Hi folks! Hope everyone is doing well.
My husband and I have been thinking about getting a timer for our geyser for a while, and obviously with that came the idea of getting a Wi-Fi enabled smart thermostat on the geyser itself so we can remotely monitor the temperature and adjust it as we need. However the quoted cost from a plumber and electrician to come do the installation was crazy expensive. So we held off. Well, last night our geyser died. It's not quite a full burst, but something definitely went bad and the overflow pan and outlet was streaming a small but consistent flow of water, there was hot water dripping from the cold water inlet join. Anyway, we've contacted our BC insurance and they will come out later today to inspect and repair or replace.
This is our chance! To upgrade the thermostat and install a timer, with only the added cost of the fancyschmancy tech, not the installation or call-out fees! I've done a brief Google, and I see brands that I saw two years ago, but also the others. I also see lots of talk about digital timers vs analog timers. So here is my question: Does anyone have any experience with and recommendations for which to take?
I've seen a lot of folks saying that a digital timer is electricity and internet dependent, so if your internet is down, the timer switch won't engage? Obviously if your power is out then the geyser won't switch on anyway. But many people are saying that having a physical switch unit (where you insert little tabs into a wheel for on and off timing) is better because it always works, but then you don't have Wi-Fi monitoring and control.
My previous search yielded brands like Geyserwise and Tuya, now I'm seeing others like Smartswitch, Ugabuga, Thingwalla, and Sonoff. It's too many options, and I don't have time to deep dive research each one, and no, I don't trust or use AI. I want real people experience.
The plumber who is coming to repair the geyser might not be willing or able to install the Wi-Fi timer unit at the DB - that requires an electrician, right? So we might get the smart thermostat installed today and then install the timer unit ourselves later. But I'd like them to be integrated into the same app/controller. I assume not all brands are compatible? If we get a Tuya wifi timer unit at the DB, do we need a Tuya smart thermostat on the geyser?
Thanks in advance for all your input, suggestions, and knowledge!