Geo equipment ????

S Ebels

For those of you who sell/install/service geothermal equipment, what is your preferred brand and why. I'm talking strictly of ground loop type systems, not pump and dump. Also do any of you use direct expansion type systems and what kind of problems do you have with them?

Thanks

Steve

JaredM_3

I have used ClimateMaster and I am seriously looking at Econar right now. They make what they call a cold climate heat pump, designed to work with colder loop temps and give you normal capacities.

I have a ClimateMaster in my own house and I love it. It's 9 years old and last year I did change a compressor...we had a power surge here that I think cooked the compressor.

I have experience with Water Furnace as well and they have been reliable.

The whole secret to ground source is getting the ground loop right. You should take no shortcuts in the design and installation of the ground loop. It is really the heart of the system.

-Jared

Brian_24

I have used american geothermal and ecr dx systems. I had trouble with amgeo when going from heating season to cooling with low suction pressures. This was fixed with a time delay relay on the low pressure cut out. Not my first choice for a solution. I am also not very happy with the service after the sale. On the other hand ecr has the refrigerant control down pat with some awesome controls. And the service I receive from them is top notch. I recently installed an ecr system that would heat domestic hot water that totally kicks butt. Check them out at ecrtech.com

Andy_12

I like Water Furnace because the unit they sell can do pump and dump as well as closed loop. Alot of documentation as to what the system operation is with different loop temps & pressures compared to efficiency. And much quieter than the econar units I hear running. Most of the econar units I would not find acceptable to have any where inside my home for the sound levels. However they seem to work just fine otherwise.

John_56

I cast another vote for WaterFurnace. I have been installing them for more than 12 years and have always had great success. I have looked at many other brands and have worked on a few others, but I won't switch from WaterFurnace.

John

Glenn Harrison_2

I will cast a third for WaterFurnace

My current employer has been putting in WF for years, and I have always been impressed with the quality and tech services provided by the company. I have also been to their Fort Wayne In. factory twice for training and factory tour, and am impressed by their classroom, factory setup, and their happy employees. The bosses always keep the workers in the picture for input on improvements, and have all sorts of incentive programs to keep moral up.

Now I'm not saying that other Geo companies are bad, I just have not had enough experience with the others.

I will highly recomend that you stay far, far away from TETCO! They recently went thru another buyout, and I have had the WORST (read nonexistant) customer service from them ever since.

S Ebels

How would you rate

How would all of you rate reliability of closed loop vs, pump and dump. Personally, I've seen nothing but horrid service from pump and dump systems in these parts. (Northern Lower Mich) My brothers father in law installed one 7 years ago in a new home and a gas furnace now stands in its place. During the first five years (warranty years) he told me that his dad-in-law would have had more $$$$ in repairs than what the entire system cost when installed.
Normal????

Glenn Harrison_2

I think that would depend on the quality of the water.

I have plenty of pump and dump systems that work fine. I have a couple of 15+ year old WF Pump and Dump units that are still working fine with the original water solenoids still installed. WaterFurnace uses a Cupro-Nickel heat exchanger for maximum corrosion and longevity.

A geothermal loop will be less abusive on the HX as you can control the quality of the fluid, including buying the methanol pre-mixed to factory specs.

What you might want to do is get a complete analysis of the water you might use, and then contact the unit Manufacturer, like WaterFurnace, with the results, and let them decide of the water might tear the unit apart or not.

Mark Eatherton1

It depends...

a lot on the water quality you're delaing with. If it's high in TDS and other naturally nasty percipitants, it can goober up the works in no time flat. If properly done, it's one of the most efficient heat transfer systems there is. I'm looking at off the shelf ways to utilize solar and water source heat pumps. I figure I can draw down the solar to 34 degrees F before I have to go to the 40 degree Earth. By having the storage tank that cold, in the morning when the sun comes up, the solar collectors wil SUCK UP BTU'S like theyre going out of style. The thermal efficiency of the solar collectors will substantially increase as will the whole system. With the new technology available, it's possible to do a variable speed on teh well pump to eliminate turbidity and the such.

With a properly sized centrifual dirt/air eliminator, the system shoudl be relatively free. You might need to throw some magnetics at it to keep it from scaling.

I too like Water Furnace. Their pump placement sucks for service, but don't they all??

ME

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Zach

Mark-

I am curious... Can you explain how this would be set up?

Thanks a lot,
Zach

Brian_24

Go with the dx system and take the water out of the equation. jmho.
Brian

S Ebels

Possible to........

Can a person run a ducted system and some radiant floor off a geo heat pump? Not a question of capacity but one of plumbing how to and if there are some brands or types more suited to this than others.

Glenn Harrison_2

Here you go

The Water Furnace Synergy3 unit

http://www.waterfurnace.com/Synergy3.asp