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Automating a window AC (lemmy.zip)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip to c/homeassistant@lemmy.world

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So I have my AC connected to a smart plug and I'm trying to figure out what would be the best way to go about automating it.

Currently, I have it set to run every hour on the hour for 20 minutes if the time is between noon and 8 p.m. Which covers the hottest part of the day.

However, what I could do is have it run every other hour instead and have a couple of night runs along with the daytime runs.

Doing it that way would eliminate most of the 16-hour period currently that exists between the ending of one day and the beginning of the next.

Edit: Also, is there an easy way to automate every other hour using the time pattern or would I manually have to set up triggers for 2am, 4am, 6am, 8am, 10am, etc. using the fixed values?

Edit 2: looks like i can use "/2" to accomplish that

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[–] Badabinski@kbin.earth 14 points 6 days ago (10 children)

Hard power cycling your AC unit is bad for it and may eventually kill it. The fan needs to run for a bit after the compressor turns off. This affects large ACs more than small ones, but it may cause damage after a while. If your AC unit has an RF remote, I'd recommend using something like a Broadlink unit to control it.

[–] shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 days ago (9 children)

Unfortunately, it's got no kind of remote at all. It's a physical dial to turn it on to high low or fan high low and a physical dial to turn up or down the temperature setting.

That's why I got a smart plug for it to begin with because there were times when I would fall asleep at like 10 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. with the damn thing still running.

It is only a 550 watt unit, but I was not aware that hard power cycling it like that would eventually hurt it. So at least thanks for that information.

[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It'll be fine as long as you don't try and start it up again within a few minutes of turning it off.

Pressure just needs to slowly bleed from the high pressure side to the low pressure side of the compressor before it starts again, so that it isn't initially stalled against high pressure.

[–] shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Okay, that's fine. I can totally do that.

[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 1 points 5 days ago

These kind of "manual" a/c units normally have a little sticker or a caution in the manual to "wait 5 minutes before restarting".

People can easily trigger this kind of thing just by turning the thermostat back and forth, so there is usually a thermal cutout on the compressor to keep them mostly safe.

You can usually hear it when it activates, there will be a hum from the stalled compressor for a few seconds and then a little click, and then the compressor won't start for a minute or two.

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