I’m thrilled to share my latest smart home project—a fully automated furnace humidifier! This has been a labor of love, and I’m excited to walk you through how I achieved this.
The Problem:
Every winter, my family would constantly adjust the humidistat based on the outside temperature. It was a hassle, and we never seemed to get it just right. I knew there had to be a smarter way to handle this.
The Solution:
I decided to automate the humidifier using my smart home setup. Here’s what I used:
- Humidity Sensor: A Xiaomi Aqara sensor that reports every 1% change in humidity or temperature.
- Relay Module: A LINEAR FS20Z-1 Z-Wave module to control the humidifier.
Automation Setup:
I programmed the system to adjust the target humidity based on the outside temperature. Using some basic algebra, I determined the target humidity should be 0.5T + 25, where T is the outside temperature. I set up WebCore to handle the automation, with variables for temperature, humidity, and an offset for fine-tuning.
Results:
This system has been a game-changer! No more manual adjustments, and the humidifier now runs efficiently. Plus, I added notifications to keep track of any changes.
Cost:
I spent around $35, mostly on the relay module and sensor. It was a worthwhile investment for the convenience it provides.
If anyone has questions or suggestions, I’d love to hear them! 
