Automation Examples: Timer Helper

[SvenJachalke]

Hi to the community,

first of all: Thanks for the very nice work ... it's always astonishing what you can do with home assistant, thanks to the great community! I really appreciate that!

I would have a suggestions about your automation examples in the wiki.
In the action section you use the delay action to achieve the needed watering time. Here, I have used a timer helper, which gets the duration from the smart irrigation sensor. Once after the other actions (e.g. opening the valve), the timer is started. Another automation used the timer ending as the trigger to shut off the valve, reset the bucket, etc. Although you have to make two automations (not just a single one) you gain more safety, as the timer continues If home assistants needs to restart for some reasons (shut down, Manuel reboot, docker update, ...). With the delay action all subsequent actions won't be executed. The end could be a flood in your garden?

Automation 1 (a schedule helper is used as trigger):

alias: "GARDEN: START Bewässerungzone 1"
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id:
      - schedule.garden
    to: "on"
condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.smart_irrigation_zone_1
    above: 0
action:
  - service: switch.turn_on
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: switch.pumpe
  - service: timer.start
    metadata: {}
    data:
      duration: "{{states('sensor.smart_irrigation_zone_1')}}"
    target:
      entity_id: timer.timer_zone_1
mode: single

Automation 2:

alias: "GARDEN: STOP Bewässerungszone 1"
trigger:
  - platform: event
    event_type: timer.finished
    event_data:
      entity_id: timer.timer_zone_1
condition:
action:
  - service: switch.turn_off
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: switch.pumpe
  - service: smart_irrigation.reset_bucket
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: sensor.smart_irrigation_zone_1
mode: single

I hope its reasonable what I have written :D
If you have any further suggestions, please let me know :)
Greetings

[jeroenterheerdt]

that makes sense, what a great idea! I might actually steal this from you :)

[SvenJachalke]

Ok nice to hear!
Yeah of course please steal it ;)

[zenguru84]

@SvenJachalke can you please post the schedule helper too?

[SvenJachalke]

I'm not really sure if that answers your questions, but I simple added a new helper under Settings --> Devices --> Helpers --> Add Helper --> Timer.
Mine looks like:

Then is this (timer.bewasserungstimer_zone_1) in the automation to set the time from HASmartIrrigation.

[zenguru84]

oh, silly me!
thanks a lot.

[panrambo]

Hi @SvenJachalke , thanks for sharing your idea about timers.

1. Could you please let me know how did you manage to bring more zones firing one after the other? I know that maybe simple question, but I wonder how you recognize in the automation that one finished and the other zone can start. My zones / sprinkle sets cannot run all at the same time due to the water pressure :)

2. Second question, how did you setup the schedule.garden? Is it like twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) and what time duration did you choose? just for the sprinklers to freely finish?

[SvenJachalke]

Hi @panrambo,
sorry for the late reply ... currently I'm playing around with more than one zone. I'm testing some ideas (e.g. having a master timer, etc.), so give some more days and I will share some results!