Jesse Smith
@jessetayriver.bsky.social
HVAC, catastrophic/x-risks, EA
One of the early frustrations that led to us bringing HVAC design in-house was that subs didn't acknowledge trade-offs between improved insulation and system size. Adding 2" exterior foam to most houses should reduce capacity by ~1/2 which means ducts can be much smaller
February 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
One of the early frustrations that led to us bringing HVAC design in-house was that subs didn't acknowledge trade-offs between improved insulation and system size. Adding 2" exterior foam to most houses should reduce capacity by ~1/2 which means ducts can be much smaller
Gil Carlson pioneered many of the great modern hydronic design principles. Here's a playlist of his teachings youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Gil Carlson Teaches Hydronic Basics - YouTube
The late Gil Carlson filmed in B&G's Little Red School House discussing hydronic theories he developed while working at B&G.
youtube.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:05 AM
Gil Carlson pioneered many of the great modern hydronic design principles. Here's a playlist of his teachings youtube.com/playlist?lis...
There are many cases where a small number of people set out to transform some industry with promising early results. Upon close examination it's often that they had many traits that make their success unscalable such as exceptional technical skill, high enthusiasm or embracing low compensation
February 15, 2026 at 12:51 AM
There are many cases where a small number of people set out to transform some industry with promising early results. Upon close examination it's often that they had many traits that make their success unscalable such as exceptional technical skill, high enthusiasm or embracing low compensation
I made a friend of mine videos of how someone with little experience might layout and cut door trim trim. You might find it useful too
February 14, 2026 at 11:33 PM
I made a friend of mine videos of how someone with little experience might layout and cut door trim trim. You might find it useful too
You're surrounded by things that are made in factories. Often the first step in maintaining or repairing those things is being able to clearly identify the object itself (eg furnace), then the specific variant (two-stage, gas furnace with ecm blower)
February 14, 2026 at 9:47 PM
You're surrounded by things that are made in factories. Often the first step in maintaining or repairing those things is being able to clearly identify the object itself (eg furnace), then the specific variant (two-stage, gas furnace with ecm blower)
I'm seeing a lot of crazy, permitless trad projects. Even where people opt out of permits it's still best that they comply with the structural elements of the code vs reinventing residential structural engineering from first principles. Codes are great at keeping buildings up!
February 14, 2026 at 9:02 PM
I'm seeing a lot of crazy, permitless trad projects. Even where people opt out of permits it's still best that they comply with the structural elements of the code vs reinventing residential structural engineering from first principles. Codes are great at keeping buildings up!
Is there empirical work showing perceived or anticipate difficulty for fixed, physical tasks over a long time period? For instance, "how long would it take you to frame a single story, 10'x10' shed?"
February 13, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Is there empirical work showing perceived or anticipate difficulty for fixed, physical tasks over a long time period? For instance, "how long would it take you to frame a single story, 10'x10' shed?"
Almost every instance where someone claims that something will "void the warranty" is false. This is because it's only wrongly interesting - ie someone has worked on something and not induced a failure. In cases where it's true (someone induced a failure) it's trivially true and not noteworthy
February 12, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Almost every instance where someone claims that something will "void the warranty" is false. This is because it's only wrongly interesting - ie someone has worked on something and not induced a failure. In cases where it's true (someone induced a failure) it's trivially true and not noteworthy
The great majority of HVAC manufacturers - including all of the minisplit companies - persistently reject propress fittings. The resulting refrigerant leakage and efficiency loss substantially claws back carbon reductions of electrification and causes rampant comfort problems and system failures
February 12, 2026 at 4:40 AM
The great majority of HVAC manufacturers - including all of the minisplit companies - persistently reject propress fittings. The resulting refrigerant leakage and efficiency loss substantially claws back carbon reductions of electrification and causes rampant comfort problems and system failures
For someone who loves tools as much as I do it's an emotional rollercoaster to despise almost all systems for carrying them. It has obvious limitations, but a well laid-out tool belt is the best system of tool retrieval and can sustain hours of work with minimal inputs
February 12, 2026 at 4:23 AM
For someone who loves tools as much as I do it's an emotional rollercoaster to despise almost all systems for carrying them. It has obvious limitations, but a well laid-out tool belt is the best system of tool retrieval and can sustain hours of work with minimal inputs
HVAC contractors who sell in-duct UV are the worst. Total charlatanism and they either know it or are being willfully ignorant. The consumer-facing side is human health, curing covid, rainbows, ponies etc. Guess what the contractor side is? Adding $ to the ticket
February 12, 2026 at 1:52 AM
HVAC contractors who sell in-duct UV are the worst. Total charlatanism and they either know it or are being willfully ignorant. The consumer-facing side is human health, curing covid, rainbows, ponies etc. Guess what the contractor side is? Adding $ to the ticket
An underappreciated feature of buildings is that their weight has decreased considerably over time. This has two implications. 1) Future materials may be even lighter, and 2) Future buildings will have less water-resistance and greater sensitivity to ratios of h/ac across them
February 11, 2026 at 9:16 PM
An underappreciated feature of buildings is that their weight has decreased considerably over time. This has two implications. 1) Future materials may be even lighter, and 2) Future buildings will have less water-resistance and greater sensitivity to ratios of h/ac across them
I made a video to help my client understand their zoning system which is slightly unusual. With zone-connected 2 stage or modulating equipment I often lock out higher stages because the higher airflow causes problems
February 9, 2026 at 10:29 PM
I made a video to help my client understand their zoning system which is slightly unusual. With zone-connected 2 stage or modulating equipment I often lock out higher stages because the higher airflow causes problems
If you're troubleshooting zoned HVAC systems start with the basics. If you call for heat on the kitchen thermostat does warm air start blowing exclusively to the kitchen? Ime ~1/3 of systems have crossed zone wires
February 9, 2026 at 7:56 PM
If you're troubleshooting zoned HVAC systems start with the basics. If you call for heat on the kitchen thermostat does warm air start blowing exclusively to the kitchen? Ime ~1/3 of systems have crossed zone wires
Extreme cold is not the time to experiment with big thermostatic setbacks because of the high risk of freezing water pipes, which are much worse than paying a little extra for heat
February 8, 2026 at 11:54 PM
Extreme cold is not the time to experiment with big thermostatic setbacks because of the high risk of freezing water pipes, which are much worse than paying a little extra for heat
Private equity owned companies got me out here after 11 on Saturday night disconnecting bypass dampers on new installs so families can keep the heat on. I'm sure they're super grateful for the IAQ product you sold them that does absolutely nothing tho
February 8, 2026 at 5:17 AM
Private equity owned companies got me out here after 11 on Saturday night disconnecting bypass dampers on new installs so families can keep the heat on. I'm sure they're super grateful for the IAQ product you sold them that does absolutely nothing tho
A lot of intuitive building principles are true. Steep roof slopes with minimal intersections and penetrations are less likely to leak. Roof projections protect the walls under them. People should be cognizant of these trade-offs as they embrace modern design aesthetics
February 7, 2026 at 7:49 PM
A lot of intuitive building principles are true. Steep roof slopes with minimal intersections and penetrations are less likely to leak. Roof projections protect the walls under them. People should be cognizant of these trade-offs as they embrace modern design aesthetics
Me showing up to the lumberjack party but no one will sit with me
February 6, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Me showing up to the lumberjack party but no one will sit with me
The last smallpox death was almost definitely caused by lab breach but did you know it was likely due to a mechanical failure?
February 6, 2026 at 3:52 AM
The last smallpox death was almost definitely caused by lab breach but did you know it was likely due to a mechanical failure?
Redneck kiln reveal
February 5, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Redneck kiln reveal
I went on a bad heat pump troubleshooting call last week that I haven't yet figured out. When this happens my brain mutinies in a way that constantly & obsessively circles back to the problem. Not entirely unpleasant but it affects sleep and steal attention from other things
February 5, 2026 at 2:58 AM
I went on a bad heat pump troubleshooting call last week that I haven't yet figured out. When this happens my brain mutinies in a way that constantly & obsessively circles back to the problem. Not entirely unpleasant but it affects sleep and steal attention from other things
In Canada we called wire nuts "marrettes" which I believe are a brand of wire nuts there. Caused some confusion when I first moved to the US
February 2, 2026 at 4:02 AM
In Canada we called wire nuts "marrettes" which I believe are a brand of wire nuts there. Caused some confusion when I first moved to the US
The main reason why single family prefab has failed to gain traction in North America is because after WW2 we developed a highly cost-effective building system that's proven difficult to compete with
February 1, 2026 at 2:56 AM
The main reason why single family prefab has failed to gain traction in North America is because after WW2 we developed a highly cost-effective building system that's proven difficult to compete with
Despite having ~30% turn down real world performance and serviceability of multi-zone minisplits is poor. Good applications are probably limited to two cassettes in close proximity or 1st zone as large, nearly constant capacity with small intermittent capacity as 2nd zone
February 1, 2026 at 12:57 AM
Despite having ~30% turn down real world performance and serviceability of multi-zone minisplits is poor. Good applications are probably limited to two cassettes in close proximity or 1st zone as large, nearly constant capacity with small intermittent capacity as 2nd zone
Observer effect in HVAC diagnostics! I initially misdiagnosed this as a flame sensor, and had difficulty replicating the failure. Turns out that by pressing my multi-meter probes on the gas valve solenoid terminals I was completing the circuit
January 28, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Observer effect in HVAC diagnostics! I initially misdiagnosed this as a flame sensor, and had difficulty replicating the failure. Turns out that by pressing my multi-meter probes on the gas valve solenoid terminals I was completing the circuit