Event duration logging possible?

[ricks]

Sorry if this has been asked before. I checked all 30 posts but didn't find it.

Back in the day my OMNI II was able to track thermostat run time. Doesn't seem to have that ability anymore but is there a way through automation coding to track the duration of an event? For example, how long a tstat runs, how long a pump runs, how long the sprinklers ran, how long a unit was on, etc? The goal would be to calculate run time for one day which would be made up of one or more "starts/stops". Resetting the duration value to 0 at the start of each day would give me daily run times which could be logged in a separate db.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[lupinglade]

maybe using EVERY MINUTE programming and checking the state and then incrementing the counter accordingly would work?

The only problem would be the counter being limited to 255

 

[ricks]

Thanks for the tip. I think all I really need is a time stamp. When x starts, set var1_start = currenttime. When x stops, set var1_stop = currenttime. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a place within PCAccess to set and update variables.

I have an automation program that interfaces with the OMNI panel and I use this method to track start and stop times. Works well if the automation program didn't crash and restart several times a day. When it does restart it resets all of the variables until the first polling and this totally corrupts the data in my db. :angry2:

I think I've tried every automation product out there and none handle the OMNI II well at all - each one seems to have a fatal flaw somewhere whether its ineffective lighting control, crashing or just plain bad data. And since 99% of all my automation is handled by the OMNI II, (can't beat its reliability) I'm ready to switch to ELK. Almost.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[HAI_fjh]

Hi Rick,

I am sorry you are having problems with your Omni. If your system is crashing several times a day then something is seriously wrong. The Omni should run without crashing forever. I would contact your installer or HAI tech support and see if you can isolate and resolve the problem.

As far as HVAC run times there is some logging capability built into the OmniStat II itself, but it sounds like you want the info in a database. In this case you will need some third party software to do this. You can search Cocoontech or just Google something like "hai log temperature to database".

But I would figure out what is wrong with your system first. It should not crash!

 

[ricks]

Hey Fred,

My sincere apologies. It's not the OMNI that is crashing, it's the automation app that is talking to the OMNI that crashes. Actually, in 10 years I have never had a single hiccup with the HAI panel. Trying to get data out of the OMNI into a db has turned out to be very difficult.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[HAI_fjh]

Hi Rick,

Sorry for my misunderstanding...

There are some data logging solutions out there. I don't know exactly what your needs are, but there are solutions for Windows and Linux environments, probably for MAC too although I can't specifically think of one for MAC.

Each has it's own assets, issues and experience level requirements so I don't want to push you in any particular direction. I did the Google search I suggested above and the first item found was actually a thread on Cocoontech that talked about a logger that logged to a SQL database. Not necessarily recommending it, but just saying they are out there and probably closer than you suspect.

If you are a programmer the example program that is part of our SDK has some code that would be a good start for a logger application.

It might take some research...

 

[ricks]

Thanks Fred. I'll check those out.

Rick

 

[lupinglade]

Are you using a Mac or PC?

 

[lupinglade]

HAI really should look at adding some detailed logging functionality to the controllers, it would be great for energy conservation to know how much the HVAC components (including humidifier even) run per day. Would make the automation portion that much more useful, as it could manage these things and allow feedback via the logging for review.

 

[ricks]

I use a PC. In my opinion, the beauty of the HAI panel is its reliability. I'd bet that this reliability comes from not asking the panel's logic to get too complicated. But comunicating with the panel via 3rd party seems to be a challenge. Of course, this may be intentional. My home is all iPhone/iPad and since I have equipment that HAI won't interface with I can't rely on HAI's gui options.

Here's an example. As you mentioned, energy management is a hot topic. Knowing how much I use is helpful and utility company Smart Meters seem to do more for them than me. <_< Having T-Stats controlled by HAI is nice but it can be more effective with a little logic.

Instead of just changing the heat set point at specified times of the day, I let the logic determine that for me. By extracting run time data from the panel the system determined ramp rates and drop rates (minutes per degree) for each of my 3 zones in relation to the outside temp over the course of the winter. Outside winter temps here in New England can range from 0F to 50F. Since the logic now knows how many minutes per degree it will take to hit my target temp based on the oputside temp I significantly reduced my "maintain temp mode" which cut my natural gas usage by 18%. And this was a tough winter!

The drop rate info also showed me the heat retention efficiency of each of my zones. My second floor drop rate was lower (quicker heat loss) than the other two zones. My first thought was more attic insulation. While searching for issues I discovered that by simply closing the two upstairs bathroom doors I brought the drop rate into line. What was happening is that I was losing heat through the ceiling humidity vents. Not having seen these drop rates I never would have known there was a problem. I do similar things with electical (Brultech) and water.

The point of this long tale is that the HAI panel is chock full of a lot of very valuable data that can be used to one's advantage. I don't expect the panel to do the logic (would probably kill its dependability) but having easier access to its data would be tremendous. Unfortunatley, I haven't found an HA app yet that reliably sends commands and recovers data from the HAI panel.

Someday.

Rick