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Internet remote monitoring/switching

Anyone out there have any tips for switching devices that can be
controlled over the internet? I need to remotely detect via the
internet when my heating boiler (Munchkin propane boiler) goes into
fault mode (disabling the heat in the house) and then remotely activate
a reset button on the boiler to re-boot the system. I spend weeks away
from home at a time and live in a very cold climate. Failed heating
means frozen, broken water pipes and flood damage so I really need to
come up with a fix. These boilers are known to have this finicky
tendency despite multiple service visits by the installers. The
manufacturer and/or the installer have no solutions for this issue.

Technical details:

Detection of problem: I can detect the fault code in 2 ways:
a) the fault codes are digitally displayed on control panel when the
device fails . I can use a webcam to monitor this over the internet.
Cost approx $300-$400.
b) The boiler controller activates a 120 volt "alarm" line when it goes
into fault mode. Is there a way to detect this voltage and then be
alerted via internet of the fault situation? Cost??

Resetting / Rebooting system: A simple momentary push button on the
controller resets the system and restarts the boiler. Is there some way
to activate a switch over the internet so I could "push the button"
remotely? I have seen remote switching devices on the internet but they
seem to have multiple channels and appear to cost in the $1000's of
dollars. All I need is one low voltage momentary switch which I can
control remotely.

Although I'm no engineer, I'm handy with electronic components and a
soldering iron, and would prefer to come up with a homebrew, low cost
solution. The house has an always on broadband connection and a
computer, but I'd prefer to leave the computer off and out of the loop
if that's possible. If someone has a solution that requires the
computer to stay on though, I'd be glad to hear it. Any advice would
be greatly appreciated. Many, many thanks for your assistance.

Best regards, Pete
 
H

Homer J Simpson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Resetting / Rebooting system: A simple momentary push button on the
controller resets the system and restarts the boiler. Is there some way
to activate a switch over the internet so I could "push the button"
remotely?

Make it a local system - when the temperature drops into the danger zone the
button is pushed every 30 minutes until a safe temperature is achieved. You
could be notified that this is happening. What is the make / model of
controller?

You could monitor the state of things and have the system send an email when
troubles occur.
 
Homer said:
Make it a local system - when the temperature drops into the danger zone the
button is pushed every 30 minutes until a safe temperature is achieved. You
could be notified that this is happening. What is the make / model of
controller?

You could monitor the state of things and have the system send an email when
troubles occur.

Thanks H.J. Simpson. Thanks for your reply. The controller is a Heat
Transfer Products Model 925. The company does not offer any remote
switching or monitoring options. I have found temperature "dialers"
that will call me remotely via telephone when the temp drops below 45 F
for about $100. Although this is somewhat of an indirect method, it
would allow me to know if the boiler has locked up or if the
electricity has gone out. Unfortunately, I'm not usually at one
telephone number when I'm travelling and cell phone service is marginal
in northern New Hampshire. And the problem of resetting the boiler
still remains. I appreciate your efforts. Best regards, Pete
 
J

John

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anyone out there have any tips for switching devices that can be
controlled over the internet? I need to remotely detect via the
internet when my heating boiler (Munchkin propane boiler) goes into
fault mode (disabling the heat in the house) and then remotely activate
a reset button on the boiler to re-boot the system. I spend weeks away
from home at a time and live in a very cold climate. Failed heating
means frozen, broken water pipes and flood damage so I really need to
come up with a fix. These boilers are known to have this finicky
tendency despite multiple service visits by the installers. The
manufacturer and/or the installer have no solutions for this issue.

Technical details:

Detection of problem: I can detect the fault code in 2 ways:
a) the fault codes are digitally displayed on control panel when the
device fails . I can use a webcam to monitor this over the internet.
Cost approx $300-$400.
b) The boiler controller activates a 120 volt "alarm" line when it goes
into fault mode. Is there a way to detect this voltage and then be
alerted via internet of the fault situation? Cost??

Resetting / Rebooting system: A simple momentary push button on the
controller resets the system and restarts the boiler. Is there some way
to activate a switch over the internet so I could "push the button"
remotely? I have seen remote switching devices on the internet but they
seem to have multiple channels and appear to cost in the $1000's of
dollars. All I need is one low voltage momentary switch which I can
control remotely.

Although I'm no engineer, I'm handy with electronic components and a
soldering iron, and would prefer to come up with a homebrew, low cost
solution. The house has an always on broadband connection and a
computer, but I'd prefer to leave the computer off and out of the loop
if that's possible. If someone has a solution that requires the
computer to stay on though, I'd be glad to hear it. Any advice would
be greatly appreciated. Many, many thanks for your assistance.

Best regards, Pete

Would a $100 solution work?

A web-controlled device with relay output and an opto-coupler input:
http://www.controlbyweb.com/webrelay/index.html
It needs 5 volts DC at 500ma to run it.

You would probably need a router with DMZ capability and either a
fixed IP address on your broadband connection or something like DYNDNS
to allow associating a a URL with your broadband connection.
 
H

Homer J Simpson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks H.J. Simpson. Thanks for your reply. The controller is a Heat
Transfer Products Model 925. The company does not offer any remote
switching or monitoring options.

Is this a Munchkin - http://www.hotwaterproducts.com/HTP/Pdfs/LP-61.pdf ??

First, you need to get the signal into a computer and the command out of it.

John's suggestion of a http://www.controlbyweb.com/webrelay/index.html is a
good one, but you need to figure a safe, UL compliant way to set it up.

Do you not have a neighbor who could reset the boiler if there is a problem?
A temperature alarm / dialler / pager seems safer.
 
Thanks gentleman; great suggestions. Yes, HJS, the propane boiler is a
Munchkin. John, I found the website and the internet relay switches are
very reasonably priced. Sounds like an inexpensive way to reset the
system via internet. I isolated and soldered wires across the momentary
low voltage reset switch and pulled them out to the outside of the case
for access. This in no way compromises the high voltage side of things
or the gas (propane) circuitry. I could hook a relay to these wires to
"press the reset." Just have to figure out the internet-relay
connection side of things.

As far as detectecting the fault situation, H.J.Simpson's idea is a
good one.....temperature alarms activate a phone dialer at a preset
temperature and call pre-programmed numbers to alert me that there is a
problem. These can be had for about $120. The only problem there is
that it will not differentiate between a boiler fault and a power
outage, and I am often travelling away from home weeks at a time in
northern New Hampshire where cell phone and pager coverage is iffy to
non-existent. I have a call into the Utah company that produces the
relays. I wonder if they have a device that detects the "alarm" 120
voltage that is activated when there is a fault in the boiler and makes
it possible to be notified via internet. If so, this is probably the
next cheapest way out. Lastly, would be the webcam option at $300-400.
I work at hospitals and so have easy access to the internet daily.

So worst case scenario would be a detect fault/reset function costing
$500-$600. HJ, you mentioned neighbors.... yes I have them but this
tends to happen frequently in repeat episodes and I'd be afraid of
imposing on them so many times in the winter. My house is somewhat
isolated on a dirt road making access difficult without 4wd and studded
snow tires. Ahh, the charm of living in rustic New Hampshire <grin>.
Thanks for the help guys and please let me know if you have any other
ideas! Best regards, Pete
 
HJ... you mentioned a local system. Something that pushes the reset
every 30 minutes when the temperature falls until it returns to normal.
You also mentioned that it could notify me of the problem. Do you know
if such a system is available? Many, many thanks, Pete
 
H

Homer J Simpson

Jan 1, 1970
0
HJ... you mentioned a local system. Something that pushes the reset
every 30 minutes when the temperature falls until it returns to normal.
You also mentioned that it could notify me of the problem. Do you know
if such a system is available? Many, many thanks, Pete

No, but my experience is that the bigger the loop, the bigger the problems.
So if it has to contact the internet, then you, then you have to tell it to
reset, and that has to go back over the net, the loop is too big.

What you want is a minimum temperature to be maintained AND you want to
know. This is two problems - reset the system AND log the events.

A system which relies only on AC power being on (which I assume is needed
for the boiler / pump to run) is best. So I would use a cheap thermostat
which closes the contacts mentioned "wires across the momentary low voltage
reset switch" -- simple and cheap. If you cannot hold the contacts closed
for technical reasons you could pulse them every 60 minutes with a simple
pulse timer -- hardware store type which can close the switch every half
hour or similar (type with sliding pins). Or something like
http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FK407 could be modified to do a 5 minute
pulse every half hour.

As for logging the events, I am sure there is a sensor system off the shelf
which could email you a summary of the temperature hour by hour, every day.
 
J

John

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks gentleman; great suggestions. Yes, HJS, the propane boiler is a
Munchkin. John, I found the website and the internet relay switches are
very reasonably priced. Sounds like an inexpensive way to reset the
system via internet. I isolated and soldered wires across the momentary
low voltage reset switch and pulled them out to the outside of the case
for access. This in no way compromises the high voltage side of things
or the gas (propane) circuitry. I could hook a relay to these wires to
"press the reset." Just have to figure out the internet-relay
connection side of things.

The web relay device has an optically isolated input, so it could
sense that failure line by means of an isolator such as this one:
http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=7936+RL
The SSR input accepts 120VAC and is optically coupled to a transistor
switch that provides a low-going output (switch to ground) when the
input voltage is applied.

You would have to check the device via the web to detect a problem -
as long as you remember to do it each day ;-)

Alternative solutions might include a fault detector of some type,
plus a delay timer (whatever is reasonable for thunderstorm-caused
outages), plus a relay to operate the reset switch at the end of the
timeout period. I can see doing this with a $3 microcontroller chip,
the SSR (above), and a few other parts. If you're interested in this
solution, send email to piaxe AT jecarter DOT com

If power outages are a problem, then backup power (SLA battery?)
should be provided for whatever alert/reset system you use.
 
John:

Thanks again for all of your help. I'm back home for a week and am
attempting to finish the boiler reset circuitry you gave me advice
about. As you suggested, I got the WebRelay internet controlled switch
and associated components. As you also mentioned, I need a way to
access the WebRelay device via the web, but my ISP provides only
dynamic IP addresses. The WebRelay must be assigned a static IP
address. You mentioned DMZ (my router has this capability) and DYNDNS
as a way to do this. Could you refer me to a basic guide or literature
that would allow me to understand how this works and how to set this
up?
Are there any online courses that I could access/enroll in that would
teach me this content? I am in the process of searching internet
sources for this information. I am assuming that using these entities
allows me to access a static WebRelay IP address behind my router
despite the fact that my provider offers only dynamic IP addresses.
Many thanks for your efforts.

Best regards, Pete

John wrote:
 
S

Si Ballenger

Jan 1, 1970
0
John:

Thanks again for all of your help. I'm back home for a week and am
attempting to finish the boiler reset circuitry you gave me advice
about. As you suggested, I got the WebRelay internet controlled switch
and associated components. As you also mentioned, I need a way to
access the WebRelay device via the web, but my ISP provides only
dynamic IP addresses. The WebRelay must be assigned a static IP
address. You mentioned DMZ (my router has this capability) and DYNDNS
as a way to do this. Could you refer me to a basic guide or literature
that would allow me to understand how this works and how to set this
up?
Are there any online courses that I could access/enroll in that would
teach me this content? I am in the process of searching internet
sources for this information. I am assuming that using these entities
allows me to access a static WebRelay IP address behind my router
despite the fact that my provider offers only dynamic IP addresses.
Many thanks for your efforts.

Best regards, Pete

You set up your router to foward the desired incomming traffic on
the desired port to the webrelay gizmo. You use a dynamic IP
service like www.no-ip.com to handle the dynamic IP issue.
 
J

John

Jan 1, 1970
0
John:

Thanks again for all of your help. I'm back home for a week and am
attempting to finish the boiler reset circuitry you gave me advice
about. As you suggested, I got the WebRelay internet controlled switch
and associated components. As you also mentioned, I need a way to
access the WebRelay device via the web, but my ISP provides only
dynamic IP addresses. The WebRelay must be assigned a static IP
address. You mentioned DMZ (my router has this capability) and DYNDNS
as a way to do this. Could you refer me to a basic guide or literature
that would allow me to understand how this works and how to set this
up?
Are there any online courses that I could access/enroll in that would
teach me this content? I am in the process of searching internet
sources for this information. I am assuming that using these entities
allows me to access a static WebRelay IP address behind my router
despite the fact that my provider offers only dynamic IP addresses.
Many thanks for your efforts.

Best regards, Pete

Pete,

You set up an domain name with dyndns (call it petesplace.homeip.net).
Then the dyndns service gets the current IP of your home internet
connection and associates the current IP address with the domain name
(you'll need something to activate the internet connection on a
regular basis - having a PC check mail every few hours will work and
ancient laptops are cheap).

Your access to the IP relay would be via the router, pointing requests
for whatever port(s) the relay uses (call it 81) to the local IP
address (say 192.168.1.33) of the relay.

You would put http://petesplace.homeip.net:81 in the remote browser
and the router would connect you to the IP relay.

Note that I haven't tried this - I don't have an IP relay - but it's
the same process used for VPN and gaming.

The IP relay may have to be in the router's DMZ for this to work.

John
 
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