Geospring water heater control.

[ricklearned]

Any body had any experience interfacing with the communications module on a Geospring hybrid electric water heater? I am hoping that there is a simple contact closure way to set back temperature or put it in vacation mode. I am in an all electric home with a time of use rate that makes it very inexpensive to run the water heater frim midnite to 6am, and VERY expensive to run it during the day.
My alternatve is a contactor on the 240 volt power to this water heater.

 

[az1324]

It appears that the ACM is some type of serial communication, so you'd have to reverse engineer it. That is, if you can even get your hands on one.

 

[ricklearned]

Thanks, I have had a hard time finding anything about the ACM so I will prolly go the contactor route.

 

[ricklearned]

I had some time to think this through and I am thinking about adding a temp sensor to the logic. That way I can spoof a setback mode and still limit most of the water heater "on time" to my super off peak rate. I plan on setting the water heater to 120 F and only running it during the midnite to 6AM period. I will put a temp sensor on the hot water out pipe and set an automation trigger if temp gets below, say 110, then turn on water heater. I will have to play with the actual overide temperature to prevent the water heater from cycling too much during the daytime peak rates.
I have a Omni IIe and found some 30Amp contactors that should work off the one of the 12 volt outputs.

 

[Rustytek]

Google greenbean module (posting from phone or I would link it) It interfaces with all GE appliances with the plug.

 

[az1324]

Google greenbean module (posting from phone or I would link it) It interfaces with all GE appliances with the plug.

Nice! Only $20.

https://firstbuild.com/greenbean/
https://github.com/firstbuild/green-bean

 

[ricklearned]

Thanks, I just sent for one.

 

[ricklearned]

Bump. I haven't had much luck getting the software to work. Been working on some thermostat installs in the meantime.

 

[Madcodger]

Is the problem one of not knowing how to code it, or with the module itself? I just bought and installed the Geospring over Thanksgiving weekend and am very happy with it, but I don't write code of any type and can't find enough free time to learn. I hope to teach myself some rudimentary javascript, but free time is scarce so if the issue is coding I suspect we're in the same boat. I wonder what it would cost to hire someone to tackle a basic interface that could be controlled and perhaps monitored via whatever platform we're using (e.g., Elk, ISY, etc.)? Even a basic web interface might work...

 

[ricklearned]

Yes, not knowing how to code and not wanting to learn.