Anyone have geo-thermal heat?

Horseyrider · #1 01/23/12, 02:20 PM

The solar panels have been doing such a slammin' good job, now we're considering a way to eliminate our use of propane. It's looking like geo-thermal would be a whole lot cheaper to run, and then we could get rid of that ugly tank. Really, isn't that big sausage out in the yard about the ugliest thing ever?

Does anyone have a geo-thermal system? We're planning on it mainly for heat. It does get hot here in the summer, but I love having all the windows open and hearing the birds. The breezes come through beautifully, and the house seems like one giant screened in porch. The winters are not so gentle, nor are the gas bills.

What are your experiences with purchasing, installing, and using geo-thermal?

Batt · #2 01/23/12, 02:53 PM

JMHO, but I believe you are talking about a Ground Source heat Pump. Manufacturers get all uppity and have to make the names of their products sound more impressive.

Yes, I have one. Closed loop system. 90% self installed. Works Excellent. 1600 /sf appx $1 / day. Heating and cooling, and I like to keep it "meat locker" in the summer. DSIL is a HVAC contractor, and he installed the ducting, and acquired the GSHP.

Start up costs are kinda pricey, but the ROI is good.

**highlands** · #3 01/23/12, 03:41 PM

Bury it. The tank that is. No need to have it above ground.

On the geo-thermal heat, it's a great idea if you work with its limitations. Most locations don't have a high thermal differential so you only get a little heat at a time. I setup a passive geo-thermal heat system for our house that has four 70' long 4" diameter pipes buried under insulation. The incoming air is warmed by the ground. In the winter our air is 0°F or so most of the time dropping as low as -45°F. The incoming air at the house end of the tubes has never been below 32°F which is a lot better than the outdoor air. This gives us fresh air. But, the incoming air is never above 55°F. For us that's heating bumped up a little by some wood heat. Your opinion of warm may vary.

See: http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/2008/09...air-tubes.html

haypoint · #4 01/23/12, 04:46 PM

Geo Thermal is a system that brings in water from one or more sources. The "furnace" cools the water to near freezing and then that water is piped away. The heat that was removed from the water, heats your house. A closed system is a bunch of buried pipes, below the area's frost line. As the water circulates in your yard, it warms back up and the "furnace" removes the heat. Another way is to install a well ad draw well water, take the heat out of it and expel the cold water into a ditch or back into another well.

A friend had a system installed that drew in lake water, cooled it and expeled it. Poorly set up. In the frozen North Country, that lake (part of the Great Lakes) froze to near the bottom and the remaining water was only 34 degrees F. So, when the system tried to pull heat out of the water, it froze in the lines.

I have friends that have Geothermal systems and their electric bills, including lights, dryer, hot water, TV and heat system average around $70. a month.

Plus there is a government refund for switching to geo thermal. Expect to spend over $10,000 with a 12 year pay back.

agmantoo · #5 01/23/12, 05:56 PM

I am on my second unit. The first lasted almost 20 years. I installed the 2nd unit entirely myself. My system is an open loop. Well water is cycled through a tube and shell heat exchanger and the freon compressor extracts the heat or the cool from the 56 degree F well water. The new unit is super efficient with an EER rating of 31. I have a 3 ton unit and it cost $4400. The ducting and emergency heat was recycled from the old unit. A 30% tax credit from federal tax and a 35% credit from the state. The local utility threw in $300 cash. The operating costs are low. I do not have a good cost to operate breakdown for the geothermal heat pump itself but the entire farm which is total electric has ranged from $78 to less than $140/month. I like the fact that there is nothing outside to rust or damage. The old unit that I removed looked about as good as when it was installed. It was a piston unit whereas the new one is a two stage scroll. It is quiet and takes up a minimum of space.

Maura · #6 01/23/12, 08:08 PM

It depends on where you live. It is not cost effective everywhere. We looked into it and the electric company told us it would not be efficient for us. Do some research. We ended up with in-floor radiant heat and love it. However, you do need an energy source for the hot water heater. We have propane but maize would work just as well.

phrogpharmer · #7 01/24/12, 12:48 PM

In this area some people have geothermal artesian wells. I rent my little farm space from a guy who has a well that produces water at 102 degrees. It comes out under pressure at a flow of about 1350 gpm. He has a hydro electric turbine on his well head, after generating electricity it flows by gravity through a large diameter pipe to a chamber where it mixes with cold water and then into a series of raceways where 250,000 lbs of tilapia are produced each year. He diverts a small portion of the flow through pipes in the concrete floors of his shop and home and keeps nice and warm in the winter. There are several farms, as well as some churches, homes, and the local college campus set up in a similar manner in S. Idaho.