Geothermal first time

Big Will

I have wanted to do a geothermal job for some time and I have a coustomer that wants a pair of forced air split systems. He has the property to do ground loops and wants to combine solar PV. So I understand the concepts and have lots of experiance with comercial water source heat pumps. I went through the motions with a Water Furnace rep and learned alot but need to know more. I am in northern California and it seems that most of the training is in the midwest. I have learned a lot from reading Dans books and the wall. Any advice on books to buy or web site to go to would be great.

Randy Calvi

Books and website...

IGSHPA website with textbooks.

http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/publication/manuals.htm

They aren't cheap and you may not need anything if you can get a knowledgeble local person to help. The text books can get pretty arcane depending on what you are looking at and what you need to do. (Do you REALLY want to learn soils analysis?) If you want to learn the nuts and bolts - start with the "Installation Guide". It has the broadest info. Don't worry about soils or slinkys unless you haven't got any 'old salts' to help you. If you need to get into the soils stuff, be prepared to be bored (unless you are a closet rockhound).

There are training sessions on the West Coast periodically and you can probably get info RE those from IGSHPA. Your heat pump dealer may also be able to find out about classes. Also, check with the state Dep't. of Energy or equal. Here in Oregon ((say it ORYGUN - not ORIGONE) for all you folks back east) the DOE has tax credit programs that require certification for the installing technicians. CA may have a similar program.

Advice - DON"T CUT CORNERS. Geo is great and works well with radiant; BUT you MUST - MUST do your homework or you can, just like radiant, have a system that's pretty and expensive and doesn't work.

Good luck.

Here's another link: http://geoexchange.us/.

Big Will

Pretty expensive and dosen't work

That sounds like a Dodge truck I bought last year.

Thanks I will check the site you listed. Couldnt agree with you more about the homework. I really like to try something at my own house before I do it for someone else but I lack the yard for this one. Oh and the deep pockets.

schiller

you should sub contract a "looper" they will trench and install the the fused pipe and make the conection to the flow controler and then using a "flush cart" fill the pipes. that way all you will need to do is make the EQ conections. Fusing is pretty simple but it requires a cert from the manufacture to mantain the warranty. generaly if you provide the load they (the looper) can figure out the loop field for you.