Protect and Monitor Your Beer Fridge With Samsung SmartThings!
I have Samsung SmartThings installed in my home. SmartThings requires a central hub. That hub communicates with other… SmartThings. Loads of compatible devices using a number of protocols are available from multiple vendors. Search Amazon for “smartthings” to see what’s out there. After these things are connected, you can program automations or routines that define how they operate under certain conditions. All of this is interoperable with other platforms like Google Home and Alexa.
This post is about using SmartThings to help protect and monitor your beer fridge. To do that, I use two things – A SmartThings Hub and a Multipurpose Sensor.
The Multipurpose Sensor can do several things including monitor temperature, monitor the open and close status and sense vibrations.A look at the Multipurpose SensorInitially I had planned to use the open/close sensing feature of this sensor for this project. However, the space between the body of my beer fridge and the door itself was too large. Fortunately, this sensor also detects vibration. That means my setup was as easy as placing this in the door. Depending on your refrigerator, you may be able to use the open/close sensor.
Monitoring Beer Fridge Access
Here you can see an alert that my beer fridge was opened. Setting that up is as easy as setting up an Automation task in SmartThings to send an alert when vibration is detected. I found this to be a fairly reliable system although I did get some false positives. Example, I periodically received notice when the freezer door was opened. Playing with the sensor location and orientation could help with that.Programming this alert is straightforward. I Just added an automation that is activated when vibration is detected. I chose to “send notification to members” which sends a notification to users of the app. Text message notifications are also an option.
Monitoring Beer Fridge Temperature
The Multipurpose Sensor also monitors temperatures. Super handy to make sure your kegerator or keezer is doing it’s job.You can also take action based on temperature. This screenshot shows an alert I received telling me my beer fridge was too warm. I set the threshold temp to 10 to trigger this alert as you can see from the notification. That’s just so I could get a screenshot, of course, you’d want to choose a reasonable temp.
Programming this alert is straightforward. I Just added an automation that is activated when the Multipurpose Sensor goes above a certain set point. In this case, 40 degrees. You could just as easy write another automation to let you know if it gets too cold. I chose to “send notification to members” which sends a notification to users of the app. Text message notifications are also an option.
Conclusions
If you’re already using SmartThings, this is a fun and inexpensive application. It’s easy to set up and gives you some good info.
Part of our “Homebrew Hacks” Series of Posts! Full Lineup…
- Building a Dry Hopper for Corny Kegs – Dry Hop Under Pressure!
- Savogran Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) – on sale for $9.99, volatile + DIY Homebrew Cleaner Recipe
- Make an E-Paper Tap Handle!
- Adding a Tri-clamp Fitting to a Homebrew Keg Lid!
- Using a Tire Inflator To Check for Keg Leaks
- Control Your Kegerator Or Fermentation Chamber With Samsung SmartThings!
- Monitoring Kegerator or Fermentation Temps With Samsung SmartThings
- Using a Keg as a CO2 Source for Portable Serving!
- Setting Economy Inline Regulators with a Spunding Valve
- Convert Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs to Push to Connect
- Adding a Schrader Valve to a Homebrew Keg
- Homebrew Hack: Mimicking Dual Stage Temp Control with a Single Stage Controller
- Mark II Keg and Carboy Washer Mod – Adding a Stainless Steel CIP Spray Ball
- Using the Grainfather to Clean Draft Lines
- Convert Your Mark II Keg & Carboy Washer to a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump!
Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds
Our Top Draft Resources!
Check our our Top Draft Related Resources- The Most Difficult Spot to Check for CO2 Leaks
- Keg O-Ring Materials Selection! – EPDM, Silicone and Buna-N?
- Why Do I Have Bubbles in My Beer Line? Diagnosing and Fixing Kegerator Foam Problems
- Five Benefits of Using Corny Kegs As Fermenters
- Rebuilding & Reconditioning Homebrew Kegs!
- Food Safe Replacement Keg O-Rings in Bulk
- Hands on Review: Kegland DuoTight Fittings & EVABarrier Tubing!
- Why Won’t My Homebrew Keg Carbonate? Fixing Draft Beer Carbonation Problems
- What Does a Flow Control Faucet Do?
- Upgrade Your Kegerator – 6 Improvements!
- Serve Homebrew on Any Kegerator & Convert Commercial Kegerator to Homebrew
- Tips and Gear for Growler Filling
- What’s the Difference Between Ball Lock Kegs and Pin Lock Kegs?
- Checking for Draft System CO2 Leaks – Using The Pressure Gauge Method
- Tip: Consider Oetiker Stepless Clamps for Kegerator Gas and Beer Lines
- Hands On Review: Inkbird ITC-308 Dual Stage Temperature Controller +WiFi Version
- Universal Poppets Tips and Tricks!
- Convert Your Mark II Keg & Carboy Washer to a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump!
- Step by Step: Finding and Fixing Keg CO2 Leaks
- Kegerator Beer Line Temperatures & Reducing Foam with a Recirculating Fan
- Kegging CO2 Use Estimations and Calculations
- Step by Step: Balancing Your Kegerator Draft System
- Building a Simple Ball Lock Draft Line Flushing Setup
- Build a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump
- Home Brew Keg Roundup – New & Used, 5 and 2.5 Gallon & More!
- Damp Kegerator? Fix Kegerator Condensation
- Portable Draft Beer Serving Options!
- Homebrew Temp Controller Roundup! – Kegerator and Fermentation – concepts, applications and models
- Bulk Keg Orings and Keg Repair Part Numbers
This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!
greatdealsMake sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application. Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application. Always read and follow manufacturer directions.
toppost:stbeerfridge tag:tpr