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You want to wash your car, but it could rain again the next day? Then Home Assistant can help you with the car wash forecast! With this clever integration, you can ensure that your car not only stays clean, but also stays clean for a long time. In this article, you'll learn how Home Assistant's Car Wash integration helps you plan your next car wash and how to set it up in your smart home system.
For detailed instructions and an explanation of all configuration options, I recommend the YouTube video linked below. In this video, every single setting is explained in detail so that you receive comprehensive instructions for the exact setup. You can find any code from the video in this article so that you can use it directly without having to type it in.
What is Car Wash integration?
The Car Wash integration for Home Assistant, developed by Limychis an extension that suggests the best time for your next car wash. Based on local weather data, it analyzes the probability of rain and expected precipitation for the coming days and gives you a simple recommendation as to whether you should wash your car or whether you might prefer to wait. The integration evaluates the "washability" of the coming days, so to speak, and shows you at a glance when a car wash is really worthwhile.
Advantages of Car Wash integration in Home Assistant
One clear advantage of this integration is obvious: it helps you save time and nerves! No more guessing whether your fresh car wash will be ruined by the next shower. By minimizing the risk of imminent rain, your car stays clean for longer and you have to wash it less often - a great solution for anyone who values a well-maintained vehicle. It's also sustainable, as you can save water and resources with thoughtful wash timing.
Installation of HACS and integration of Car Wash in Home Assistant
Step 1: Installing HACS in Home Assistant
Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) is a custom add-on for Home Assistant that provides access to a variety of custom integrations and plugins developed by the community. How to install HACS:
- Check requirements: Make sure that your Home Assistant is ideally up to date.
- Download Execute script: Open a terminal for the Docker container version or the core version.
- Docker: Dial into the container with:
docker exec -it homeassistant bashor (similar) - Core: Switch to the user who is running Home Assistant
- Execute the following command for both variants:
wget -O - https://get.hacs.xyz | bash -
- Docker: Dial into the container with:
- Restarting the Home Assistant: After the files have been copied, restart Home Assistant.
- Integrate HACS into Home AssistantGo to "Configuration" > "Integrations" > "Add" in the Home Assistant interface and search for HACS. Add it and enter your GitHub token if prompted.
For the supervised version, please refer to the Documentation of HACS itself to read about the installation.
Step 2: Add car wash integration via HACS
Once HACS is installed, you can simply add Car Wash:
- Open HACS: Go to HACS in the Home Assistant interface.
- Search for integrationClick on "Integrations" and use the search function to search for "Car Wash".
- Install Car WashFind Car Wash in the list and click on "Install". This will add the integration to your Home Assistant.
- Restarting the Home Assistant: Start Home Assistant again to apply the changes.
- Configure Car WashAfter restarting, you can set up and customize Car Wash via "Configuration" > "Integrations" in Home Assistant.
Conclusion
With these steps, you have successfully installed HACS in your Home Assistant and added the Car Wash integration. This powerful combination opens up a world of additional features and customizations that have been and are being developed by the Home Assistant community. More blog posts and videos on useful integrations to follow. If you don't want to miss it, subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Configuration of the Car Wash integration
To configure the Car Wash integration in Home Assistant, you first need a weather integration. This provides the Car Wash integration with the necessary data to decide whether rain is expected in the next few days. You can use Home Assistant's integrated weather station for this, but the accuracy of the forecast can vary. For more precise forecasts, it often makes sense to use a specialized weather service.
A recommended weather service is Pirate Weather. This is a free but very accurate weather service that gives you more details about the local weather situation. To use Pirate Weather in Home Assistant, you must first create an API key on their website. You then add this key when installing the Pirate Weather integration in Home Assistant.
Step-by-step configuration
- Install Car Wash integrationDownload the Car Wash integration via the HACS Community Store in Home Assistant. Then restart Home Assistant to activate the integration.
- Configure weather serviceIf you decide to use Pirate Weather, install the Pirate Weather integration and enter your API key during configuration. You will receive this after a short registration on the Pirate Weather website.
- Set up Car Wash integrationGo to "Settings" > "Integrations" in Home Assistant, search for the Car Wash integration and add it. Here you can specify which weather integration to use. Select your preferred weather service so that Car Wash can access its data.
- Optional customizationsThe Car Wash integration offers additional configuration options, such as the interval at which the forecast is updated and certain threshold values for precipitation above which car washing is not recommended. You can adjust these values directly in the configuration menu to tailor the forecast even better to your needs.
The Car Wash integration offers you the option of setting the configuration parameterdaysto set. You use this parameter to specify the number of days over which the integration should check the weather forecast to decide whether a car wash makes sense. By default, this value is often set to 3 days which means that the integration takes into account the probability of rain for the next 72 hours.
By following these steps, you can ensure that the Car Wash integration receives exactly the weather data it needs to give you an optimal car wash recommendation.
Use of Car Wash integration in everyday life
As soon as the Car Wash integration is set up, you can add a simple car wash display to your dashboard. Here you will either see a recommendation to wash or a recommendation to wait. Depending on the weather conditions, the message may read: "Wash" or "Don't wash".
This means you always have the information you need to decide whether it's worth the effort or whether you should wait for a sunnier day. Incidentally, this forecast is based on the type of precipitation: not only rain is taken into account, but also snow or hail if you live in a region with cold winter weather.
Tips for your car wash automations
Here are some ideas on how you can exploit the full potential of car wash integration:
- Notification of optimum washing weatherCreate an automation that sends you a push notification as soon as the integration recommends the car wash. You can customize this notification according to your preferences to make sure you never miss the perfect time.
- Dashboard visualizationAdd the Car Wash entity to your Home Assistant dashboard. You can then see at a glance whether today is a good day for the car wash.
- Advanced weather automationIf you have already set up automations for rain reports or special weather warnings, you can add the Car Wash integration there. This will give you an even more precise forecast and ensure that all relevant weather conditions are included in the decision.
Automation notification
alias: Car wash
description: ""
triggers:
- trigger: state
entity_id:
- binary_sensor.car_wash
to: "on"
conditions: []
actions:
- action: notify.smartphones
metadata: {}
data:
title: Car wash
message: Good time for a wash, colleague!
data:
notification_icon: mdi:car-wash
color: black
mode: singleYou can also create your own entity in which you track when you last washed your car and can only be notified if it has been at least 14 days since the last car wash.
YouTube video implementation
Conclusion
With the Car Wash integration for Home Assistant, you are well prepared for your next car wash. The clever forecast uses weather data to give you the perfect recommendation, saving you the disappointment of a rainy car wash. Installation is easy, and with automations you can get the recommendations straight to your phone - for all-round smart planning.
Make your life easier and let Home Assistant show you when it's really time for the car wash!
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