Z-Wave Home Automation - is there a better way to do this?

[hooper35]

I have a house which I am trying to control remotely. It is in danger of freezing in cold weather so I want to be able to turn the electric water heater on remotely, drain the water system remotely and to turn on the the underfloor heating remotely.

I would like to ask for some help on how to do this. I am thinking of doing the things below. My starting point is, I think, to get a micasaverdi vera controller (ie z wave as my standard).

1. Turning on a water heater - I am thinking of using a high current relay with something like a Düwi Z-Wave Built-in Switch

2. Draining water using the same type of switch connected to a standard heating actuator that opens and closes a tap when activated. I would need three of these (to turn off the stopcock, to drain the hot water and to drain the cold water)

3. Turning on electric under floor heating - This I don't know how to do. I would like to find a z-wave DIN fuse that can take high loads.

My question is - are there better ways to do 1 & 2, and how do I do 3?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So you want to drain all the water and turn the water heater on?

Doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

 

[flameport]

Remote control will be useless to avoid freezing, since how will you know if the temperature is too low at this remote property? Or if you forgot to switch the things on when it got cold. Or if the internet connection at the property is bust.

1&3 would be better resolved by fitting frost thermostats to the equipment.

2 will go wrong in a very expensive way. Don't even consider it.

 

[ericmark]

I would agree then number of times I have phoned my mother during the winter only 5 miles away and the weather is very different means local control is a must.

I changed my thermostat to one of these

though an older model and changing the batteries every year it has done well. Instead of switching on and off it switches between temperatures so heating is never off. OK does rely on a battery so the old frost thermostat idea likely safer.

The idea of pre-warming house before you get home is well served with the remote switching but no protection of the house.

Draining water does not work there is always some water stuck some where and unless designed to drain from start then likely water will still be where it can freeze and burst a pipe and because the quantity is less in fact more likely to happen.