My geothermal compressor just died.

[Redneck in training]

Definitely the benefit of the geo producing hot water is a big savings.

Which reminds me to descale the desuperheater.

 

[LD1]

The frequency in which a unit runs is determined by the heat load on the structure, i.e. insulation and air exchange. The less air exchange and greater the insulation reduces the frequency the unit runs. The duration of the run is determined by the btu's produce by the unit. The greater the btu's the less time the unit runs.
My unit comes on about every hour and runs for 10 minutes. Less during the summer.

Definitely the benefit of the geo producing hot water is a big savings.

That is basically what a manual j figures.

You can have 10 different people do a manual j and have 10 different results. All will be close, but different. Just depends on how picky and exact you want to get.

Some variables are obviously build type, size, insulation, window size and type of glass. But some other factors are basement, any exterior insulation or under slab insulation, number of people living there, wall and window orientation to the sun, natural shading and overhangs, appliances, vents, etc.

It can get quite in depth. But it basically figures how many BTUs are required to keep your house a given amount warmer or cooler than the outside.

And the law of diminishing returns applies.as the temp difference increases, the BTUs grow exponentially. IE doing a manual j for outdoor temps of 40 then 30 that extra 10 degree difference is gonna require a given BTUs. Same figures but going from 10 to 0...THAT 10 degree change is gonna take MORE BTUs than going from 40-30

 

[midwesternhayfarmer]

It was not Clarke Electric. It was LessMess out of Truro. Clarke Electric is out of geothermal business.

Clarke installed mine originally. Looking for a good serviceman for checkups.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Couple posts up some one mentioned that all Geo unit are about equal as all are getting complaints. Also, couple post up some one mentioned that there are just a few compressor manufacturers. With that in mind IMO the reason Geo thermal is getting so many complaints is the systems are not being designed correctly. For the most part generally speaking the units them selves are really close. Also IMO the use of a buffer tank, which red neck is using, allow the unit to run longer then shut off. It may not be variable displacement everything it is mimicking it. My concern with the variable everything is the complexity and there for maintenance costs. I keep going back to the unit running the shop(17 years old), runs a buffer tank, works its but off when it gets cold, never misses a beat. Cold winters I can freeze up the loop. That is not the units fault. I am just asking it to do more than it was designed for. This is what we use for buffer tank.
Marathon Water Heaters by Rheem
How we do are potable hot water is, geo brings water temp up to 90 then tank elements bring it up the rest of the way. Then water to water exchanger for in floor heat.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Couple posts up some one mentioned that all Geo unit are about equal as all are getting complaints. Also, couple post up some one mentioned that there are just a few compressor manufacturers. With that in mind IMO the reason Geo thermal is getting so many complaints is the systems are not being designed correctly. For the most part generally speaking the units them selves are really close. Also IMO the use of a buffer tank, which red neck is using, allow the unit to run longer then shut off. It may not be variable displacement everything it is mimicking it. My concern with the variable everything is the complexity and there for maintenance costs. I keep going back to the unit running the shop(17 years old), runs a buffer tank, works its but off when it gets cold, never misses a beat. Cold winters I can freeze up the loop. That is not the units fault. I am just asking it to do more than it was designed for. This is what we use for buffer tank.
Marathon Water Heaters by Rheem
How we do are potable hot water is, geo brings water temp up to 90 then tank elements bring it up the rest of the way. Then water to water exchanger for in floor heat.

 

[fordmantpw]

The frequency in which a unit runs is determined by the heat load on the structure, i.e. insulation and air exchange. The less air exchange and greater the insulation reduces the frequency the unit runs. The duration of the run is determined by the btu's produce by the unit. The greater the btu's the less time the unit runs.
My unit comes on about every hour and runs for 10 minutes. Less during the summer.

Definitely the benefit of the geo producing hot water is a big savings.

You are correct. And if yours runs for 10 minutes every hour then either 1) it's not losing much heat to outside or 2) it's using more BTU than it needs to in order to keep the house warm. The geo at our last house was like that.

That's what I love about our variable system. It runs at such a low power that when it is really cold out, it is essentially running just to replace the lost heat in real-time, at such a low power. Another note is that we have 5 different zones in our house, so it is constantly switching between zones.

IMO the reason Geo thermal is getting so many complaints is the systems are not being designed correctly. For the most part generally speaking the units them selves are really close.

Agreed! You need a geo specialist to really get it right. Sizing for geo is different than sizing for gas if you want the best possible efficiency out of your unit.

 

[Redneck in training]

Clarke installed mine originally. Looking for a good serviceman for checkups.

There is little to check up IMO. It is wasted 200 or whatever they charge. The HP itself is all sealed. If you have forced air then you can check the fan (bearings) and clean the heat exchanger, change the filter. That is easy to DIY.

 

[davesl708]

You are correct. And if yours runs for 10 minutes every hour then either 1) it's not losing much heat to outside or 2) it's using more BTU than it needs to in order to keep the house warm. The geo at our last house was like that.

That's what I love about our variable system. It runs at such a low power that when it is really cold out, it is essentially running just to replace the lost heat in real-time, at such a low power. Another note is that we have 5 different zones in our house, so it is constantly switching between zones.



Agreed! You need a geo specialist to really get it right. Sizing for geo is different than sizing for gas if you want the best possible efficiency out of your unit.

My house is much more energy efficient since the system was installed. I found that several of the geo installers were selling geo on the side to cover all bases. They were gas/electric vendors primarily. I found through recommendations a Waterfurnace dealer that did only geo and had been in business for 40 years. I smile every time the electric bill arrives and my neighbors complain about their $200 to $300 bills.

Plus when we sit outside in the summer no noisy outside condenser running.

 

[Redneck in training]

I was hoping the HVAC people would fix my HP today because of low temperatures and high wind predicted for Sunday. They promised to do it Monday now. Fortunately we installed two propane fireplaces when we built the house so the situation is not critical.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My upstairs has run 80% of the time this month, 17% on high. Down ran 55%, 3% on high. We've had at least 3 nights out of 15 at 10° lows.