductive loads 🤔 would be great to get opinions from you guys on this 🙏

[grand seal]

This is the one I use (in Spain) https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/no-relay-consumption-monitoring-eu-plug-for-esphome

[tame steeple]

just bought a pair 😄 also got me a wall socket and wall switch to see how they work! thanks!

I got the tasmota ones though

[grand seal]

First of all, once installed the power meter, you have to analyse the starting and finishing pattern.
I.E, when starting, the power is above 100W for 5 seconds.
I.E, when finishing, the power is below 10W for 5 minutes.

Create a "input boolean" helper as "dryer started" or similar

The algorithm:
When the starting pattern is detected, you have to activate the "dryer started" helper to be on.
When the finishing pattern is detected, AND if the "dryer started" helper is on, then switch the helper to off, and then you can send notifications or whatever you want.

The yaml is this:

[tame steeple]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help! I've been doing quite well with automations and helpers, pros of being a software dev 🤙 I'll definitely take yours as a base for what I'm doing 🙏

[grand seal]

My yaml is more complex because I notify several phones and my Voice PE, but you can adapt it to your needs