emonTX: External use: condensation?

Submitted by charliemic on Fri, 06/12/2013 - 14:14

Hi all,

Has anyone had much luck using the EmonTX outside? I noticed the Beehive project;

http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/node/102

I want to locate my emonTX in my gas meter box, which sits outside. I could also use this position for external temperature monitoring. I would use the battery pack to power the unit.

I'm worried about condensation during cold weather. I suppose the unit puts out a little heat, so if I put it in an insulated box this should be enough to keep the temp above dewpoint.

Anyone got experience of this?

Chris

Re: emonTX: External use: condensation?

Submitted by Jérôme on Fri, 06/12/2013 - 14:35.

I'm doing precisely this for gas metering and temperature.

I never thought of condensation. My TX is in the plastic case sold in the shop.

My main issue with the cold is that it affects the battery's performance. I'm exploring ways to circumvent this:

http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/node/2164

I had to adapt the software, and I'm not done yet. I'm interested in how you proceed. Are you counting pulses ? How ?

Re: emonTX: External use: condensation?

Submitted by charliemic on Fri, 06/12/2013 - 22:34.

I haven't got it running yet, but planning to count pulses using hall effect sensor. I'll let you know how I get on. How about you? Is the gas metering working ok?

I don't have the cover from the shop- I'm too much of a cheap skate. But I will make something up using some plastic sheeting I have lying around and insulate with polystyrene. You shouldn't need much insulation to keep it warm even if there's only a very small amount of power being drawn.

Regarding temperature, do you measure it inside the gas box or outside? I know from my job that external temperature sensors should be placed on a north wall so that they don't receive the sun directly (causing inflated temperature readings). My gas box is on the east wall so would get quite a bit of sun, or I could put it inside the box.

Chris

Re: emonTX: External use: condensation?

Submitted by Jérôme on Sat, 07/12/2013 - 12:05.

The TX is inside the box. It's oriented to the west.

See my profile for the Hall effect sensors and Reed switches tests. Only one Reed switch worked. I couldn't get it to work with the Hall effect sensors I tried. The Reed switch that works seems reliable.

I did a little bit of code but it's not fully functional, so it's a bit early to share it. Besides, I'm afraid I might have taken a wrong approach. It seemed straightforward, but there are actually quite a few ways of doing it.

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