Pretty new Sense install, but it picked up a mystery heat device. I turned on notifications, but it only runs for a few seconds. Average run time is 6 seconds and the avg consumption is 770 watts. That seems excessive for an ice maker? It seems to run about every 12 hours - last few days it’s been right around 6am and 6pm. Not sure what to look for - seems like a heating element of some kind, but that’s a really short runtime.
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Can you think of anything else that happens in the house at that same time? It’s either going to be something you’re doing yourself and don’t realize or something that’s automated and on a cyclic timer. Some complicated appliances show up as multiple devices, so it might by part of an HVAC system, etc.
None of my HVAC stuff should not have been running at the times. At 6am it was about 40 degrees outside and I hadn’t turned the heat on yet. At 6pm it was 70.
e: Just realized I didn’t answer your other question. I don’t think anyone was awake at 6a either day and wasn’t around for the last 6pm one.
Would a device with a heating element just cycle for a few seconds twice a day for some reason?
Maybe I’ll just give it more time and see if it ever comes on for an extended period of time.
Maybe igniter for a gas appliance? My gas dryer does ~450W for about 6 seconds.
If hvac heat wasn’t on, do you have a gas water heater?
Great thought Bubuski. The only gas appliances I have are 1) furnace which is only a backup to the heatpump and should only light when it’s < 35 degrees out. 2) Water heater - but it has a pilot with a piezo electric lighter.
I have a pellet stove with an electric ignition, but it’s empty and turned off. So unless 1 or 3 would cycle ignition for some reason, I don’t think it’s those.
I guess I’ll just gather more data and see what else I can find or what else happens on those days when it runs.
My coffee pot has a heat element that cycle likes that, and uses about650 watts.
Brian
Might it be the defroster on your freezer unit(s). Just a thought.
Well, mystery partly solved. It looks like everything is ‘Heat 1’
The 2 slice toaster shows up as Heat 1 - easily reproduced.
With the toaster unplugged, there’s still random Heat 1 alerts at odd times - so maybe a defrost or ice maker element?
One of the burners on the electric range also shows up as Heat 1 as it cycles off and on.
Not sure what to do with it at this point - delete it? Or give it time and see if I sees them as different devices?
Give it time. I had a few start out that way that improved over time… Occasionally having relapses. I’ve had mine installed for almost a year now, and while the stove top was occasionally mixed up with the coffee maker or the toaster early on, they’ve each been independently identified now and I’d say there is a consistency of detection of 80%+ (meaning it sees that device when it’s on) and an accuracy of detection of 95%+ (meaning it reports the correct device).
It’s artificial intelligence, think of it like voice recognition (eg Google home). Each device is a different voice, and it shouldn’t be surprising if it takes some time and effort to distinguish different voices early on, and with some frequency it has trouble identifying someone when others are talking.
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I believe jackfurr has nailed it…I have the same type of device… just about every 4 hours, ~800W. Not exactly every 4 hours, but very close. If you have a frost-free freezer or refrig, my guess is that’s it. easy way to tell. at 6 hours into the interval, disconnect all your freeze/frigs and then re-power them. see if the event happens in 6 or 12 hours. then you can merge that device with your frig/freezer
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I know this is an older post (and my first post) but also the same reason I came here. 
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who is experiencing this. I’ve noticed that my electric oven will show up as “Heat 1” when I’m using it and the oven cycles up and down (the clicks of the oven match the exact cycle times), but even when it is off entirely, “Heat 1” will still show activity at various times for about 30s.
@jblalock, unfortunately sometimes heating elements can get conflated like that. As Sense continues to see the devices operate, that should happen less and less. Our data science team is also always working on detection algorithm improvements that should help the issue.