Tutorials

"Failsafe" ESPHome Fireplace Controller

0 0 Intermediate
When asked what smart switch to use to control their gas fireplace, you see a lot of replies "do you want to be one software bug away from your fireplace turning on?" Granted, modern gas fireplaces have safeties in place to prevent un-lit open valves, runaway heating, etc., but some people would still rather have a hardware switch standing between them and fire. This project aims to be the best of both worlds: by running 5v power to the low-voltage switch box holding my fireplace wall switch (in my case, this involved pulling 5-conductor thermostat wire using the existing 2-conductor wire), you can power an ESP board running ESPHome. By running the actual thermostat switch signal through both a DPST and a (ESPHome-controlled) 3v relay, we can be sure that the fireplace is only "active" if the manual switch is turned on.