Toilet Flush Sensor

Mounting a sensor to the toilet flush button can be very useful. We use it to operate a fan after flushing the toilet.

A reed switch mounted to the flush button wasn’t working. I tried and could not get a switch mounted and operating reliably.

water-sensor-angle2I found a different solution. Sure Electronics sells water level sensors that work using a float. They can be had in horizontal and angled versions. You can also find them easily on eBay and Aliexpress.

The float is operated by the water level in the reservoir. Our toilet fan is switched on and off by the actual water level so it will be on longer if you flush more water.

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Modify MS14A Motion Sensor (433.92MHz)

ms16aMS13 motion sensors work fine with RFXCOM. The MS13 operates at 433.92MHz and my RFXCOM has a 433.92MHz receiver. The only problem with the MS13 is its ridiculous price tag.

Enter the MS14A. It is the US equivalent of the MS13, it’s weather resistant and can be found very cheap on eBay. Big John sells them in packs and ships to Europe. (Only takes a few days).

There is one problem with the MS14A. It operates at 310MHz which is not supported by my RFXCOM. I could have ordered a second 310MHz receiver but in the Netherlands, the 310MHz frequency is not allowed. My other concern was the range and reliability which is far better on 433.92MHz.

Thanks to www.domotica.famschenk.eu I learned about converting the MS14A to 433.92MHz. After the conversion, it operates perfectly fine with my RFXCOM.


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Refrigerator Door Sensor

refrigerator002-1024x768I noticed a bit of water at the bottom of our refrigerator. It’s probably because I still need to cut a hole in the sill and put in the plastic vent but it’s one of those tasks that’s still on the to-do-list. Whilst I was cleaning the refrigerator anyway I shot a few pictures to show the sensor we put on the door. It’s a 433.92MHz DS10A Door Sensor with a longer cable attached. Mounting was easy using the supplied double-sided tape.refrigerator001-1024x768

I mounted it on the inside of the door so you hardly notice it. Has been working fine for over a year now. The DS10A itself is located underneath the kitchen cabinet behind the sill.