Geyserwise Tuya

[Juzz Wuzz]

It's probably the dtim setting that fixed it. I had a device that also kept on disconnecting, and the dtim setting resolved it. If the device connected at 1mbls then that setting keep it alive, if set higher, the ubifi disconnect devices that connect at a too slow speed, to try and nudge it to another AP.

Interesting, this sounds exactly like what the device was doing

 

[Jack_ZA]

I helped someone on Zatech to control theirs using the HA rest integration and rest_command integration. after they received an api key. Then you combine the lot with a template switch.

So its possible to manually set it up in HA using the cloud.
You can see his code @ https://community.home-aassistant.io/t/geyserwise-wifi-module-integration-request/305103/61

Alternatively, you can replace the tuya chip with an ESP and then it runs on mqtt using custom firmware:
See: https://github.com/jackkitley/geyserwise_max_iot

Also, according to https://community.home-assistant.io/t/geyserwise-wifi-module-integration-request/305103/63
you can use local_tuya

Thanks for sharing link. i updated the firmware a couple of days ago to cater for multi geysers on one network

 

[Jack_ZA]

For those whom choose to go with the custom firmware... I noticed that the firmware dev lifted tracks when replacing the WBR3 module with the ESP12-F module.

A guide for replacing the module without damaging the board...
(Disclaimer: This information is for education purposes only, changes could impact the installations COC and information is followed at the readers risk.)

Since the board seem to be using lead free solder... removing the module without pulling a trace or dumping alot of heat into it can be difficult. I recommend first dragging fresh solder 40:60 solder onto it (to lower the temperature required to heat all solder points and slide the module off the board). Then apply a liberal amount of solder flux and use a hot-air station @380-400 degrees to remove the module, I use a pair of helping hands at ~45 degrees to slide the module off. Do not excessively push or pull on the module and preferably pre-heat the area @ ~250 degrees.

Due to the proximity of the resistors to the module I recommend covering them with some kapton tape, as I'm yet to find a smd resistor that has blown off a board

Once the original module is off apply more flux and gently drag your solder iron over a wick and clean the area of access solder. Then using isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud, clean the remaining flux from the board. Flux can be corrosive to the board so it is best not to leave it on.

Now using the smallest amount solder paste on each pad (~15-25% the size of a grain of rice), drop the pre-flashed replacement ESP12-F module in the module outline on the board and use the hot-air station to solder it on. Once the solder paste becomes shiny and has "soaked" up into the holes on the solder pads you are finished. Allow the board a few minutes to cool off and depending on the amount of solder use check for solder bridges. If you used the correct amount of solder paste the new module should "float" into place without any bridges.

View attachment 1500385
View attachment 1500383

Great to see. How does it work for you? i updated the firmware a few days ago

 

[Jack_ZA]

alias: Heat the Geyser before loadshedding
description: Buffers the geyser heating before loadshedding starts.
trigger:
- platform: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.load_shedding_area_eskde_8_croydoncityofcapetownwesterncape
attribute: starts_in
below: 130
condition:
- condition: and
conditions:
- condition: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.load_shedding_stage_eskom
attribute: stage
above: 0
- condition: time
after: '01:00:00'
before: '18:00:00'
action:
- service: switch.turn_on
target:
entity_id: switch.geyser_heat
- data:
message: "Heating geyser before loadshedding"
service: notify.ALL_DEVICES
mode: single

Automation (not yet tested) to buffer the heating of the geyser if it falls within and your backup doesnt heat geyser.

This is what my dash looks like. The timers on the board have been reset and its entirely controlled via home assistant:

 

[Jack_ZA]

For those whom choose to go with the custom firmware... I noticed that the firmware dev lifted tracks when replacing the WBR3 module with the ESP12-F module.

A guide for replacing the module without damaging the board...
(Disclaimer: This information is for education purposes only, changes could impact the installations COC and information is followed at the readers risk.)

Since the board seem to be using lead free solder... removing the module without pulling a trace or dumping alot of heat into it can be difficult. I recommend first dragging fresh solder 40:60 solder onto it (to lower the temperature required to heat all solder points and slide the module off the board). Then apply a liberal amount of solder flux and use a hot-air station @380-400 degrees to remove the module, I use a pair of helping hands at ~45 degrees to slide the module off. Do not excessively push or pull on the module and preferably pre-heat the area @ ~250 degrees.

Due to the proximity of the resistors to the module I recommend covering them with some kapton tape, as I'm yet to find a smd resistor that has blown off a board

Once the original module is off apply more flux and gently drag your solder iron over a wick and clean the area of access solder. Then using isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud, clean the remaining flux from the board. Flux can be corrosive to the board so it is best not to leave it on.

Now using the smallest amount solder paste on each pad (~15-25% the size of a grain of rice), drop the pre-flashed replacement ESP12-F module in the module outline on the board and use the hot-air station to solder it on. Once the solder paste becomes shiny and has "soaked" up into the holes on the solder pads you are finished. Allow the board a few minutes to cool off and depending on the amount of solder use check for solder bridges. If you used the correct amount of solder paste the new module should "float" into place without any bridges.

View attachment 1500385
View attachment 1500383

Was a horrid task removing that board with no heat gun haha. Yes, i lifted the tracks and had to find alternative connection. All worked out though. I recently had to remove it and attach again to do some testing

 

[Franna]

Does the Geyserwise Tuya module include energy monitoring like most smart switches? If not, do they have plans for it in the future?

 

[Juzz Wuzz]

Does the Geyserwise Tuya module include energy monitoring like most smart switches? If not, do they have plans for it in the future?

I doubt it, in order to monitor energy you need to have chips that the power passes through to "monitor", given both the solutions in this thread are PCB replacements they don't have anything monitoring the power to the element.
I just use a Shelly EM to monitor the power from my DB for the geyser, works plenty good.
You could open up the PSU and put clamps there to monitor if you don't want to do you DB but in terms of these PCB replacements they wouldn't be able to monitor

 

[kidcolt]

Was a horrid task removing that board with no heat gun haha. Yes, i lifted the tracks and had to find alternative connection. All worked out though. I recently had to remove it and attach again to do some testing

I had shared the following information with another mybb'er that ask about soldering... maybe it will be of some help to you.

Links to Micro Robotics

Single Sided Thermal Tape 10mm - Micro Robotics

Single Sided Thermal Tape 10mm

www.robotics.org.za

Solder Paste Kit with Flux - Micro Robotics

Solder Paste Kit with Flux

www.robotics.org.za

Desoldering Braid (2 Pack) - Micro Robotics

Desoldering Braid (2 Pack)

www.robotics.org.za

SMD Rework Station - 700W + 3 Nozzles

SMD Rework Station - 700W + 3 Nozzles

www.robotics.org.za

 

[kidcolt]

Great to see. How does it work for you? i updated the firmware a few days ago

First of all, THANKS for your work on this AND SHARING it.
Unfortunately, I had some problems get it working for my TSE1, plus I have two geysers on my property

I had started refactoring some of the code with the intent of sending it back to you. But with my WAF (wife approval factor) was dropping by the day/minute while I had the controller on my bench.

So, in the end I just switch to a basic TuyaMCU.


Will probably switch from a ESP-12F to an ESP-C3 now that I got stock of them. I'm trying to matter enable the majority of the ~60 none-matter enabled tasmota devices in my property since I do not want to have to do technical support the rest of my life for anyone that buys the property from me.

 

[kidcolt]

Does the Geyserwise Tuya module include energy monitoring like most smart switches? If not, do they have plans for it in the future?

Fyi,

I use the geyerwise tuya module for temperature monitoring and allowing my HomeAssistant instance to do basic power demand management... Using my hot water store as a power sink post mid-day to keep my batteries in the 80-90% range so my solar production stays at 100% instead of dropping to match my consumption...

I then use an Astute smart isolator to track power usage and to cut power draw should my power draw be higher than what my battery can support once my inverters detects that the grid is down.

 

[AfricanTech]

Feel free to experience the user interface with our demo web app:
https://app.dev.thingwala.com/geyserwala/demo
View attachment 1561396 View attachment 1561398
Be sure to try out the timer settings on the second page, they are more flexible, and you can associate a different temperature with each timer. You can also overlay the timers, for example to ensure a baseline temperature, whilst interspersing peaks.

Note that the Boost button is associated with the Setpoint input, so very easy to adapt to your needs adhoc. Great for varying hot water needs.

This web app is available directly over your local network. Naturally you'll need to allocate a fixed IP via DHCP, or configure the IP as static on the device, and/or use your own local DNS. There is a mDNS hostname, but YMMV. If you choose to link the device with the cloud, then you can access the web app over the internet too.

The device is not reliant on cloud services and can be installed as a component in a self hosted home automation setup. The REST API and MQTT client are both local. The automatic firmware updates can be switched off in the setting (but can still be checked/initiated manually). The metrics reporting can also be switched off.

It also offers additional modes, such as Setpoint and Solar mode, on top of the existing Timer and Holiday modes.
* Setpoint mode - turns the geyser into an old school setpoint geyser for those times when for example you have guests stay and you're not sure then they'll want hot water. Careful, expensive!
* Solar mode - ignores the timers and just takes what heading it can get from the sun. Used in combination with the Boost button this makes for a great "eco" mode.

For more info see: https://www.thingwala.com/geyserwala/connect/

Will it work with this unit?

 

[thehuman]

Yes. The Geyserwala Connect has now been integrated with the TSE model.

To be 100% sure in your case, open the panel (2 screws), remove the PCB (4 screws) and show us a photo of the Display side.

I remember tuya model not compatible with the 2 digit older geyserwise units , most probably keypad protocol different

 

[McAllstar]

Curious to know what people have their solar differential temperature set to if you're using an evacuated tube system?

Now that I have all the data I can see the system kind of plateauing in the low/mid 30s most days even though the collector temp gets heated quickly. Had my differential temp set to the default 7C but experimenting now and raising it to 10C, testing to see if it makes a difference at all.

Only thing I can think of is that I'm getting too much loss between the collector and the geyser, so maybe raising this might work better, at least in winter.

Have graphed this showing the trend:
View attachment 1561472

HI @DrJohnZoidberg how did your experiment with raising the differential temp to 10 deg go? I have an 8kwh Deye inverter 7.6kwh batteries and 10 x 545kwh panels. everything is connected to essential. I have 2 geysers with the GW MAX WIFI units 2kwh elements with 38 evac tubes setup on the roof. It is killing me in the winter. I'm constantly battling to get the geysers up to temp and ready for the kids baths at night and then the wife's and my morning shower.
I'm even considering going back to 3kwh elements as mentioned by someone in the forum. I also have HA and solar-assistant setup. I also used to just set the geysers to come on between 4am and 6am but sometimes load-shedding fall in that time-slot. The wife is also not happy.
Any other additional advice would really be appreciated. I don't have any automations setup due to load-shedding etc.
As you can see we at 12:30ish in the afternoon and the temp is only at 33 deg on the one and 20 deg on the other. Collector temp is at 35 deg now.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

HI @DrJohnZoidberg how did your experiment with raising the differential temp to 10 deg go? I have an 8kwh Deye inverter 7.6kwh batteries and 10 x 545kwh panels. everything is connected to essential. I have 2 geysers with the GW MAX WIFI units 2kwh elements with 38 evac tubes setup on the roof. It is killing me in the winter. I'm constantly battling to get the geysers up to temp and ready for the kids baths at night and then the wife's and my morning shower.
I'm even considering going back to 3kwh elements as mentioned by someone in the forum. I also have HA and solar-assistant setup. I also used to just set the geysers to come on between 4am and 6am but sometimes load-shedding fall in that time-slot. The wife is also not happy.
Any other additional advice would really be appreciated. I don't have any automations setup due to load-shedding etc.
As you can see we at 12:30ish in the afternoon and the temp is only at 33 deg on the one and 20 deg on the other. Collector temp is at 35 deg now.
View attachment 1574722View attachment 1574718
View attachment 1574720

Yes, mine is set to 10 degrees and it seems to work better than the default 7, at least during the winter months.

It does struggle still to get much past 40 on its own, and I have just been pumping in PV during the day to get it up to 65C. This seems to work well as if nobody shows in the evening then the water is still warm enough the next day to shower in the morning and it doesn't take much power to the element to get it up to a decent temp if it is a bit low.

During summer it should be fine just heating off the evacuated tubes alone for the most part.

This is what that behaviour looks like, I heated it to 65 yesterday afternoon (normally between 1-3PM) using PV, then left it. At 8AM this morning it was just touching 40C, then at about 9:30 gave it a little boost and a little while ago I turned the element on again. I'd like to automate a lot of this stuff but had to experiment a bit to see what works and what is most effecient.

 

[McAllstar]

Yes, mine is set to 10 degrees and it seems to work better than the default 7, at least during the winter months.

It does struggle still to get much past 40 on its own, and I have just been pumping in PV during the day to get it up to 65C. This seems to work well as if nobody shows in the evening then the water is still warm enough the next day to shower in the morning and it doesn't take much power to the element to get it up to a decent temp if it is a bit low.

During summer it should be fine just heating off the evacuated tubes alone for the most part.

This is what that behaviour looks like, I heated it to 65 yesterday afternoon (normally between 1-3PM) using PV, then left it. At 8AM this morning it was just touching 40C, then at about 9:30 gave it a little boost and a little while ago I turned the element on again. I'd like to automate a lot of this stuff but had to experiment a bit to see what works and what is most effecient.

View attachment 1574754

amazing, thanks for the response. I'll set it and see how it goes from here.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Hi @DrJohnZoidberg

From your graph it looks as though there might be a heat loss via the collector in your system. It is sadly becoming apparent to us that many MAX systems are not installed correctly. Here is a typical graph of a well functioning MAX:

View attachment 1575152

Note on your graph how there is a correlation between the tank and collector temperature at night, the collector temperature never actually drops to outside ambient temperature, and the collector temperature seems to lead/drag the tank temperature down over night. This is typically symptomatic of poorly installed or non existent heat traps.

Heat traps are a loop of pipe that drop below the body of the tank water to prevent heat convecting up to the collector:
View attachment 1575156

An easy way for any MAX owner to attain a first pass diagnosis of this issue:
Press the two middle buttons on the Geyserwise display panel, in the early morning, before the sun is up. The number you see is the collector temperature and it should show about the same as the outside temperature. If it is near 30 or above you most likely have this heat trap issue. Climb in your roof to check it out or ask a plumber, bizarrely often the heat traps are actually there but just don't drop below the geyser, and also while you're doing this you can may as well improve the pipe lagging.

At Thingwala we sell a WiFi upgrade for most Geyserwise systems, with local integration on REST, MQTT, and there is a Home Assistant integration. Optional remote control is free and accessible from any of your internet connected devices.

For more info see: https://www.thingwala.com/geyserwala/connect/

Thanks for the insight, I'll ask that the installer to take a look to see if they can find something.

It is a bit odd that the geyser is losing so much temperature over night too when nobody is using hot water.

This is a typical graph for me:

 

[Speedster]

Thanks for the insight, I'll ask that the installer to take a look to see if they can find something.

It is a bit odd that the geyser is losing so much temperature over night too when nobody is using hot water.

This is a typical graph for me:

View attachment 1575172

Yup, something is definitely not right. You're losing 20 degrees overnight! And that collector temp spike at 21:00 is a dead giveaway too

 

[McAllstar]

Hi @DrJohnZoidberg

From your graph it looks as though there might be a heat loss via the collector in your system. It is sadly becoming apparent to us that many MAX systems are not installed correctly. Here is a typical graph of a well functioning MAX:

View attachment 1575152

Note on your graph how there is a correlation between the tank and collector temperature at night, the collector temperature never actually drops to outside ambient temperature, and the collector temperature seems to lead/drag the tank temperature down over night. This is typically symptomatic of poorly installed or non existent heat traps.

Heat traps are a loop of pipe that drop below the body of the tank water to prevent heat convecting up to the collector:
View attachment 1575156

An easy way for any MAX owner to attain a first pass diagnosis of this issue:
Press the two middle buttons on the Geyserwise display panel, in the early morning, before the sun is up. The number you see is the collector temperature and it should show about the same as the outside temperature. If it is near 30 or above you most likely have this heat trap issue. Climb in your roof to check it out or ask a plumber, bizarrely often the heat traps are actually there but just don't drop below the geyser, and also while you're doing this you can may as well improve the pipe lagging.

At Thingwala we sell a WiFi upgrade for most Geyserwise systems, with local integration on REST, MQTT, and there is a Home Assistant integration. Optional remote control is free and accessible from any of your internet connected devices.

For more info see: https://www.thingwala.com/geyserwala/connect/

I also had an issue where there was a guy re-doing the earthing on my pv panels and for some unknown reason he pulled the temp probe from the collector which obviously skewed things and caused the collector pump not to work. Luckily he did it this past Friday and I picked it up yesterday.

 

[hellfire]

I am about to install a solar geyser (thermosyphon).
Options for HA integrated Geyserwise, as I understand them, are:

1. Geyserwise TSE1 with Tuya
2. Geyserwise TSE1 with Thingwalla
3. Geyserwise TSE with Thingwalla

I'm leaning towards a Thingwalla option, but I don't know the practical difference between the older TSE and the newer TSE1 models that could influence my decision (considering I'm taking out the control board anyway).
Any advice?

 

[Jack_ZA]

First of all, THANKS for your work on this AND SHARING it.
Unfortunately, I had some problems get it working for my TSE1, plus I have two geysers on my property

I had started refactoring some of the code with the intent of sending it back to you. But with my WAF (wife approval factor) was dropping by the day/minute while I had the controller on my bench.

So, in the end I just switch to a basic TuyaMCU.
View attachment 1574096

Will probably switch from a ESP-12F to an ESP-C3 now that I got stock of them. I'm trying to matter enable the majority of the ~60 none-matter enabled tasmota devices in my property since I do not want to have to do technical support the rest of my life for anyone that buys the property from me.

Yes, It was only for the Max.

Regarding the 2 geysers. i updated the code to have a dynamic topic.