# Washing Machine State Machine

**URL:** <https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587>\
**Category:** Tutorials & Examples\
**Tags:** power\
**Created:** [October 22, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587 "2016-10-22T17:08:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/thomdietrich/32/71239_2.png) [@ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/u/ThomDietrich)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/1 "2016-10-22T17:08:32Z")

</div>

By following this tutorial, you will make your openHAB setup aware of the **current operation state of your washing machine** , dishwasher, dryer, toaster, doomsday machine, you name it. This solution is purely based on a power usage reading by one of the many available modules. The solution will allow you to react on certain state transition, e.g. sending a notification to your smartphone: **“Washing machine is finished!”**.

![](https://community-openhab-org.s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/f/f817d3083b390f1cebcef386b065396d3e9ed27b.png)

## Requirements

- power consumption measuring device, e.g. [Homematic HM-ES-PMSw1-Pl](http://www.elv.de/homematic-funk-schaltaktor-1fach-mit-leistungsmessung-zwischenstecker.html), [Sonoff Pow](https://www.itead.cc/sonoff-pow.html), …
- this rule was tested with openHAB 1.8 and openHAB 2.0
- no additional addons/bindings are needed (other than the one for your module)

Before continuing, please make sure that the device is connected to openHAB and is correctly providing usage data (Watts or Amps). Please be aware, that many devices have internal settings on how often and when to send new data. You do not need to tweak these in order for this solution to work, the reaction time might however be improved by doing so.

## Idea and State Details

The presented solution is build on the idea, that the power usage of most household devices will differ between their operation states. Let’s have a look at a typical washing machine. It’s easy to identify these three fundamental states: _Off - Standby - Active_. By taking the timely transition between these states into account, we can add one especially important state: _Finished_.  
One could even go one step further and differentiate between washing phases. These or other additional states can only be added, if information retrieved from our device is clear enough to always decide on the right state. While thinking about your needed states, it also doesn’t hurt to remember which events are actually important to you. 😉

## First Measurements

The first thing you have to do is taking one complete measurement series. Only by knowing the specific power consumption behavior of your device, you can later parametrize your rule. Here are two examples, one showing one run of my washing machine, the other shows the consumption of my dishwasher.

![](https://community-openhab-org.s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/4/497c4a306a1c8597d593548a46cb3b4ae5482d29.png)

![](https://community-openhab-org.s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/4/43410d95158694eda50a76a5d2d8abcc468100f8.png)

As you can see, the diagrams are very different. While the dishwasher diagram follows some acceptable pattern, the washing machine seems to be very unpredictable but even this diagram seems to consist of certain phases, which one “could” analyze.

### Sample Data and Diagrams

openHAB already collects all events received by registered items in the logging file `events.log`. Have your (washing) machine go though one full process and extract the usage data from the log. One example on how to do this on Linux:

```shell
grep "Washingmachine_Power changed" /var/log/openhab2/events.log

```

```plaintext
......
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 0.06 to 0.07
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 0.07 to 0.06
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 0.06 to 0.07
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 0.07 to 1.34
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 1.34 to 1.33
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 1.33 to 1.34
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 1.34 to 160.99
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 160.99 to 4.59
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 4.59 to 157.92
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 157.92 to 2154.860001
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 2154.860001 to 2257.259998
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 2257.259998 to 2160.779999
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 2160.779999 to 2158.700001
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 2158.700001 to 2266.509998
[...] Washingmachine_Power changed from 2266.509998 to 2155.84
......

```

You could now already analyze the data. It’s probably easier to do this by looking at a graph in your favorite tool (the diagrams above were created using [https://plot.ly](https://plot.ly)). Before you can do that, you need to extract the data to be used. You can do this on your favorite editor like [Notepad++](https://notepad-plus-plus.org/).

Converting the events log file output above on the fly into a CSV format (readable by Plot.ly or Excel) can be done with the following command:

```shell
grep "Waschmaschine_Power changed" /var/log/openhab2/events.log | sed 's/.[0-9]* \[ItemStateChangedEvent.* to /;/'

```

```plaintext
......
2016-10-22 20:13:29.095;135.17
2016-10-22 20:13:37.095;76.98
......

```

### Finding the Transition Points

Now you need to find consumption values to decide on, in which state the washing machine might be in. Judging by the log data above, it’s pretty obvious, that my washing machine is consuming little power when turned off (0.07W), a bit more when in Standby (1.34W) and way more when active. It’s important to find power values that are only measured when switching states but not when being in one state! Always leave some space for small deviation. **Finding the right values is the tricky part of this solution!**

The result for the washing machine from above is illustrated in the following state machine diagram:

![](https://community-openhab-org.s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/c/c59f994e56f13b4bc0f3eebbd0ab83b30c958399.png)

## openHAB Implementation

The shown state machine can now be transferred to openHAB in a simple and short way. No magic here 😉

**household-devices.items**

```php
Number Washingmachine_OpState "Washingmachine State [%d]"

```

**household-devices.rules**

```php
val Number MODE_OFF = 0
val Number MODE_STANDBY = 1
val Number MODE_ACTIVE = 2
val Number MODE_FINISHED = 3

rule "Washingmachine Consumption State Machine"
when
    Item Washingmachine_Power changed
then
    if (Washingmachine_Power.state < 0.2) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_OFF)
    else if (Washingmachine_Power.state > 10) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_ACTIVE)
    else if (Washingmachine_Power.state < 4.5) {
        if (Washingmachine_OpState.state == MODE_OFF) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_STANDBY)
        else if (Washingmachine_OpState.state == MODE_ACTIVE) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_FINISHED)
    }
end

```

That is basically it. You can now present the OpState item on your sitemap or react on transitions in rules. Example:

```php
rule "Washingmachine Notifications"
when
    Item Washingmachine_OpState changed
then
    if (Washingmachine_OpState.state == MODE_FINISHED) {
        pushover("Washingmachine finished!")
    }
end

```

![](https://community-openhab-org.s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/6/654eaaf78e2a87df31449754af33ebe6c4205a52.png)

### State oriented control flow

The above solution acts on the current power consumption as the main control flow element. For some a states oriented algorithm might be more intuitive or better suited. @BigMountainSki proposed a state oriented control flow in the following comment:

- [Washing Machine State Machine - #110 by BigMountainSki](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/110)

## Bouncy States and other Obstacles

The above solution can already be used. Depending on your machine you may see bouncing states, resulting in multiple state transitions with unwanted effects (e.g. multiple notifications). In this part we will look into a few ways to handle these smaller problems.

### Bouncy State Elimination using Delay

In the given washing machine example, the power reading surpasses the defined 4.5 Watts boundary a few times in the middle of the wanted active state. This can be handled by a simple time-based de-bouncing, using a lock ([ReentrantLock](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/locks/ReentrantLock.html), similar to a [“semaphore”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaphore_(programming))) and a delay.

**household-devices.rules**

```php
import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock

val Number MODE_OFF = 0
val Number MODE_STANDBY = 1
val Number MODE_ACTIVE = 2
val Number MODE_FINISHED = 3
var java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock finishLock = new java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock()

rule "Washingmachine Consumption State Machine (Extended)"
when
    Item Washingmachine_Power changed
then
    if (Washingmachine_Power.state < 0.2) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_OFF)
    else if (Washingmachine_Power.state > 10) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_ACTIVE)
    else if (Washingmachine_Power.state < 4.5) {
        if (Washingmachine_OpState.state == MODE_OFF) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_STANDBY)
        else if (Washingmachine_OpState.state == MODE_ACTIVE) {
            finishLock.lock()
            try {
                Thread::sleep(10000) // Debounce for 10 seconds
                if (Washingmachine_Power.state < 4.5) Washingmachine_OpState.postUpdate(MODE_FINISHED)
            } finally {
                finishLock.unlock()
            }
        }
    }
end

```

### Bouncy State Elimination using Persistence

> [@binderth](#):
>
> I came up with a different approach for detecting the machine states: If you’re using persistence, why not use historic data for this. So I use the `item.averageSince(AbstractInstant)` extension to get an average of the last minutes to check, if there’s just noise or if it’s really a change of state

Continue reading at:

- [Washing Machine State Machine - #71 by binderth](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/71)

## Node-RED Implementation

> [@Washing Machine State Machine](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/116):
>
> Hi All, this is defenitely a great thread about things weare able to do with openhab. I build a state machine as a rule in openHAB and it worked like a charm, but then i found the article about [NodeRed](https://community.openhab.org/t/tutorial-node-red-as-replacement-rules-engine/29509). Thanks to @rgerrans Because i heared often about NodeRed as one of THE IoT tools, i decided to give it a try. Installed NodeRed on an fresh openHABian installation (Thanks @ThomDietrich) and startet. It is really simple to work with NodeRed just open the broswer an goto [http://NodeRedServer:18…](http://NodeRedServer:1880/)

## Outlook

An alternative solution would be an event-based instead of a delay-based rechecking. If you got such a solution working for you, please share in the comments and I’ll make sure to include it 😉

Happy Hacking!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Max\_G](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/max_g/32/64598_2.png) [@Max\_G](https://community.openhab.org/u/Max_G)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 9:16am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/2 "2016-10-23T09:16:02Z")

</div>

Thank you for posting – very nice!

One question: Where did you get the icons from? 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/thomdietrich/32/71239_2.png) [@ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/u/ThomDietrich)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/3 "2016-10-23T16:54:58Z")

</div>

A bit off topic 😃 but sure. Here you go: [Washing Machine icon in Windows Metro Style](https://icons8.com/web-app/548/washing-machine)  
You’ll receive pngs for free but have to pay for svg. You can embed png in svg as a hack…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KjetilA](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/kjetila/32/841_2.png) [@KjetilA](https://community.openhab.org/u/KjetilA)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/4 "2016-10-23T18:27:01Z")

</div>

Very nice write-up indeed!

This is almost exactly what I have running to monitor my washing machine, clothes dryer and dishwasher. I started out by doing capture of a few cycles of each device just like you recommend (I did this by enabling persistence on the power measurement items and used HABmin to produce graphs for analysis).

As you point out, some appliances (especially washing machines) tend to have a lot of short periods of IDLE time during the program cycle (especially at the end). My solution to determine when the “program finished” was to use a timer.

Basically I have a rule that creates a timer every time the status goes from ACTIVE to IDLE. For my machine the timer is set to 5 minutes but this may differ for different products. When the timer expires, I post an event saying “Program finished”. Then I have another rule that cancels the timer whenever the status changes from IDLE (to either ACTIVE or OFF). The result of this is that if the machine is in IDLE state for 5 minutes, then this means that the program has finished.

This has been working well for me for quite some time (even across replacing my washing machine with a new model, :-)).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/thomdietrich/32/71239_2.png) [@ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/u/ThomDietrich)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/5 "2016-10-23T19:46:46Z")

</div>

Thanks Kjetil,  
I started by deliberately capturing a few cycles just like you said but then realized that it’s actually easier to just take what’s already there 🙂 Nothing against persistence or HABmin - using plotly was quite easy as I am already quite fond of it and you can do quick analysis there, see the minimal or maximum value, …

Regarding the timer solution: I have just the same setup with my automatic bathroom light activated for 30 minutes upon signal from the door contact.  
Did you see the solution based on classic debouncing I just added as an update? I _think_ it has the same effect but is a bit smaller.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KjetilA](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/kjetila/32/841_2.png) [@KjetilA](https://community.openhab.org/u/KjetilA)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/6 "2016-10-23T20:46:19Z")

</div>

> [@ThomDietrich](#):
>
> Did you see the solution based on classic debouncing I just added as an update? I think it has the same effect but is a bit smaller.

Yes, I did see it, and I certainly agree this is one way to do it. My washing machine, however, tends to have quite long periods of IDLE time followed by ACTIVE time before it is actually finished. The periods of IDLE time are in the range of several minutes, and I don’t like to have a rule sleep that long, 🙂 That is why I ended up with the timer approach, but as the saying goes; “There are many ways to skin a cat”…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/thomdietrich/32/71239_2.png) [@ThomDietrich](https://community.openhab.org/u/ThomDietrich)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/7 "2016-10-23T22:49:11Z")

</div>

Right you are 🙂  
Would you post a minimal working example as an alternative to the one above?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Marty56](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Marty56](https://community.openhab.org/u/Marty56)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/8 "2016-10-24T06:09:41Z")

</div>

I tried to use a similar approach.  
In my case the both the washing machine and the dryer have to use the same power plug.  
Both machines do not have a fixed cycle. The cycles depending on the washing program, the dirt and the wetness of the clothes.  
Simple state machine did not work.  
I turned out I had to program a coloration to determine the state which at the end never worked well and I finally gave up.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sihui](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/sihui/32/55674_2.png) [@sihui](https://community.openhab.org/u/sihui)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 6:14am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/9 "2016-10-24T06:14:59Z")

</div>

> [@martin\_klimke](#):
>
> have to use the same power plug.

Hopefully your cables are thick enough and you have some spare fuses 🕶 😁

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Seaside](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/seaside/32/70249_2.png) [@Seaside](https://community.openhab.org/u/Seaside)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:22am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/10 "2016-10-24T08:22:10Z")

</div>

Hi!

Very good with this tutorial. I was searching for this a month ago to get inspiration.  
I ended up with something very similar.

Some things about my design (if anyone else is implementing and want inspiration)

- I used the same state as mentioned by Thom.
- I’m using a timer when it is running to determine when it’s finished but only to allow it to be idle for ~10 mins  
if the state is running/active. The timer for me was basically used to know when to cut the power rather than  
prevention of state jumping
- I permitted the state machine to change state from active to idle while running, just because I think it’s interesting to see when it is idle during the program,
- I only pay attention to transitions of states, i.e if the state is the same like idle-idle or active-active i don’t do anything.
- I’m using locks just to be sure I don’t get two concurrent requests
- I turn the power off after the dishwasher/washingmachine as completed in order to save power, this can be tricky since you want to be able to start the with a timer. Sometimes I set my washingmachine to start in 10 hours.
- I Send reports with Start time, end time, running time, number of kwhs used, cost for the particular wash/drying-session in html format via email. This is done by checking the accumulated kwh:s when it is started and when it is finished, and multiply that with my current energy cost. (Fibaro has support for this). I only send reports if the running time is long than 20 mins (in order to avoid testing runs etc)

When developing and debugging I used MQTT to be able to post power updates like this:

```auto
rule "DebugDishWasher"
when 
    Item MqttDishWasherPower received update
then
    logInfo("MqttDishWasherPower", "Power: " + MqttDishWasherPower.state.toString)
    ZwaveDishWasherSensorPower.postUpdate(MqttDishWasherPower.state)
end

```

And can it that manner easily create scripts or use command prompt to test the state machine.  
Like:

```auto
mosquitto_pub -h SERVER -t openhab/debug/washingmachinepower -m "44.2"

```

In order to capture the cycles and states, I didn’t do anything sophisticated, I just printed the powerconsumption as debug info and then turned the washer on and off as well as started it, which was enough to determine the states.  
I’m using the same rules in for both the dryer, washingmachine and dishwasher in order to be able to reuse code for instance for the html reports.

My reports look like this:

**Dishwasher**  
**Started at:** 2016-10-23 19:50:09  
**Finished at:** 2016-10-23 21:53:45  
**RunningTime:** 2h 3m 35s  
**Consumption:** 0.92 kWh 1.012 SEK  
**Monthly:** 24.38 kWh 26.818 SEK

Regards, S

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/sipvoip/32/80394_2.png) [@sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/u/sipvoip)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/11 "2016-10-24T17:03:57Z")

</div>

Anyone else using GEMs and seeing 0s where you should see data?

```auto
2016-10-22 15:04:48.590 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:05:04.591 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:05:20.581 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2573.75
2016-10-22 15:05:36.582 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 756.938
2016-10-22 15:06:15.584 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1220.462
2016-10-22 15:06:31.585 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1034.438
2016-10-22 15:06:47.586 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 722.875
2016-10-22 15:07:03.587 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1022.625
2016-10-22 15:07:19.588 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 241.0
2016-10-22 15:07:35.588 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1449.438
2016-10-22 15:07:51.589 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:08:07.590 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1683.625
2016-10-22 15:08:23.581 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:08:39.582 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1634.563
2016-10-22 15:08:55.582 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 114.313
2016-10-22 15:09:11.583 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:09:27.584 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1767.75
2016-10-22 15:09:43.585 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:09:59.586 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 474.188
2016-10-22 15:10:15.587 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1008.375
2016-10-22 15:10:31.588 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:10:47.588 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1422.375
2016-10-22 15:11:03.589 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 38.688
2016-10-22 15:11:19.589 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:11:35.591 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 1703.438
2016-10-22 15:11:51.581 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2126.313
2016-10-22 15:12:07.582 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2120.125
2016-10-22 15:12:23.583 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2121.938
2016-10-22 15:12:39.584 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2119.813
2016-10-22 15:12:55.584 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2114.25
2016-10-22 15:13:11.585 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2111.813
2016-10-22 15:13:27.586 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2112.688
2016-10-22 15:13:43.587 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 2103.5
2016-10-22 15:13:59.588 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 922.625
2016-10-22 15:14:15.589 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0
2016-10-22 15:14:31.589 [INFO] [runtime.busevents] - Circuit_C02 state updated to 0.0

```

The 0.0s in the middle of the set are false since I know the pump is still on.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/sipvoip/32/80394_2.png) [@sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/u/sipvoip)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/12 "2016-10-24T17:18:18Z")

</div>

It would be nice to add SMS notification when finished, in my family more the one person does the laundry so you would need to have the UI ask for a selection of a person to SMS when finished that work work just for the current cycle.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Seaside](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/seaside/32/70249_2.png) [@Seaside](https://community.openhab.org/u/Seaside)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/13 "2016-10-24T19:24:20Z")

</div>

I’m sending email notifications to a selection of people. I’m using mqtt to send notifications and then have mqttwarn sending the actual mail.  
For me email is just as good as sms in terms of being a notifier. I know there are plenty of options in mqttwarn, not sure about sms though.

I guess a intelligent choice could be made depending on presence if you have that.

Regards s

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/sipvoip/32/80394_2.png) [@sipvoip](https://community.openhab.org/u/sipvoip)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/14 "2016-10-24T20:47:57Z")

</div>

I have a system working, but I would love some help on how I could clean it up.

system.items

```
String Notify_Message
String Notify_Person

```

notify.rules

```
rule "Notify"
when
  Item Notify_Person received update
then  
  logInfo("Notify", "Notify: " + Notify_Person.state + " - " + Notify_Message.state
  if (Notify_Person.state == "nathan") {
    sendMail("832330xxxx@mms.att.net", "OpenHab", "" + Notify_Message.state)
  } else if (Notify_Person.state == "beth") {
    sendMail("832215xxxx@mms.att.net", "OpenHab", "" + Notify_Message.state)
  } else if (Notify_Person.sate == "joshua") {
    sendMail("304579xxxx@mms.att.net", "OpenHab", "" + Notify_Message.state)
end

```

Is this a good way of dealing with notifications? I figured that it puts it all in one place and lets all rules set Notify\_Message and then Notify\_Person. On a update it pushes the message out to the right person.

appliances.items

```
Switch First_Washer "1st Floor Washer" <washer> (First_Laundry) 
String First_Washer_Notify
Switch First_Dryer "1st Floor Dryer" <dryer> (First_Laundry) 
String First_Dryer_Notify

Switch Second_Washer "2nd Floor Washer" <washer> (Second_Laundry) 
String Second_Washer_Notify
Switch Second_Dryer "2nd Floor Dryer" <dryer> (Second_Laundry) 
String Second_Dryer_Notify

```

appliances.rules

```
rule "First Washer State Machine"
when
  Item Circuit_C14 changed
then
  if (First_Washer.state == OFF && Circuit_C14.state > 10) {
    sendCommand(First_Washer, ON)
  } else if (First_Washer.state == ON && Circuit_C14.state < 10) {
    sendCommand(First_Washer, OFF)
    if (First_Washer_Notify.state != "null") {
      // Notify person the Washer is finished
      postUpdate(Notify_Message, "1st Floor Washer Finished")
      postUpdate(Notify_Person, First_Washer_Notify.state)
    }
    // Clear Notify
    postUpdate(First_Washer_Notify, "null")
  }
end

rule "First Dryer State Machine"
when
  Item Circuit_C13 changed
then
  if (First_Dryer.state == OFF && Circuit_C13.state > 10) {
    sendCommand(First_Dryer, ON)
  } else if (First_Dryer.state == ON && Circuit_C13.state < 10) {
    sendCommand(First_Dryer, OFF)
    if (First_Dryer_Notify.state != "null") {
      // Notify person the Dryer is finished
      postUpdate(Notify_Message, "1st Floor Dryer Finished")
      postUpdate(Notify_Person, First_Dryer_Notify.state)
    }
    // Clear Notify
    postUpdate(First_Dryer_Notify, "null")
  }
end

rule "Second Washer State Machine"
when
  Item Circuit_C15 changed
then
  if (Second_Washer.state == OFF && Circuit_C15.state > 10) {
    sendCommand(Second_Washer, ON)
  } else if (Second_Washer.state == ON && Circuit_C15.state < 10) {
    sendCommand(Second_Washer, OFF)
    if (Second_Washer_Notify.state != "null") {
      // Notify person the Washer is finished
      postUpdate(Notify_Message, "2nd Floor Washer Finished")
      postUpdate(Notify_Person, Second_Washer_Notify.state)
    }
    // Clear Notify
    postUpdate(Second_Washer_Notify, "null")
  }
end

rule "Second Dryer State Machine"
when
  Item Circuit_C17 changed
then
  if (Second_Dryer.state == OFF && Circuit_C17.state > 10) {
    sendCommand(Second_Dryer, ON)
  } else if (Second_Dryer.state == ON && Circuit_C17.state < 10) {
    sendCommand(Second_Dryer, OFF)
    if (Second_Dryer_Notify.state != "null") {
      // Notify person the Dryer is finished
      postUpdate(Notify_Message, "2nd Floor Dryer Finished")
      postUpdate(Notify_Person, Second_Dryer_Notify.state)
    }
    // Clear Notify
    postUpdate(Second_Dryer_Notify, "null")
  }
end

```

I don’t really like the appliances.rules, lots of duplication, but the way it works is if and only if someone wants to be notified they go to the sitemap and select the person to notify for each device. As long as more then one event does not hit the notify.rules at once things should be ok.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hipohop](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/d2c977/32.png) [@hipohop](https://community.openhab.org/u/hipohop)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/15 "2016-10-25T02:38:26Z")

</div>

Thanks for the nice post!  
You mentioned the Sonoff Pow Wifi Switch in the beginning. How can this be integrated with openhab? Is there a special binding available?  
Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sihui](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/sihui/32/55674_2.png) [@sihui](https://community.openhab.org/u/sihui)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:29am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/16 "2016-10-25T05:29:41Z")

</div>

> [@hipohop](#):
>
> How can this be integrated with openhab?

> [@ITEAD Sonoff switches and sockets - cheap ESP8266 Wifi+MQTT hardware](https://community.openhab.org/t/itead-switches-and-sockets-cheap-esp8266-wifi-mqtt-hardware/15024):
>
> ITEAD Smart Home Products These very cheap modules come with their special smartphone app but are all actually based on the famous ESP8266. It didn’t take long till the tinkerer community got a hold of that and started hacking. After opening up the cases, all you need to do is solder a few header pins and connect your FTDI breakout programmer. Alternative firmwares are ready to provide nice MQTT based Wifi SmartHome endpoints without the need to either pay a lot of mone…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![halloween](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/halloween/32/7493_2.png) [@halloween](https://community.openhab.org/u/halloween)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:54am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/17 "2016-10-25T10:54:29Z")

</div>

I used the rule from the first post (the second one with delay), but i always get this error:

```auto
2016-10-25 12:48:45.971 [ERROR] [o.o.c.s.ScriptExecutionThread] - Error during the execution of rule 'Washingmachine Consumption State Machine (Extended)': The name 'MODE_OFF' cannot be resolved to an item or type.

```

Do you know whats wrong?

I added the Washingmachine\_OpState to my items-file like you described in your example and corrected the rule to my own item-names. Also i copied the text of the rule-file including all “import” “val” and “var” to my rule-file.

Is waschinmachine\_opstate a string- or number-item? Is number-item right?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hipohop](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/d2c977/32.png) [@hipohop](https://community.openhab.org/u/hipohop)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 11:08am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/18 "2016-10-25T11:08:30Z")

</div>

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![halloween](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/halloween/32/7493_2.png) [@halloween](https://community.openhab.org/u/halloween)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/19 "2016-10-25T12:56:16Z")

</div>

Ok, i found out what was wrong:

“Number” was missing on top of the rule-file. It should be this way:

```php
val Number MODE_OFF = 0
val Number MODE_STANDBY = 1
val Number MODE_ACTIVE = 2
val Number MODE_FINISHED = 3

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![halloween](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/halloween/32/7493_2.png) [@halloween](https://community.openhab.org/u/halloween)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587/20 "2016-10-25T13:00:24Z")

</div>

Please can you show me your rule-file?

I have to add some long timer also. Sometimes washing mashine needs delay for 5-10 minutes. And it would be better to do this with a timer instead of simple pause the rule.

Because if i stay in front of the washing machine when it´s finished very quick - rule will still be paused until delay is over. When i do it with timer, rule will see the restart of the washing machine for the next run immediately.

[Next page](https://community.openhab.org/t/washing-machine-state-machine/15587.md?page=2)