Share kit · ThermalTrace

Open-source projects often hide launch blurbs in private notes. We publish ours so anyone. including you: can help spread the word without inventing messaging from scratch. If you find a post that matches a template here, that’s expected: the founder (and hopefully the community) is using the same kit.

Please don’t spam. Prefer communities where DIY probes, Home Assistant, or cold-weather home maintenance are on-topic, and edit the blurbs so they fit the thread.

Reddit / forums

Good fits: r/homeautomation, r/HomeAssistant, r/esp32, r/arduino, r/diy, seasonal threads in local/city subs during freeze warnings. Avoid drive-by promo in unrelated maker gear subs.

I built ThermalTrace for freeze alerts and wet leak contacts in garages, workshops, and crawlspaces (ESP/Arduino → hosted charts + SMS/email) after one too many “hope the space heater is still on” winters.

Public freeze-risk map (opt-in city aggregates): https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-map
Interactive probe simulator (cause a cold snap / door draft): https://thermaltrace.dev/about/probe-demo
Live demo feed (no account): https://thermaltrace.dev/demo
Start free (no card) → Devices: https://thermaltrace.dev/register?next=/dashboard/temperature
Freeze season checklist: https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-season

Happy to answer hardware / Home Assistant webhook questions.

Home Assistant Community

Target: community.home-assistant.io (Share your Projects / third-party integrations). Longer draft also lives in the repo under Contribute below.

**ThermalTrace**: hosted freeze + flood/leak monitoring for ESPHome & DIY probes (garage, crawlspace, attic, shop).

- Official HACS integration: https://thermaltrace.dev/integrations/home-assistant
- HTTPS ingest (device key); optional MQTT→HTTP bridge if you already run Mosquitto/HA
- Free family live share link for HA polling; Pro expands scopes + SMS / push / webhooks
- Free plan, no credit card: https://thermaltrace.dev/register?next=/dashboard/temperature
- Interactive probe simulator: https://thermaltrace.dev/about/probe-demo
- Public community freeze map: https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-map
- Embed: `https://thermaltrace.dev/embed/freeze-map?compact=1`

Live demo: https://thermaltrace.dev/demo · Docs: https://thermaltrace.dev/docs/api · Kit QR: https://thermaltrace.dev/about/kit-qr-onboarding

Bluesky / short social

Keep it short; lead with the freeze-risk hook. Optional follow-up reply with the simulator or map.

Unheated spaces freeze quietly until they do not.

ThermalTrace: DIY probes → freeze alerts, wet leak contacts, and a public opt-in freeze map.
Simulator (no account): https://thermaltrace.dev/about/probe-demo
Map: https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-map
Start free: https://thermaltrace.dev/register?next=/dashboard/temperature

Hacker News / Show HN

Suggested title (paste into the Show HN title field):

Show HN: ThermalTrace – freeze + leak alerts for ESP/Arduino probes in garages and crawlspaces

Comment body: story first, then links. HN rewards specifics over a generic tagline.

I built ThermalTrace after one too many winters of “hope the space heater is still on” for an unheated garage/crawlspace.

It’s a hosted dashboard + freeze and flood/leak alerts for DIY probes (ESP32/Arduino → HTTPS JSON ingest). Free plan, no credit card. Sensors auto-import on first POST.

What you can try without signing up:
- Interactive simulator (open a bay door / trigger a cold snap): https://thermaltrace.dev/about/probe-demo
- Live demo probes on the real ingest path: https://thermaltrace.dev/demo
- Opt-in community freeze map: https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-map

Short near-miss write-up: https://thermaltrace.dev/stories/pipe-near-miss
HACS / Home Assistant: https://thermaltrace.dev/integrations/home-assistant
Source: https://github.com/doodersrage/thermaltrace

Happy to answer questions about ingest payloads, MQTT→HTTPS bridging, or alert channels.

Discord / chat

Fit for ESPHome / DIY / maker Discord showcases and “what are you working on” channels. not cold DMs. Prefer a thread where people already talk freeze risk, HVAC, or probe hardware.

Built a hosted freeze/flood alert dashboard for DIY probes (ESP/Arduino → HTTPS ingest).

Interactive simulator (no signup): https://thermaltrace.dev/about/probe-demo
Live demo feed: https://thermaltrace.dev/demo
Free account → Devices: https://thermaltrace.dev/register?next=/dashboard/temperature
Freeze map: https://thermaltrace.dev/freeze-map

Compact map embed

<iframe src="https://thermaltrace.dev/embed/freeze-map?compact=1" title="ThermalTrace freeze map" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Preview: open compact embed

Deep links worth including

/about/probe-demo: interactive simulator (strongest no-account hook)
/demo, live readings + simulator promo
/register: free, no card → Devices
/freeze-map: opt-in city aggregates
/freeze-season: seasonal checklist
/integrations/home-assistant. HACS
MQTT bridge. Mosquitto/HA local, mirror over HTTPS
/stories/pipe-near-miss. Columbus near-miss story
/stories/crawlspace-pipe-watch: crawlspace case study
/stories/detached-garage-winter: detached garage case study
/stories/water-heater-pad-leak: flood/leak pad case study
/gift: gift a winter of monitoring
/stories, more case studies
/android. Play app waitlist angle
/bay-buddy. Desktop mood companion
/claim-puck. RP2040-Zero presence key + mood LED

Contribute & operators

Separate from the copy-paste kit: repo docs for people shipping code, HACS, or self-hosted operators, not generic visitor marketing.

CONTRIBUTING.md ↗ how to open PRs and run the project locally
Operator checklist ↗ founder/operator todo (Play Store, Nest/Ecobee, HACS default listing). Useful if you’re self-hosting or contributing to launch plumbing; not a share blurb.
HA forum long-form draft ↗ longer than the textarea above when you need a full forum post
Discord / social announcement draft ↗ alternate longer chat copy

Why this is on the main site