When I installed an irrigation system in my yard quite some years ago it was clear to me that I wasn’t going with the “official” controller. It was expensive, didn’t come with WiFi out of the box (that would have cost a hefty premium), thus was difficult or even impossible to integrate and it just wasn’t flexible enough.
Here’s my setup:
- 8 Valves
- 13 sprinklers
- 2 drip hoses
- 5 zones each comprised of one or more sprinklers, hoses or a combination
In addition I wanted an automation to iterate over the zones in a predefined order with predefined timings. Given those requirements, I then settled for 2 Sonoff 4CH Pro R2 flashed with Tasmota which worked flawlessly ever since. However, time has passed and the Smart Home landscape has evolved. This led me to re-evaluate my setup and I came to the conclusion that ESPHome was now easy and yet powerful enough to replace Tasmota on all my devices with it.
The Software
ESPHome is absolutely fantastic both for its simplicity, flexibility and not least its declarative nature.
Even though my architecture up to this point worked quite well it was essentially built as a collection of helpers which were all over the place and most of all lacked a critical feature: I built an automation for each valve to force-stop it after a certain time. Both as a way to just start a valve and have it shut down automatically, but also as sort of a safety if something went wrong with the automations to not have them running indefinitely.
This led to an interesting problem, though: What if Home Assistant triggered a valve but then restarted and lost track of what was going on? I fixed this by introducing another Automation to stop all valves on Home Assistant startup. But what if Home Assistant did not restart but stayed offline? To be honest, this never happened during sprinkler runtime, but there’s always the possibility and I didn’t have an answer for it - until I discovered ESPHome. This made it possible to have most of the logic on the board itself, so connectivity issues don’t pose a threat anymore.
So I went on, installed the configuration from ESPHome’s library and all was well. But then I discovered the sprinkler controller and it blew my mind! All those years I’ve been creating various Automations, Scripts and other helpers in Home Assistant to provide good control over the individual valves as well as the automated iteration. The sprinkler controller looked like everything I’ve manually built and fine tuned over the years with some additional perks like the option to dynamically set the sprinkler runtime. And what’s more is that it does all of this in a much nicer package with even more possibilities - or so I thought.
Using the built-in sprinkler component
Let’s have a look at my initial attempt:
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| esphome:
name: irrigation
friendly_name: Irrigation
esp32:
board: esp32dev
framework:
type: arduino
# Enable logging
logger:
# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
encryption:
key: 'my-key'
ota:
platform: esphome
password: 'my-password'
wifi:
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
password: !secret wifi_password
# Device Specific Config
binary_sensor:
- platform: status
name: 'Status'
sensor:
- platform: wifi_signal
name: "WiFi Signal Sensor"
update_interval: 60s
sprinkler:
# Valve controller
- id: valve_controller
main_switch: 'Alle Sprenger'
auto_advance_switch: 'Alle Sprenger Automatik'
valve_open_delay: 5s
valves:
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 1'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 1 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 1 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_1
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 2'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 2 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 2 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_2
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 3'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 3 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 3 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_3
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 4'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 4 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 4 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_4
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 5'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 5 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 5 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_5
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 6'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 6 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 6 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_6
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 7'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 7 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 7 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_7
- valve_switch: 'Sprenger 8'
enable_switch: 'Sprenger 8 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Sprenger 8 Dauer'
initial_value: 20
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: valve_8
# Zone controller
- id: zone_controller
main_switch: 'Alle Zonen'
auto_advance_switch: 'Alle Zonen Automatik'
valve_open_delay: 5s
valves:
- valve_switch: 'Zone 1'
enable_switch: 'Zone 1 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Zone 1 Dauer'
initial_value: 15
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: zone_1
- valve_switch: 'Zone 2'
enable_switch: 'Zone 2 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Zone 2 Dauer'
initial_value: 15
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: zone_2
- valve_switch: 'Zone 3'
enable_switch: 'Zone 3 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Zone 3 Dauer'
initial_value: 10
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: zone_3
- valve_switch: 'Zone 4'
enable_switch: 'Zone 4 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Zone 4 Dauer'
initial_value: 15
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: zone_4
- valve_switch: 'Zone 5'
enable_switch: 'Zone 5 aktiv'
run_duration_number:
name: 'Zone 5 Dauer'
initial_value: 30
unit_of_measurement: min
min_value: 1
max_value: 60
valve_switch_id: zone_5
switch:
# Individual valves
- platform: gpio
id: valve_1
name: 'Sprenger 1'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO16
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_1
- platform: gpio
id: valve_2
name: 'Sprenger 2'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO14
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_2
- platform: gpio
id: valve_3
name: 'Sprenger 3'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO12
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_3
- platform: gpio
id: valve_4
name: 'Sprenger 4'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO13
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_4
- platform: gpio
id: valve_5
name: 'Sprenger 5'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO15
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_5
- platform: gpio
id: valve_6
name: 'Sprenger 6'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO0
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_6
- platform: gpio
id: valve_7
name: 'Sprenger 7'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO4
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_7
- platform: gpio
id: valve_8
name: 'Sprenger 8'
icon: 'mdi:sprinkler'
pin: GPIO5
on_turn_on:
- delay: 60min
- switch.turn_off: valve_8
# Valves grouped in zones
- platform: template
id: zone_1
name: 'Zone 1'
lambda: |-
return id(valve_1).state || id(valve_8).state;
turn_on_action:
- switch.turn_on: valve_1
- switch.turn_on: valve_8
turn_off_action:
- switch.turn_off: valve_1
- switch.turn_off: valve_8
- platform: template
id: zone_2
name: 'Zone 2'
lambda: |-
return id(valve_2).state;
turn_on_action:
- switch.turn_on: valve_2
turn_off_action:
- switch.turn_off: valve_2
- platform: template
id: zone_3
name: 'Zone 3'
lambda: |-
return id(valve_3).state;
turn_on_action:
- switch.turn_on: valve_3
turn_off_action:
- switch.turn_off: valve_3
- platform: template
id: zone_4
name: 'Zone 4'
lambda: |-
return id(valve_4).state || id(valve_5).state;
turn_on_action:
- switch.turn_on: valve_4
- switch.turn_on: valve_5
turn_off_action:
- switch.turn_off: valve_4
- switch.turn_off: valve_5
- platform: template
id: zone_5
name: 'Zone 5'
lambda: |-
return id(valve_6).state || id(valve_7).state;
turn_on_action:
- switch.turn_on: valve_6
- switch.turn_on: valve_7
turn_off_action:
- switch.turn_off: valve_6
- switch.turn_off: valve_7
|
Below the regular “framework” at the top there’s the sprinkler controllers. First one for all individual valves, then another for the zones. The valve switches all directly link to their corresponding GPIO switch while the zone switches link to template switches I used to group valves together.
At first this looked really nice but the closer I looked the more it became clear that this was not very well suited for my needs.
The zone switches for example were a necessary “hack” to circumvent the sprinkler controller itself not being able to operate multiple switches in parallel.
Another drawback was the fact that even with those virtual zone switches you couldn’t stop one valve in a zone without stopping all valves in that zone. Since we often need this feature for various reasons (e.g. having laundry in reach of a particular sprinkler) this wasn’t feasible. There were many minor details about this approach that didn’t quite fit which caused me to give it a complete overhaul.
All manual
Determined to get this up and running with ESPHome I invested many more hours into crafting the following:
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| esphome:
name: irrigation
friendly_name: Irrigation
esp32:
board: esp32dev
framework:
type: esp-idf
substitutions:
max_runtime: '60'
valve_open_delay: 5s
# Enable logging
logger:
# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
encryption:
key: 'my-key'
ota:
platform: esphome
password: 'my-password'
wifi:
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
password: !secret wifi_password
binary_sensor:
- platform: status
name: 'Status'
sensor:
- platform: wifi_signal
name: "WiFi Signal Sensor"
update_interval: 60s
script:
# Execution helpers to allow for delays to be cancelled
- id: valve_1_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_1
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_1_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_1
- id: valve_2_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_2
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_2_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_2
- id: valve_3_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_3
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_3_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_3
- id: valve_4_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_4
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_4_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_4
- id: valve_5_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_5
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_5_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_5
- id: valve_6_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_6
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_6_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_6
- id: valve_7_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_7
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_7_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_7
- id: valve_8_on_off
then:
- switch.turn_on: valve_8
- delay: !lambda "return id(valve_8_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: valve_8
switch:
# Valves
- platform: gpio
id: valve_1
name: "Sprenger 1"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO32
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_1_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_1_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_2
name: "Sprenger 2"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO33
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_2_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_2_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_3
name: "Sprenger 3"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO25
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_3_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_3_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_4
name: "Sprenger 4"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO26
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_4_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_4_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_5
name: "Sprenger 5"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO27
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_5_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_5_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_6
name: "Sprenger 6"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO14
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_6_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_6_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_7
name: "Sprenger 7"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO12
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_7_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_7_on_off
- platform: gpio
id: valve_8
name: "Sprenger 8"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler"
pin: GPIO13
on_turn_on:
then:
- script.execute: valve_8_on_off
on_turn_off:
then:
- script.stop: valve_8_on_off
# Valves Enabled
- platform: template
id: valve_1_enabled
name: "Sprenger 1 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_2_enabled
name: "Sprenger 2 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_3_enabled
name: "Sprenger 3 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_4_enabled
name: "Sprenger 4 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_5_enabled
name: "Sprenger 5 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_6_enabled
name: "Sprenger 6 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_7_enabled
name: "Sprenger 7 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: valve_8_enabled
name: "Sprenger 8 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
# Zones
- platform: template
id: zone_1
name: "Zone 1"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler-variant"
lambda: |-
return id(valve_1).state || id(valve_8).state;
turn_on_action:
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_1_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_1_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_1_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_1
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_8_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_8_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_1_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_8
- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_1_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- switch.turn_off: zone_1
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: valve_1
- switch.turn_off: valve_8
- platform: template
id: zone_2
name: "Zone 2"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler-variant"
lambda: |-
return id(valve_2).state;
turn_on_action:
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_2_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_2_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_2_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_2
- delay: !lambda 'return id(zone_2_duration).state * 1000 * 60;'
- switch.turn_off: zone_2
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: valve_2
- platform: template
id: zone_3
name: "Zone 3"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler-variant"
lambda: |-
return id(valve_3).state;
turn_on_action:
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_3_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_3_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_3_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_3
- delay: !lambda 'return id(zone_3_duration).state * 1000 * 60;'
- switch.turn_off: zone_3
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: valve_3
- platform: template
id: zone_4
name: "Zone 4"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler-variant"
lambda: |-
return id(valve_4).state || id(valve_5).state;
turn_on_action:
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_4_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_4_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_4_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_4
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_5_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_5_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_4_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_5
- delay: !lambda 'return id(zone_4_duration).state * 1000 * 60;'
- switch.turn_off: zone_4
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: valve_4
- switch.turn_off: valve_5
- platform: template
id: zone_5
name: "Zone 5"
icon: "mdi:sprinkler-variant"
lambda: |-
return id(valve_6).state || id(valve_7).state;
turn_on_action:
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_6_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_6_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_5_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_6
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: valve_7_enabled
then:
- number.set:
id: valve_7_duration
value: !lambda "return id(zone_5_duration).state;"
- switch.turn_on: valve_7
- delay: !lambda 'return id(zone_5_duration).state * 1000 * 60;'
- switch.turn_off: zone_5
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: valve_6
- switch.turn_off: valve_7
# Zones Enabled
- platform: template
id: zone_1_enabled
name: "Zone 1 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: zone_2_enabled
name: "Zone 2 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: zone_3_enabled
name: "Zone 3 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: zone_4_enabled
name: "Zone 4 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
- platform: template
id: zone_5_enabled
name: "Zone 5 aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_ON
# Programm
- platform: template
id: program
name: "Programm"
icon: "mdi:robot"
#lambda: |-
# return id(zone_1).state || id(zone_2).state || id(zone_3).state || id(zone_4).state || id(zone_5).state;
optimistic: True
turn_on_action:
then:
- delay: 1s # Initial delay required for potential immediate shutdown
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: program_enabled
then:
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: zone_1_enabled
then:
- switch.turn_on: zone_1
- delay: 1s
#- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_1_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- wait_until:
condition:
- switch.is_off: zone_1
- delay: $valve_open_delay
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: zone_2_enabled
then:
- switch.turn_on: zone_2
- delay: 1s
#- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_2_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- wait_until:
condition:
- switch.is_off: zone_2
- delay: $valve_open_delay
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: zone_3_enabled
then:
- switch.turn_on: zone_3
- delay: 1s
#- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_3_duration).state * 1000 * 60;"
- wait_until:
condition:
- switch.is_off: zone_3
- delay: $valve_open_delay
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: zone_4_enabled
then:
- switch.turn_on: zone_4
- delay: 1s
#- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_4_duration).state * 1000;"
- wait_until:
condition:
- switch.is_off: zone_4
- delay: $valve_open_delay
- if:
condition:
- switch.is_on: zone_5_enabled
then:
- switch.turn_on: zone_5
- delay: 1s
#- delay: !lambda "return id(zone_5_duration).state * 1000;"
- wait_until:
condition:
- switch.is_off: zone_5
- switch.turn_off: program
turn_off_action:
then:
- switch.turn_off: zone_1
- switch.turn_off: zone_2
- switch.turn_off: zone_3
- switch.turn_off: zone_4
- switch.turn_off: zone_5
# Programm Enabled
- platform: template
id: program_enabled
name: "Programm aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
optimistic: True
number:
# Sprinkler Durations
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 1 Dauer"
id: valve_1_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 2 Dauer"
id: valve_2_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 3 Dauer"
id: valve_3_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 4 Dauer"
id: valve_4_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 5 Dauer"
id: valve_5_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 6 Dauer"
id: valve_6_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 7 Dauer"
id: valve_7_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Sprenger 8 Dauer"
id: valve_8_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
# Zone Durations
- platform: template
name: "Zone 1 Dauer"
id: zone_1_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 15
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Zone 2 Dauer"
id: zone_2_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 20
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Zone 3 Dauer"
id: zone_3_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 15
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Zone 4 Dauer"
id: zone_4_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 15
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
- platform: template
name: "Zone 5 Dauer"
id: zone_5_duration
icon: "mdi:timer"
optimistic: true
min_value: 1
max_value: $max_runtime
initial_value: 30
step: 1
unit_of_measurement: min
|
The top section remained basically unchanged, however below it nearly everything is different.
Since I no longer had the “magic” behind the sprinkler controller, i.e. all the implicit controls like duration and automation, I had to spell it all out explicitly. While being extremely tedious this provided me with exactly the flexibility I was missing from my previous approaches.
Here are the most notable parts:
The new configuration still has GPIO switches to control the individual valves. But instead of controlling them directly I’m now using a script because without it when you start a valve with a 10 minute runtime, then stop it after 8 minutes and immediately restart it it will only run for another 2 minutes before delay kicks in and stops it. Scripts work differently in that stopping the script will also cancel the delay.
The zones now have conditions to check if a valve is enabled or not, thus allowing a zone to run even if not all valves are involved. Another highlight is that the zone will automatically set the valves’ runtimes to match the zone. There was an intermittent version which set the zone’s runtime according to the maximum runtime of its child valves:
turn_on_action:
then:
- number.set:
id: zone_1_duration
value: !lambda 'return max(id(valve_1_duration).state, id(valve_8_duration).state)'
This would allow a valve to be shut down before the end of the zone’s runtime:
- Valve 1: 10min runtime
- Valve 8: 15min runtime
- Zone 1: max(10min, 15min) = 15min runtime
The automation now also respects each zone’s enabled status. Together with the same mechanism in each of the zones this setup is super flexible and allows for the automation to only open the valves you want it to.
Edit 2024-07-23
Unfortunately I realized that the current status of the “active” switches is not always properly reflected in Home Assistant. Pretty regularly the controller would lose its connection to HA which caused the values for all “active” switches to be set to their default. This in turn resulted in the automatic program to mostly not run at all - not very desirable. I tried different methods like connecting the switch to a GPIO and setting a restore_mode like this:
- platform: gpio
id: program_enabled
name: "Programm aktiv"
icon: "mdi:check-circle-outline"
pin: GPIO16
restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_OFF
However, that only resulted in the switch being constantly on with no way of turning it off for some reason.
Solution: Since I wanted to keep it simple, I created an input boolean in Home Assistant which now keeps track of whether the program is active or not.
The Hardware
With the software part figured out it was time to apply it to the real world:
Let’s walk through it left to right:
A the very left bottom there’s the 2-wired 230V cable coming into the box. It feeds to both a 24VAC and a 5VDC transformer. The former powers the valves, the latter is for powering the board.
Next up is the board itself. It has a 5VDC as well as a 7-30VDC input, an ESP32 with pinouts for easy flashing and 8 relays.
Last but not least in the right side is the 9 wired cable (8 valves plus ground) connected to the valve box.
To save on cables and connectors I simply bridged all the relais’ common ports.
Conclusion
It took a lot of planning for the hardware and even more trial and error to get the software exactly how I wanted it to behave. However, all this work has paid off massively because not only is the wiring a little simpler than what I had before but having all of the controls on a single board is tremendously beneficial and SO much cleaner when it comes to controlling it with Home Assistant.
