Kenmore Smart Water Heater - First really usefull smart thing?

[henene4]

Just saw that and - reading that lots of you turn their water heater hotter then needed just for washing, or some having floods from water heaters - I think this smart thing could actually be more then just a gimmick.

What do you think? Usefull or not?

 

[mattl]

Actually I think it's a very good idea.  I know there are a number of aftermarket smart controls for electric water heaters, but I'm not aware of any that allow you to control the temp - but then I have not investigated them yet.

 

I'm in the middle of adapting my home to smart tech, I have modules to control lights and outlets, energy monitor, thermostat and security items installed at the moment along with an Amazon Echo.  I think that by linking many of the things we do together there can be appreciative energy savings.  Couple issues I see especially with adjusting the water heater temp for things like laundry is that it takes time to raise the temp of the water.  If you do your laundry every Monday at 11 AM, fine you can tell your system to adjust for that.  But for me it's a matter of when I feel like doing laundry,  I have no set pattern.  But that's me.For other things like morning showers and such that system can work quite well, especially if there is no one home during the day. 

 

I'm sure that there are those that will rale against the tech, but I see so many possibilities.  Cost is a major factor now, I did mine on the cheap - everything I bought was on clearance at very low prices or on sale at steep discount. But I have to say talking to my house makes some things easier.

 

[DADoES]

 
Useful for easier access to temp control but how many people will actively use it?  I don't think the video sufficiently clarifies that the WiFi module only works on units that are manufactured with the connection port on top.

 

[artcurus]

Wifi fails= No Hot Water, plus as someone else mentioned, with storage type water heaters, there's a recovery time involved.

Also-there's WAYY too much, pardon my french, shit, that's wireless now, and just another weak/hackable point in the Internet of Things.

Electric hot water heater when power goes out, you have at least some hot water.

Gas tankless water heaters are the bomb, but they are also subject to power outages. No electricity=no hot water.

 

[appnut]

Other than remote access, my Whirlpool Energy Smart water does all that.  I can easily access it to change water temp.  It uses usage patterns for best energy conservation.  Low temp and vacation modes too.

 

[frigilux]

I'm all for smart/internet-connected products, although concerns about hacking are real. I love my wi-fi enabled thermostat and use it daily when I'm ready to head home from work. My schedule is rarely the same from day to day, so a traditional programmable thermostat isn't of much use. I do, however, know how much damage could be done if someone were to hack the system and shut off the furnace in the middle of the winter.

I'm pretty sure the Kenmore water heater will continue to operate if there's a wi-fi outage. My furnace/AC thermostat does, anyway; you just can't control it remotely during outages.

There's a new refrigerator with built-in cameras so one can check to see what's needed when shopping. Samsung, maybe?

I wish the Maytag 8100's were wi-fi enabled. The tones that sound at the end of cycles can't be heard past the laundry room when the TV or music is playing. It would be helpful to be able to check on progress via the phone or iPad when in another part of the house--or get a phone alert at cycle's end.

The machines in the laundries at Disneyworld's resorts alert you via phone. I used that feature several times when I was there for a week back in March.

Obviously, we've lived just fine with non-smart appliances most of our lives; but the more I use things like the new Apple TV (Siri, find documentaries about Mel Blanc!) and services like Apple Music, the more I'm sold on connectivity/interconnectivity.

[this post was last edited: 7/13/2016-22:54]

 

[vacbear58]

Mel Blanc

Sorry for a bit of subject drift, but of all the stuff Mel Blanc did, this is a favourite of mine