Mastodawn

What's the best way to detect when I'm taking a shower?

https://lemmy.world/post/45061603

What's the best way to detect when I'm taking a shower? - Lemmy.World

I would like to turn on mood lighting automatically when I’m taking a shower, what’s the best way to detect that? * I’ve considered humidity sensors, but that will take a while to kick in and not immediately when the shower starts. * I’ve also considered a water leak sensor but those are not meant to be trigger every day for a long time like 10-15 minutes. That would kill the battery, right? * Smart valves can kind of work, but it feels like overkill because I don’t care about the valve functionality. I would prefer the solution to be battery powered (don’t want to be messing with too many cables around a shower), but I can’t seem to find one.

rumschlumpel 5d ago

I bet you can rig up something microphone-based, there’s tons of software nowadays for analyzing audio, and you don’t need to run the analyzing software on the device with the microphone anyway. Though the analyzing would likely take a little bit longer that you’d want it to.

Microphone is certainly an interesting choice I hadn’t thought of before at all. It’s something I can test easily, I’ll have to see how well it plays with music too. I’ll give it a shot

Without trying something similar yet, here are some ideas:

motion sensor on top of your shower
trying to detect the vibration of the water flow
a simple switch that you hit before you get into the shower

Good ideas, let’s see

motion sensor on top of your shower

That’ll detect my shower area motion not when shower in on. When I am cleaning the shower or sitting in a bathtub I don’t want mood lighting or other automations to be triggered.

trying to detect the vibration of the water flow

Vibration sensor can work but it’s a ceiling shower so I’ll have to see if I have enough space. This is the closest to a viable solution given my situation.

a simple switch that you hit before you get into the shower

Yeah that’s a fallback option, but I try to automate my home whenever I can and not perform manual tasks. I know my groggy morning self is forgetting to even hit this simple switch.

I would put a temperature sensor on the line feeding to your shower to trigger on a temperature rise, but it all depends whether it’s accessible somewhere. Setting your trigger to something like 33 degrees would mean it only triggers on warm showers, cold showers you’re on your own.

Also think of other times you “use” the shower, like cleaning it. Some methods will also be triggered then.

Yep. Sometimes these automations with all exceptions get so complicated that it’s easier to just put a small button somewhere.

slazer2au 5d ago

Would a battery powered smart switch be an option?

Hit the switch and let HA do a command series.

That’s a fallback option, but I try to automate my home whenever I can and not perform manual tasks. I know my groggy morning self is forgetting to even hit this simple switch.

Nicolas Hoizey 5d ago

@batshit I use a derivative of a humidity sensor, it works well enough and is really simple to set up.

Would it detect as soon as I start the shower or will it have a minute lag? Like I said, I want the automation to kick in as soon as I start.

Nicolas Hoizey 5d ago

@batshit I don’t have any automation based on that, just a card in my dashboard, so I didn’t check how long it takes. But it’s not instantaneous, for sure.

YourAvgDuckHead 5d ago

I’m also using a humidity sensor in my custom bathroom setup. It really detects the start of a shower quite fast. 10s to 30s I’d say, depending on the humidity before starting the shower.

But also I have a very small window-less bathroom, so you mileage may vary.

paraphrand 5d ago

This is a fun question.

I have to assume the absolute ideal would be some sort of water flow detection right in line with the shower head. Likely hard wired. But like I said, that’s an ideal.

I think the other suggestions in the thread are reasonable. The microphone one seems most appealing to me since that could theoretically just occupy an outlet anywhere in the room.

testaccount372920 5d ago

A waterflow sensor makes the most sense to me too, but it doesn’t have to be inside the pipes. A microphone glued to a pipe should be able to detect the vibrations due to waterflow and hardly anything else.

Perhaps combine with a motion sensor to see if the lights should be on at all. Then the microphone only switches between modes.

paraphrand 5d ago

Oh, good point. Water flow can be loud when you are right up on the pipe. You could also keep it from picking up other noise with insulation. And the detection might not have to be that fancy then. Just amplitude.

EarMaster 5d ago

You could also use the drain pipe if the actual water pipe is harder to reach. It would even work against false positives (I can clearly hear the washing machine letting in water through my water pipes)…

Rudy Gnodde 5d ago

@batshit Don't you notice getting wet? ;)

Seriously though, couldn't you use a water leak sensor for this? Just make sure if it has a speaker to disconnect that, unless you like a loud beeping found when you shower.

realitista 5d ago

I experimented with a humidity sensor in the shower and was surprised how quickly it spiked. It’s how I woud do it: Other option would be a leak sensor in the basin but getting it to turn off at the right time would be very hard. You have a lot more control over this with a humidity sensor.

BjoernAusGE 5d ago

@batshit Movement sensor in the shower ceiling? Maybe with a hood so it cant detect in the whole room?

Bauarbeiter* for Future 5d ago

@batshit so ein Quatsch

Prunebutt 5d ago

If you have a shower door: use a door/window sensor (on the outside). Trigger the mood light if the door was open for only a couple of seconds.

Still more complicated than hitting a switch, tho, IMHO.

Sadly, can’t do that because it will trigger when I’m cleaning the shower or just soaking in the bathtub

Prunebutt 5d ago

Then get creative with the sensor data. Look at the time it’s open when you shower compared to when you’re cleaning.

Or add a door sensor to the cleaning cabinet.

You can get a lot more out of a sensor than a boolean on/off, if you’re willing to analyse the data a bit. (Who needs a smart washing machine, if they can analyse the power usage?)

Or add an override button for when you don’t want the moodlight. Make the most common usage the default and use manual intervention when it’s not the usual occasion.

EDIT:
You’ll want to be able to easily override anything like that, anyways. When there’s some kind of reason to respond quickly (some emergency for example). You don’t want to be stuck with mood light, when you accidently slip and get injured (when you’re also naked and wet).

Blurntout 5d ago

Your individual shower habits might be predictable enough to if than your way to it with existing sensors.

If you track current draw on your boiler / water heater that would indicate a draw on hot water during time when you typically shower. You can add other checks for it to pass if you find too many false positives.

If you’re as glued to your phone as every one else alive atm a simple rfid / wireless charger or something you set your phone on when you strip for the shower triggering the event will likely be the most straight forward approach unless you bring your phone in the shower lol I’m occasionally guilty if the podcast is good enough 😅

brvslvrnst 5d ago

RFID tag would be the simplest IMO, because it would be the easiest habit to form 🙂

BorgDrone 5d ago

I would use something like this to measure water usage in combination with an presence sensor in the shower stall. Water flowing + someone present in shower stall = someone taking a shower.

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omarthemediocre 5d ago

I would just go with special button, the most straightforward simple solution you have direct control over. Also sometimes you might need to use the shower without mood lights and then system based on humidity or water flow will just be annoyance.

If you use some tools when showering, like brush or spung, you can make a contact sensor into the hook/holder (more work, probably need a custom 3D print), but should also work and you don’t need to press anything

eleijeep 5d ago

Made a flowchart for you:

< Do you feel wet? >
     |
     +-- yes --> < are you indoors? >
     |                |
     |                +-- yes --> < are you wearing pants? >
     |                |                      |
     |                |                      +-- yes --> [ you peed yourself ]
     |                |                      |
     |                |                      +-- no --> [ you're taking a shower ]
     |                |
     |                +-- no --> [ it's raining ]
     |
     +-- no --> [ you are not taking a shower ]

elephantium 3d ago

Look at the community name again

If you have a shower cubicle, could you put a door open sensor on it, and assume you’re showering if the door is closed? I think it’s normal to leave the doir open when not in use. It would probably also work if you had a shower curtain, so long as you always pulled it all the way closed in use.

I normally keep the door closed, but this is an elegant solution and I think I can work with this. Just gotta change my habit a bit

JustEnoughDucks 5d ago

OK, assuming your switch is also smart

Option 1: long-press/double function turns on both light and fan, that triggers an “I am going to shower” 5 minute delay where a humidity sensor senses when it is over and keeps the fan on until humidity is stabilized with the rest of the house.

Option 2: get a smart flow meter instead of a smart valve. Then you have useful statistics for shower water usage in addition to an instantaneous status. This has the side effect of the mood lighting turning on “late”

Option 3: get one or make an esphome + LD2410S on battery or plugged in close by, nobody goes in the shower for more than like 10 seconds without showering

Option 4: Time of Flight sensor outside of the shower pointing in to tell when the door/curtain is closed. If the ToF sensor is (for example) between 1.1m and 1.2m, the door/curtain is closed

Thanks for the many suggestions

Option 1: long-press/double function turns on both light and fan

Main lights are automated (I also have a presence sensor in the bathroom). Fan is automated 5 minutes after a person leaves the bathroom after staying for more than 5 minutes. That said, I do have smart switches and I can add the long press functionality. But that’s less automation, I will keep it as a fallback option if I can’t find a true automated solution.

Option 2: get a smart flow meter instead of a smart valve.

I would love to get one, but all Zigbee ones are out of stock. If you have any recommendations, I’ll be grateful

Option 3:

I have a presence sensor already, and I spend time near the shower area. Whether I’m cleaning or just soaking in the bathtub. So that can’t work.

Dan 🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺☁️5d ago

@batshit I tend to use the fact that I'm naked and wet as my cues.

I’ll try but I’m not the smartest tool in the shed

@dmakovec this is a state that HA can easily detect by comparing a photo with a snapshot of the shower camera. What? No shower camera? HA not used to its full potential, I say.

Dan 🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺☁️4d ago

@WilmBoerhout Perfect. No notes. 🤣

If it’s an electric shower, you can do what a salamander pump does and add some detection wires on the shower box’s on-switch. I appreciate you don’t want wires around the shower but it’s a fully direct “is the shower on” detector.

TrickDacy 5d ago

Electric shower…?

A shower that takes cold water from the mains and heats it with electricity. Common as muck in the UK.

TrickDacy 5d ago

That makes sense. I’m not sure we have those in the US. It does sound a bit like a euphemism for an execution method haha

@TrickDacy @KitB famous 1960’s LA band

I wanted an electric diverter but it was way too expensive so sadly I have to stick with manual buttons (it’s thermostatic though so I don’t mind)

Tomi the Slav and 1024 others 5d ago

@batshit I have 2 humidity sensors: one inside the bathroom and one outside, to calculate the reference hum. point (to adjust triggering on rain or dry weather). I can adjust the speed of detecting by moving the hum sensor (cheap xiaomi ble) near the shower. It triggers in several seconds and turns on the exhaust fan.

Honytawk 5d ago

Multiple waterproof 4k cameras pointed at your shower from every angle.

Don’t forget to use Wifi and no firewall

If someone wants to see my hairy ass they better have a 4k view of it

undefinedTruth 5d ago

I would go for a simple humidity sensor. You just need to do a bit of data collection first to get a baseline of “what taking a shower usually looks like” and then based on that create the automation.

The only problem with that is that depending on how accurate you want it to be, you may have to wait a while to take a few measurements until it triggers the automation.

For something like mood lights I would just use a ZigBee switch if I’m being honest though.

prettybunnys 5d ago

Motion sensor or light switch.

There are so many variables at play here.

mycodesucks 5d ago

Crossposted from showerthoughts

Vibration sensor that detects when water starts flowing through the shower head

lyralycan 5d ago

I use a humidity sensor, motion sensor and a helper that shows the change over a period of time. If the humidity raises fast and goes over a certain amount (unique, depending on your room’s climate) the bathroom automation changes tracks to hold the light at 100%, turn the extractor fan on, and well, how you stop the automation depends on you. I let it stay on for 15 minutes before waiting for motion. Small tips: Motion sensors typically use IR to see movement. If the room is too steamy it might struggle to see you. Also, it cannot penetrate glass. It must have a line of sight to you.

The best alt I think would be mmwave presence sensors, but they’re pricy and require a wired connection.

I already have a presence sensor (Tuya) in my bathroom. Maybe I can use that + humidity sensor, everyone is saying it’s faster than you expect so I’ll give it a shot.

nodiratime 5d ago

Maybe you can put a door sensor on the cabin too.

CanIFishHere 5d ago

Not sure if you have access to the pipes leading to the shower, but the droplet does what you’re looking to do.

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This is perfect, but I’m not in the US :( I’ll see if I can get it imported.

RattlerSix 5d ago

Motion sensor positioned really close to the shower controls so it doesn’t see anything but them/your hand moving.

The bigger question might be how do you turn it off? I like the vibration sensor on the shower head

OhVenus_Baby 5d ago

How about a simple on off toggle inside your shower handle? Stupid simple and works anytime the waters turned on.

I … Didn’t think of that. I don’t have a lever shower but placing a simple button inside the niche for toiletries is such a simple solution. I’ll look for some IP67 buttons.

EarMaster 4d ago

I feel tricked…

EarMaster 5d ago

You could use a classic dead man switch: Place several buttons around the whole place - basically everywhere except in the shower. Once you stop pressing any of these buttons for - let’s say - 30 seconds you can assume you’re taking a shower.