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Geothermal heating cooling
After three years of burning expensive propane in the winter and listening to the air conditioning pump straining in the 100 degree summer heat we’ve decided to go geothermal. The plan is to put in the type of heat pump that circulates water through coils buried in the ground (closed system). My BIL has had an open system (pumping ground water from their well) going for over 15 years and I’m tired of hearing about his cheap heat.
My back yard has not been seeded yet so this summer would be a good time to bury the heat exchange piping. Of course I might have to fire up the Kubota and get the backhoe working to dig the trenches. I have not yet talked to any contractors so I don’t have any prices but I should be able to save some money by doing the digging and backfilling.
Has anyone out there put one of these systems in? I would like to hear any comments you might have on the subject. We will probably be in this house for 10 more years so it should pay for itself especially with the expected high future price of gas.
Dave
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Geothermal heating cooling
Murf, your system sounds interesting. You must have a way to drain the condensation off to the outside.
For a while I was thinking about one of those outside wood boilers that have been popular. I call them doghouses. But I think by the time I put in the piping, the pumps and the heat exchanger in my present furnace the cost would be $4-5K anyway. Then I would still have the "cost" of cutting and/or buying the wood to burn. If I had some nice hardwood on my property (I mostly have popple and pine) the wood option would be more appealing. And to be honest, winter woodcutting was necessary and I did it from the time I was old enough to remember. The farm house didn't have oil heat till the late seventies so I burned out early on the "fun" of woodcutting.
Dave
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Geothermal heating cooling
Ken, Is this the company you worked with? I think they have a dealer near me. Even though your experience was not positive, this is exactly the feedback I'm looking for.
Dave
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Geothermal heating cooling
Until now I've only had my sister and BIL's system for comparison. I don't think they have had any trouble with theirs. They have had to pull their deepwell pump twice in the time they've had theirs going but other than that I don't think there has been any problem with the unit. They actually live an hour north of me so they could be colder.
Dave
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Geothermal heating cooling
Thanks for all the responses. I would guess that for winter heat, the depth of the exchange pipes in a closed system would be critical. If they're buried four feet down and the frost line is also four feet then you wouldn't get much, if any, exchange. The heat pump would run and run with little efficiency. I'm starting to wonder if even five feet deep is enought to get the ground temp up to the 50 degree range in mid winter. Because they take water from deep down could be why the open systems seem to perform better. I wouldn't consider an open system either.
Dave
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