this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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Correct way to control Sidewalk Heating Mats (lemmy.today)
submitted 11 months ago by Buelldozer@lemmy.today to c/homeassistant@lemmy.world
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I ordered some sidewalk heating mats from HeatTrak and I want to automate them with HA so that they come on when it makes sense to do so based on the data from my Tempest Weather Station.

According to HeatTrack my mats will have a combined resistive load of 5A which is well within the spec of the Zooz ZEN05 or ZEN14, both rated for 15A resistive loads, but when I asked them about it they did not recommend using either of them with heated mats. They couldn't, or wouldn't, explain why and it doesn't make sense to me why this wouldn't work.

My next thought was to simply swap the outlet to something smart but this is an outdoor outlet so it needs to be GFCI and there's essentially no Z-Wave GFCI outlets made.

Do I really need to use something like an Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus 40-Amp contactor for this or am I missing something here?

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[–] theamigan@lemmy.dynatron.me 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

My guess is that they see their device controlling a heating element of unknown (to them) provenance as a liability. My zen15 manual specifically has a warning against using it with heaters.

CAUTION This is an electrical device - please use caution when installing and operating the Power Switch. Remote control of appliances may result in unintentional or automated activation of power. Do NOT use this Z-Wave device to control electric heaters or other appliances which produce the risk of fire, burns, or electrical shock when unattended.