U by Moen Shower App controlled shower - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 02:05:22 am
content: This is a joke, right? Was it released on April 1st?Question 1: How many immersible, waterproof smartphones are there?Question 2: How many people will immediately think what fun it will be to turn the shower to cold while someone is under it?

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 02:11:10 am
content: No joke......

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 02:19:35 am
content: The human race has reached the pinnacle of it's existence and can only go downhill at this point.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 12:01:09 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on October 19, 2018, 02:05:22 amQuestion 3: How long will it last?The plumbing fixtures in my house are many decades old and haven't given any problems. Repair parts are still available and cheap.Maybe the plumbing companies are finally getting on board the idea of planned obolescence...

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 12:11:52 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on October 19, 2018, 02:05:22 amWorse, it could fail hot, causing serious burns.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 12:25:00 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 19, 2018, 12:11:52 pmI have my water heater set on the hot side (hotter than the energy star recommended mark) and it would still take a significant amount of time for the water to cause “serious burns”, far longer than is likely from a failure of any point of use mixing valve.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 12:30:09 pm
content: I'm having a serious case of Poe's Law.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 12:47:42 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on October 19, 2018, 12:25:00 pmGood for you, but my hands have been scalded before by the hot taps in some buildings, so a hate to think what would have happened if it had been a shower. I agree, don't have the water temperature set too high and it shouldn't happen, but the real world is different.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 01:29:35 pm
content: I've had an app controlled shower for 3 years, my Miele Washing Machine is also app controlled, it can even order it's own detergent when it runs out.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 01:41:30 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 19, 2018, 01:29:35 pm

author: BillB
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 06:17:33 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 19, 2018, 01:29:35 pmEventually, you're gonna piss your washing machine off once too many times. You might not even know it, until it's too late.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2018, 09:26:10 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 19, 2018, 01:29:35 pmOh great! One little software glitch, and you come home and find 3000 Amazon boxes on your lawn!Thanks, but NO THANKS!Jon

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2018, 11:16:53 pm
content: Quote from: jmelson on October 19, 2018, 09:26:10 pmBecause that has ever happened to anyone? I'm using HP's instant ink service for a few years now, and it worked absolutely flawless the whole time, with me never running out of ink or having more than one cartridge in stock. So I'd guess that a similar system for a washing machine could work.Regarding the shower, that's actually a pretty neat concept that has also been implemented in the past by a few companies. Sure it's really a luxury feature, but being able to climb in a preheated shower without needing to endure half a minute of the cold water, and then having a thermostat, instead of tweaking the mixer with the tongue at the right angle not to get boiled or frozen wouldn't be too bad.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2018, 11:22:52 pm
content: Quote from: m98 on October 20, 2018, 11:16:53 pmFor the first half of this (getting into a warm shower), get one of these:http://thinkevolve.com/products/showerstart-tsv/Turn the shower on while you're getting ready. Water runs until it gets warm at the showerhead then shuts off to a tiny trickle. When you're ready to shower, step in, pull the handle and you have a fully warm shower stream from the first second.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 07:29:23 am
content: I once stayed in a house that had a great idea for a shower. Whenever you started a shower the water started running but it was diverted into the 'gray water' tank until it hit the right temperature, once the set point was reached the flow was switched to the shower head. Water which would have been wasted during warm up was used to flush the toilets and water the plants in the greenhouse.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 10:56:38 am
content: Quote from: sokoloff on October 20, 2018, 11:22:52 pmCan't see how that would work with an Electric Shower, which is very common in the UK/Europe.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 12:48:57 pm
content: I don't see too much reason for a remote control shower, but a remote control water heater can be very useful for energy saving.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 01:28:26 pm
content: Putting a tank to hold the detergent on a washing machine relaxes the fuck out of me. And if it also dried clothing I could save a few square feet in the basement.Its baller technology that makes my home bigger.. you could throw the detergent bottle strait into the trash.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 01:31:55 pm
content: The temperature controller shower is a baller idea too because you can steam up the bathroom too. Nice and relaxing.On the other hand it should have some override button to prevent it from staying on more then like ten minutes Incase it decides to turn on when you go on vacationJust put a d term shutdown on it to turn it off if the temperature shoots away from its margin by too much indicating some kind of problem.L

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 04:19:42 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 21, 2018, 10:56:38 amWhy would you need it with an electric shower? Electric showers provide instant hot water.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 05:11:03 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on October 21, 2018, 04:19:42 pmThey still take time to warm up and adjust, mine takes a good 30 seconds.So the app is quite handy to get it up to tempJust pointing out that this item wouldn't work on one, not sure if it would work on thermostatic shower fed by a combi boiler either as once the demand has stopped when thisgoes to trickle mode the boiler shuts off and has to warm back up again.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 05:28:59 pm
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 21, 2018, 05:11:03 pmA simple Triton shower like the one I use when I'm in England is instant. You turn it on and it's hot nearly right away. You just have to wait for the cold water to flush out of the shower hose.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 05:41:34 pm
content: Quote from: m98 on October 20, 2018, 11:16:53 pmIf you have a thermostatic valve (which most people around here have) you can turn the shower on, take off your underwear and step under the shower. I still need to install a new sink + thermostat in my bathroom. Another very neat feature to have in a bathroom is floor heating. I installed that last summer while redoing all the tiles and it is fantastic. No need for apps though. Just more sh*t which can fail.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 06:45:07 pm
content: This is clearly a solution looking for a problem. It would have been great fun when I was about 7 years old though, to screw with the temperature from another room while my dad was taking a shower. I really cannot picture a genuine use case for such a technology, I certainly don't bring my phone into the shower with me, and I don't need to run the shower if I'm not physically in the bathroom to use it. If I wanted instant hot water I could install a point of use instant water heater or a recirculation system that pumps the water in a loop from the water heater to the shower valve. My friend has that in his house, it can be set on a timer or you push a button when you walk into the bathroom, then by the time you're undressed you just turn on the shower and the water is hot.

author: Sparky49
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2018, 11:03:30 pm
content: It's easy to dismiss this as a crazy idea and an example of a crazy luxury, but just 100 years ago many people were heating water on a fire to fill a tin tub in the living for a bath. Having a bathroom with adjustable temperature from a tap and an indoor toilet was a luxury. Yet nowadays, who would buy a home without a bathroom? What will the bathroom 100 years from now look like? Adjustable temperature for each member of the family, tailored to their preference with time dependent variations? Cool shower in the morning to wake them, warm shower at night to relax? Seems crazy to us now, but I don't think it's unfeasible that such a system might become expected.But of course there are many wrinkles to iron out on the way, but that is the case with every new technology. Just don't take your non waterproof phone in the shower.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2018, 01:42:13 am
content: I can think of numerous ways to make an excessively complex electronic shower control that don't involve a smartphone and cannot think of a single benefit of integration with a phone. I'm not some old fart who refuses to use newfangled tech either, I love my smartphone but this is such a completely moronic idea that I don't even know where to start.It reminds me of those horrid climate controls in cars, I've never used one that worked worth a damn, they all seem to want to turn the fan on full blast and fail miserably by trying to control the ambient temperature in what is effectively an uninsulated greenhouse rather than controlling the temperature of the air coming out the vents. None of them work as well as a simple mixer valve and manual fan control. This shower is a similar gimmick, technology for the sake of technology, not because there's a problem that needs solving.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2018, 07:21:30 am
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 21, 2018, 10:56:38 amElectric showers warm up nearly instantly, though.It's only needed for boiler-driven showers where there's a delay in getting the heat exchanger up to temperature and also you have to flush all that cold water through the system -- though in my normal two bedroom house it's hardly a hassle, 20 seconds at most before the water is at the set point.