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Getting the best out of a heat pump - is Homely a possible answer?

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downfield
(@downfield)
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@broadsman I was considering Planet because I wanted better controls than MELcloud...

Mitsubishi Zubadan 14kW with Mixergy 210l DHW in 220m2 barn property. 24 solar panels = 9kWp with GivEnergy 5.0kW Hybrid inverter and 19kWh GivE batteries. Jaga Strada fan-assisted rads throughout. Landvac vacuum glazing/triple glazed windows.


   
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Profzarkov
(@profzarkov)
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Don't know the gen, it's a AE080RXYDEG


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Posted by: @profzarkov

@majordennisbloodnok Hi, I'm getting frustrated by the lack of control & monitoring of my fairly new Samsung ASHP. During the recent power outage my Powerwall did fine but the heat pump reacted to the momentary power outage by firing up full blast, taking lots of energy from the battery. I had to open up the garage and check on what it was doing. The CH was off but it was just heating the water. I'm considering Homely, if only to monitor and control it. I'd like to see a lot more data....flow charts, temps etc does homely do this? Could I fit it all myself?

Cheers 

Prof

@profzarkov, I can well understand the frustration. In this case, it's not something limited to Samsung either; it seems to be pretty universal for heat pump owners to feel they're being kept at a "safe distance" from the systems they've had installed.

I don't have Homely installed; I use Home Assistant. What I know of Homely and its competitors is based on what I've read and heard combined with the experience I've gained from Home Assistant about how systems could interact with a heat pump or other tech. In Homely's case:

  • I know for definite that the little box they provide to sit in your home is physically wired to the heat pump in order to communicate via modbus.
  • I also know for definite that the box needs to communicate with Homely's servers via wifi.
  • I believe all the logic that determines how your heat pump is controlled is actually held on and run on Homely's servers, and that the box in your house is effectively just a dumb store and forward unit.

Taking those points together, there is absolutely no reason why installing the Homely kit would be beyond your technical capabilities. However, since Homely direct you to one of their installers I have no idea whether or not they would let you install the kit yourself. You will have noticed @toodles being very active on this thread and he has a far better insight into what Homely are happy to accept in their relationship with their customers than pretty much anyone else on this forum. His reply just above suggests that their training videos will result in you being qualified to install Homely kit, and the implication is that Homely will then treat you like an approved installer but that's something you'd want to confirm first.

 

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"


   
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(@broadsman)
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@downfield I understand that Planet works well with most manufacturers, but only gives monitoring with Samsung. Planet are very helpful on the telephone.


   
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Profzarkov
(@profzarkov)
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I've set my Water Law as Samsung call it to

14° -  -2°

32° - 45°

With the water temp set to 45°


   
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(@broadsman)
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@profzarkov . Mine was installed in September too, running on R290 gas. Model no AE120CXYBEK/EU.  Delta T is the difference between the outlet  and inlet temperatures, but don't worry about that.


   
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Profzarkov
(@profzarkov)
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@broadsman Hi, I wasn't worried, just wanted to know how I could see it? So does that mean I should've got the WiFi kit then?


   
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(@broadsman)
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@profzarkov if your pump is the same model as mine, then yes you should. That enables you to use the likes of Havenwise . I believe Homely uses  a Modbus board as means of connection to the pump, which is different to the wi-fi kit ref DB98-40278A which should be supplied.

This post was modified 1 month ago by Broadsman

   
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Toodles
(@toodles)
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@broadsman Yes, Homely uses Modbus system; my Daikin is linked via a D.Comm unit. Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.


   
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(@mike-h)
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Posted by: @majordennisbloodnok

His reply just above suggests that their training videos will result in you being qualified to install Homely kit, and the implication is that Homely will then treat you like an approved installer but that's something you'd want to confirm first.

I spoke to Homely about doing that, but he said that I would need to be a qualified electrician to become an approved installer. I have since installed an ESP32 microcontroller to the F1 and F2 terminals in the Samsung indoor wiring box and been delighted by how much information is available. I have just followed the advice on GitHub and used EspHome.  No coding skills are required. I think it is possible to use EspHome without Home Assistant, but I took that route as it was better documented. 

When using an external thermostat with the Samsung ASHP, one has access to the offset control, which allows you to shift the water Law curve up or down by plus or -5°C. I prefer to use the internal thermostat on the Samsung wired remote controller, but in doing so one loses the offset facility. With ESP home, I can now vary the offset value from my phone! This is particularly useful when the wind chill effect on our north facing kitchen needs to be compensated for. 


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Posted by: @mike-h

Posted by: @majordennisbloodnok

His reply just above suggests that their training videos will result in you being qualified to install Homely kit, and the implication is that Homely will then treat you like an approved installer but that's something you'd want to confirm first.

I spoke to Homely about doing that, but he said that I would need to be a qualified electrician to become an approved installer. I have since installed an ESP32 microcontroller to the F1 and F2 terminals in the Samsung indoor wiring box and been delighted by how much information is available. I have just followed the advice on GitHub and used EspHome.  No coding skills are required. I think it is possible to use EspHome without Home Assistant, but I took that route as it was better documented. 

When using an external thermostat with the Samsung ASHP, one has access to the offset control, which allows you to shift the water Law curve up or down by plus or -5°C. I prefer to use the internal thermostat on the Samsung wired remote controller, but in doing so one loses the offset facility. With ESP home, I can now vary the offset value from my phone! This is particularly useful when the wind chill effect on our north facing kitchen needs to be compensated for. 

I did wonder, @mike-h. Installing a two-wire serial connection for Modbus doesn't require electrical expertise at all but I can quite understand Homely's reluctance to have homeowners attacking their heat pump with a screwdriver and wire without the guarantee they know what they're doing.

Once that modbus connection is installed, however, you're quite right; you've just unlocked the door to all the information and control the heat pump has to offer, whether you use a Home Assistant integration, a Homely box, ESPHome or even your own custom Python code to do the modbus talking.

 

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"


   
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Toodles
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@majordennisbloodnok I should have qualified my remarks, shouldn’t I, sorry? What I intended to suggest was that after watching their video, you will (possibly) see a link inviting you to download the app for the Dashboard and you will be ‘authorised’ to install that app.

By watching their training video, you will have gained the additional knowledge to fit the Homely controller but I suppose it is assumed that you already have plumbing and electrical ‘sustificates’. Mine was fitted for me and I was granted access to the dashboard as an early adopter who could provide feedback (which I still do).

I have suggested to Homely that they provide access to the dashboard in the user app as it is full of useful data for the keener heat pump owner. They expressed a reluctance based on the idea that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing and they felt that their installers might receive unwarranted queries from users. Regrets, Toodles.

 

Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.


   
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