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    cold weather affecting X10 hardware?

    I live in Syracuse, NY where it is really really really cold right now and have gotten several feet of snow. One of my socketrockets stopped working today, it's located outside, but inside a plastic reindeer, which is "closed/insulated", so snow/water can't get to it.

    The only other thing I can think of is the cold weather since at the same time, my powerflash unit in the garage to monitor the garage door seems to be unreliable now (the garage hasn't been finished, so it is as cold in there as it is cold outside). Is this a known problem, or do I have other issues?
    HSPRO 2.4 (ESXi 4.1) | my.Alert NEW | my.Trigger | HSTouch | ACRF2 | UltraM1G | BLWeather | BLLan | Rover
    (aka xplosiv)
    Do You Cocoon? Home Automation News, Tutorials, Reviews, Forums & Chat

    #2
    I've been having problems with my powerflash not registering my garage door state when it closes. I was doing this for years at another house and the cold didn't affect the reliablity of the set-up (It wasn't reliable year 'round [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img])

    Now I have a new home (same area) and a whole lot of X-10 amps/bridges/etc make things very reliable. Garage door said it was open all night although visually is was closed. Could it be 8 degF and the powerflash or contacts?

    I also put Appliance modules outside to run Christmas lights. Plug 'em into the house and leave them alone. They work great all the time. Cold doesn't seem to affect those.

    -John

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      #3
      Its probably the combination of the cold and dampness together making the appliance module unreliable. As far as the SocketRocket goes, these things are flaky under the best conditions let alone cold./damp weather.

      -Rupp
      ...One Nation Under GOD, Indivisible, With Liberty And Justice For All.
      💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

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        #4
        well my outside appliance module (in a ziplock bag) works fine, that's the weird part, but the Powerflash unit (works 99%) and socketrocket (which doesn't work at all anymore, and has only been outside for 2 days) are the ones acting up.

        I got a second socketrocket, I ran out of appliance/light modules, and had 2 socketrockets left, so if this doesn't work I will have to walk in the snow at night to turn the christmas lights off.
        HSPRO 2.4 (ESXi 4.1) | my.Alert NEW | my.Trigger | HSTouch | ACRF2 | UltraM1G | BLWeather | BLLan | Rover
        (aka xplosiv)
        Do You Cocoon? Home Automation News, Tutorials, Reviews, Forums & Chat

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          #5
          I have a number of x10 appliance and lamp modules that work fine in weather down to 0 degrees F. I also use the x10 cameras without problems. I don't have any socket rockets. The only thing I have had problem with is when moisture is a problem. I have found that the answer is to provide ventilation for the power units (rather than sealing them in a bag where I often found a lot of condensation buildup)

          Comment


            #6
            Hi,
            The other thing to watch out for on the Socket rockets is bulbs burning out. If a light bulb burns out, it takes out the Socket Rocket. The surge is too much for the small triac. X10 has replaced a couple of these for me as they know about the problem. I figured the best bet for these might be a 110 led light which would never burn out. And then use it as a night light.
            Stuart

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              #7
              I got tired of replacing Socket Rockets every time a light bulb burned out. I refuse to use them any more. I went to using the bigger (Ugly) screw in versions, but only in my garage and basement. X10.com would only replace one my Socket Rockets, so I was out a few bucks few each one of those that eventually blew out.

              They did not, however, seem to be affected by the cold Chicago winters.

              Bryan Nystrom
              Natara Software, Inc.

              Comment


                #8
                Well found out the problem when wiring more xmas lighting, appearantly our "rudolf" had a mini fuse or something built into the plug, and had to be reset. So now it's just my powerflash module that is acting up. I got my socketrockets for free (don't remember how or why), but I will be sure to stay away from them now that I hear all these problems with them.
                HSPRO 2.4 (ESXi 4.1) | my.Alert NEW | my.Trigger | HSTouch | ACRF2 | UltraM1G | BLWeather | BLLan | Rover
                (aka xplosiv)
                Do You Cocoon? Home Automation News, Tutorials, Reviews, Forums & Chat

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                  #9
                  well my powerflash unit hasn't worked at all anymore now, so either it is totally dead or it's the cold (which is when the problem started). The unit is relatively new. Would wrapping this unit into bubblewrap/insulating material help this unit from "freezing", or should I just give up on monitoring my garage door during the winter?
                  HSPRO 2.4 (ESXi 4.1) | my.Alert NEW | my.Trigger | HSTouch | ACRF2 | UltraM1G | BLWeather | BLLan | Rover
                  (aka xplosiv)
                  Do You Cocoon? Home Automation News, Tutorials, Reviews, Forums & Chat

                  Comment


                    #10
                    How cold does your garage get? Another suggestion. If you have a plug-in "up" by the opener move the power flash up there. All the heat rises and its closer to a floor maybe.

                    -Rupp
                    ...it was a holy night.
                    💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

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                      #11
                      Try putting the powerflash in an insulated sock that runs on batteries. You might want to leave room for it to get air, but not enough to let all the heat out. Don't know if this would work, but it sounds logical. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

                      Another thing you could try is plugging in a night light under the powerflash that stays on. The heat from the bulb might put off enough heat to keep the powerflash working.???? It would have to be some serious heat though, maybe the night light isn't a good idea after all but the sock idea could work. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

                      Jerry

                      [This message was edited by Jerry Coleman on Thursday, 12 December 2002 at 12:55 AM.]
                      ________
                      Vaporizer wiki
                      Last edited by Jerry Coleman; May 15, 2011, 10:44 PM.

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                        #12
                        have you tried taking it inside to see if it works when it warms up? I have a bunch of stuff outsite, and although not yet a powerflash, all have been fine in the cold - tested down to almost 0 F.

                        It might just be the unit - not the cold. If it is the cold, I have used a small lightbulb from a christmas tree string to keep things warm.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          garage gets as cold outside (I got snow in my garage right now lol), I think the lowest we have gotten is around 0F, but it's a little warmer now (30-40). All my other x10 hardware works outside just fine, it's just this module. It's plugged in where my garage opener is plugged into (ceiling), I think taking it inside and then test it is a very good idea. If that works, then I will have to run a longer drop of cat5 from my garage door to my heated basement tho which I was trying to avoid. Thanks for the suggestions guys, will try all of them.
                          HSPRO 2.4 (ESXi 4.1) | my.Alert NEW | my.Trigger | HSTouch | ACRF2 | UltraM1G | BLWeather | BLLan | Rover
                          (aka xplosiv)
                          Do You Cocoon? Home Automation News, Tutorials, Reviews, Forums & Chat

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I live in Saskatchewan in Canada. Although Canadians don't really live in Igloo's we could. It gets to around -40 (C or F it doesn't matter at that temp). My X10 stuff in my garage stops working at those temps, including my XCam2. What I did was make a small box out of 2" sterofoam and put in a 7 watt night night controlled by a thermostat. The XCam2 just 'peeks' out a 1/2 inch hole and it stays nice and warm. I now have images year round. My motion sensor is also mounted in the same box.

                            The same approach could be done to help any other module work in a cold climate.

                            Bryan
                            (Config is in my profile)
                            Bryan
                            (Config is in my profile)

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                              #15
                              I have a similar setup here in Ontario....it gets down to -20 F (-30 C) here. I have xcams in birdhouses where they 'peak' out the hole - and have a Christmas light inside for heat. Last winter I tested cameras - some with and some without the bulb. I had no trouble with those that were not protected.

                              At what temperature did you find the xcams stopped working - and what happened - was it deteriorating quality of the pictures, or did they not transmit at all?

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