Hi everyone, I’m excited to share my journey with smart irrigation and dashboard customization in Home Assistant. I’ve been experimenting with both and wanted to document my experiences and ask for advice.
First, I’ve been working on a custom irrigation setup using the Rule Machine. The idea is to water for a set number of minutes and repeat the cycle based on the season. I’ve set it to run once every 7 days during winter, but I ran into an issue recently. While the cycle was running, I updated my hub, and upon restart, the irrigation system went into an endless repeat cycle, flooding my yard! I managed to stop it manually, but I’m wondering if this is a bug or if there’s a way to prevent it. I’ve added a step in my rules to stop any repeating actions after a reboot, but I haven’t tested it yet. Has anyone else encountered this?
On the dashboard side, I’ve been trying to customize my Lovelace setup. I came across a helpful tip on how to hide the header bar, which used to be possible with a plugin but isn’t supported anymore. I found a workaround by adjusting the CSS in the Lovelace configuration. It’s a bit tricky, but it works perfectly! I’d love to hear if others have found other creative ways to customize their dashboards.
Another thing I’ve been exploring is using Wyze Sense devices creatively. I’ve seen some fantastic DIY projects, like using a Wyze Sense as a deadbolt sensor. It’s amazing how versatile these devices can be with a little ingenuity. I’m thinking of trying something similar for my outdoor lights, maybe integrating motion sensors with timed lighting for security.
I’d also love to hear about anyone’s experiences with smart irrigation systems. How do you handle unexpected reboots or system updates? Any tips on ensuring consistency and preventing overwatering would be greatly appreciated.
Lastly, I’ve been trying to optimize my energy monitoring setup. I’ve set up a template to calculate daily energy costs, but I noticed something odd—the costs were showing as negative. After some research, I realized it was due to how the energy page aggregates data. I found a solution by adjusting the template to only display the calculated values without relying on the built-in aggregation. It’s a small tweak, but it makes a big difference in accuracy.
Overall, I’m really enjoying the flexibility and creativity that Home Assistant offers. It’s a fantastic platform for experimenting and customizing to fit my needs. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, especially on these topics or any other smart home projects you’ve undertaken!
Thanks for reading, and happy automating!