FAQ

FAQ

Can one plug monitor two appliances?

No. WashData needs one power sensor per appliance. On a shared plug the two power curves add up, so cycles merge and no program can be recognised. Give each appliance its own plug. See Smart-Plugs.

My appliance has no programs (air fryer, slow cooker). Does it still work?

Yes. Pick Air Fryer where it fits, or Threshold Device for anything else. You still get start and end detection, duration, energy and cost per cycle, and notifications.

Time remaining and progress need a recognised program. If you cook the same thing often ("Fries, 200 °C, 15 min"), record it once as a profile and WashData will recognise it next time. Otherwise leave it without profiles.

I soak my laundry. How do I stop the soak from ending the cycle?

• A soak you start yourself: press Pause (button.<name>_pause_cycle, or the ha_washdata.pause_cycle service) before you leave the machine. The cycle stays open as user_paused until you press Resume.
• A soak built into the program: set Min Off Gap above the longest quiet spell in the program. Once the program is recognised, WashData also waits as long as that program's own recorded runs ever paused.

What should my automation trigger on?

For "tell me when it is done", use binary_sensor.<name>_running going from on to off. It stays on for the whole cycle, through soaks, pauses and the end wait.

triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.washing_machine_running
    from: "on"
    to: "off"
actions:
  - action: notify.mobile_app_my_phone
    data:
      message: "The washing machine is done."

Do not trigger on the state sensor turning off: after a cycle it goes to finished, clean or idle first. For the program, duration, energy or cost in the message, trigger on the ha_washdata_cycle_ended event instead. Everything else is on Notifications-and-Events.

How does WashData decide a cycle has ended?

1. Power drops below the Stop Threshold. After a short quiet spell the state is paused, then ending.
2. Power coming back above the threshold resumes the cycle (running).
3. The cycle finishes when power has stayed low for Off Delay or Min Off Gap, whichever is longer, and no more than End Energy was used in that time.
4. With a recognised program it can finish sooner: Smart Termination ends it once the program's usual length is reached, and the quiet wait follows that program's own recorded pauses.

Special cases: a dishwasher waits for its final pump-out; a dryer or washer with anti-wrinkle shows anti_wrinkle while the drum tumbles after the end; an appliance that stops on its standby draw shows paused (Stalled) and continues when it resumes.

How a cycle is stored:

Status	When
completed	it ended normally (state finished)
interrupted	shorter than Min Cycle Duration (10 min by default), or a recognised program lost power long before its usual end. No "finished" notification.
force stopped	you pressed Force End, the plug stopped reporting for the No-Update Timeout, or it ran over 8 hours

The cycle ends too late or too early

• Too late: usually a slow plug (see Smart-Plugs) or a large Off Delay. Settings shows suggestions from your own cycles.
• Too early or split in two: raise Min Off Gap above the longest quiet spell inside the program.

What each setting does: Settings-Visual-Guide.

Why does it say "detecting..." or show the wrong program?

There is no profile for that program yet, or two profiles look alike. Label a few runs in Cycles; 3-5 corrections usually sort out look-alike programs such as two temperatures of the same wash. While it is unsure, the Overview tab shows the two leading programs.

Why does the state say idle and not off?

The appliance is drawing standby power (its display is on). It shows off once it is really switched off.

Does WashData send my data anywhere?

No. Everything runs inside Home Assistant. The only online feature is the optional Community-Store, off by default.

How do I back up a device?

Panel > Advanced > Diagnostics > Export / Import. See Export-and-Import.