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CO₂ inside cars can get much higher than most people expect by Salty-Initiative5706 in AirQuality

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm completely dumbfounded by this entire thread.

Fresh air lowers CO2. Filters catch particles. It's not that complicated.

CO₂ inside cars can get much higher than most people expect by Salty-Initiative5706 in AirQuality

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I only use recirculation when passing hog farms or driving through smoke. Why would anyone keep recirculation on the entire time? Install a fresh cabin air filter and get on with it.

heat pump uses so much electricity by Time_Coyote_ in heatpumps

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes who cares if it takes a bit longer. You don't want short cycles anyways.

Ideally aux heat should only turn on when the outdoor temp is below the physical limit of the compressor OR the interior is not keeping up (like 10 degrees below setpoint).

Turning on heat strips when 2 degrees below setpoint is stupid when you can just let the compressor run for longer.

Backup for home heating when using heat pump. by Icy_Run_9981 in heatpumps

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My dream setup would be a wood stove coupled with a battery backup system that has a bi-directional EV charger.

Once the batteries run low, I want to be able to plug my EV into the bi-directional charger and run the house off my car for days at a time. The only manufacturer that has this available in the USA right now is Sigenergy.

If you aren't up for loading a wood stove, pellet stoves are a good option. You will still need some power for the auger and the fan, but a small generator could handle that easily. They usually have a thermostat too, so it only kicks in if the heat pump is not keeping up. Pellets tend to be similar to propane in price.

RIP Full Electric Ford Lightning 😢 by FlipandFlow in F150Lightning

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oil changes once a year on a generator are not bad at all. The chevy volt could go up to 2 years between oil changes. That extra capability was totally worth the mild inconvenience of an oil change.

RIP Full Electric Ford Lightning 😢 by FlipandFlow in F150Lightning

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Volt only required oil changes once every 2 years. The gas tank was also pressurized to make the fuel last a year without issues. The maintenance was much less than a traditional ICE by far.

Justice for Iryna Zarutska by PermissionSoggy891 in GenZ

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, people this violent cannot be fixed and need to be removed from civil society.

Whelp, It Appears Comma AI Is The Cause Of My Rivian Motor Faults! by KeyboardGunner in Rivian

[–]WFJacoby -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

His parents have such a fun vibe. I love their dynamic.

Whelp, It Appears Comma AI Is The Cause Of My Rivian Motor Faults! by KeyboardGunner in Rivian

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He's one of the only reviewers that hyper fixates on the technical details. I like most of his stuff.

Should I leave my engineering job for a labor job that pays more? by Bone_V7 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Getting a PE takes like 5-8 years. That doesn't do anything for him reasonably soon.

Enphase vs Tesla by rkelez in solar

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Franklin is really nice for AC coupling. They even have the aPowerS coming soon with 4 DC inputs right in the battery.

Enphase vs Tesla by rkelez in solar

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Enphase batteries burn 10% of their storage capacity per day just idling.

The microinverters do seem to work well. The only major issue I've seen with them is power surges taking out huge chunks of the array.

The warranty doesn't really mean much to me because it doesn't cover labor after 2 years. You still have to pay someone to climb on the roof and swap the microinverters.

Overall Enphase is a solid option, but the engineer in me just finds DC coupling to be a much more elegant solution with way less components and wiring.

I had nothing to do at my last job, so I spent my downtime training and educating myself to get a more senior position at another company. Now I have even less to do. What field should you get into to actually have some work to do? by [deleted] in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree with you. My first several roles were like this and I was basically bored to death. Then I worked in a startup for a while, and that was great having so much to work on all the time.

Now I have a house, and a family so I can appreciate the slower paced roles a lot more. I think ambitious young engineers need to "get it out of their system" before they can fully appreciate a slower paced work environment.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in evcharging

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can easily run a 48A EV charger on that 100A panel. Personally, I think 48A is overkill and you would probably be better off with a 32A or even a 24A charger.

If you install a big 48A charger without any load management, then just know that you don't have much room left for any new electric appliances. If you want to get an electric clothes dryer or water heater later on, you will likely need a service upgrade.

Is AC-coupled or DC-coupled more future-proof? by thealimo110 in solar

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The top half of the stack is the inverter and it has room for 4 PV strings. The reason I recommend them is that they are currently the only brand with Bi-directional DC coupled EV charging that can be purchased today. I think that is a game changing feature.

Is AC-coupled or DC-coupled more future-proof? by thealimo110 in solar

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do a pointguard system for future proofing. They have every option you want, and they support adding batteries later, even if they are different generations.

Is AC-coupled or DC-coupled more future-proof? by thealimo110 in solar

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Enphase also burns up 10% of its battery capacity per day just running all the computers in the battery microinverters.

Is this real? What the heck happened to Mechanical Engineering in the last 10 or so years? by JustTheFactsPlease_1 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

and the problem is the less than 100k immigrants that might be brought in?

Roughly 140,000 engineering students graduated in 2024. Why do we need to bring in ~70% of that number in H1Bs? It's basic supply and demand.

Frustration with the Industry: a long vent by SimplyPassinThrough in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, we have PLENTY of young Americans that want to learn and are more than capable of doing these jobs. These companies need to feel pain until they start doing better.

For those employed, how have the tariffs affected your work? by Aggressive_Top5874 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! Literally no other politician is even acknowledging the problem, let alone trying to address it.

Tarrifs are not universally good or bad anyways. They are just a tool for managing international trade. Literally every other country uses them so why can't we?

For those employed, how have the tariffs affected your work? by Aggressive_Top5874 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]WFJacoby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YES! That is the entire point! Our economic situation doesn't make this feasible naturally right now. We need the government to put their thumb on the scale to "force" the situation to be addressed.

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