# Geothermal



## thornapple (Feb 3, 2003)

Getting ready to build a 1400 sq ft ranch this summer and ive been trying to decide on which HVAC system to go with. Propoane is my only gas option and anybody with LP knows how expensive it is. I have been looking around online at the geothermal option and all I can come up with are reasons to go with it, but there has to be some negatives. Right? 
I dont personally know anybody with a geo system so any insight would be appreciated.


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## tinmarine (Nov 19, 2007)

The only downside really is initial cost. You can heat your water with it, heat your house with it. A nice Econar or Water Furnace and you'll be happy.


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## PaleRider (Oct 24, 2007)

We have geothermal and it works just fine I would consider a closed loop system as opposed to a open one.

Our open system causes the well pump to run a lot (read electricity) and of course you need a place for the water to discharge, in our case a pond.


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## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

I have Geo thermal a Water Furnace and I have over 3200 sq ft and my utilities are extremely low. I also use it to heat hot water. If you have a pond and its deep enough you can put the loops in there, if not ground loop is good choice and lastly the pump and dump.

Make the investment upfront and you will save a ton of money over propane. Find a good geo contractor with lots of references and you won't regret it, as Tinmarine told you the only down side is the initial investment. 

My geo is over 10 years old and the only problem I ever had was a bad pump and because of the size of my system I decided to replace both since I had the system down and it would need a recharge of water....

Good luck


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

If you are doing a new construction I would do the close loop your bills will be much lower. Down side to geo systems is that there are not a lot of companies that install the systems. You will enjoy the geosystem
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

as a side note you may want to talk to Tinmarine as he may be willing to install it for you.


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## thornapple (Feb 3, 2003)

Lots of good information, thanks everybody.


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## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

NM do you do geo?


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## paulywood (Sep 2, 2005)

If I ever build a house I would definitely go with geothermal. The only actual downfall except for the initial cost is when you get sudden temperature changes it can take a while for the house to heat up. To remedy that some people install electric baseboard heaters in the bedrooms or a wood burning fireplace. This only happens a few times a year so it really isn't that big of a deal. Geothermal is the way to go IMO.


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

my parents have it too.

Don't you get some kind of a tax break for using one?


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

We built in 2005 and put in Geo. The initial cost was around $5,000 more but we have probably already recouped that in propane savings. Tax breaks right now are really good and probably will get you almost to the same cost as a LP system depending on which model you buy. We have a Water Furnace. I would also go with a closed loop. We have 7 acres and could have done the pump and dump or open loop, but the closed loop, if you think about how it works, should be better for the system as time goes by.

Definitely consider a back-up heat source (we use wood). We have about 2,200 sf and in the dead cold of late Jan and Feb we use it. They also make little piggy-back LP type furnaces which you can use as an alternate which only kick on when the Geo is struggling. Worst thing you can do is use a programmable thermostat. All you have to do is set it and forget it. The only thing that we do right now is flip from heat to cool. Continually adjusting the thermostat is what will make your bills higher.

Another big consideration is if you live in an area where your power goes out a lot. Remember, you are basically going to be an all electric house unless you add alternate heat. That's why we chose wood over electric baseboard. I was told by the local power co-op (thumb elec) that it would take a 20 kw generator to safely start the compressor on a Geo w/o potential for damage (read expensive). We have DTE and the longest we have been w/o was just under three days (I think in 2006 or 7). Some were out much longer. We have a small generator that will run the essentials, plus the blower on the wood burner for heat. Need more info send me a PM. Overall I'm definitely happy we went with the Geo.


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## N M Mechanical (Feb 7, 2008)

Yeah I do install them and we try to get the customer a close loop system
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wexman (Apr 14, 2007)

I have had a geothermal system since 1986 . My system is set up to dump into a pond. It has been very dependable. I have only had 4-5 service calls in 24 years. I am heating about 1300 sq ft. My unit is made by Hydro Heat and was installed by a local contractor. I'm probably nearing the end of service life of my system. I have been very happy with the way the systems has worked. I plan on replacing it with another geothermal system when this one needs replaced.


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## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

Don't wait there is a 30% tax credit.


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## PaleRider (Oct 24, 2007)

Our system is made by Hydron I believe and comes with a electric boost feature, that is if the system can't produce enough heat the electric heat within the system kicks in. That being said that has not happened in the three years we have been here. 

One other thought is to insulate really well this too will save you in the long run, I think we have about 24" maybe more in the ceiling. As far as an electrical outage is concerned we have a *large* generator that runs on propane for back-up.

http://www.hydronmodule.com/

Oh ya, one last thought DO NOT USE FLAME FURNACE IN ROYAL OAK for installation of your Geo or any furnace for that matter.


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## Lucky Dog (Jul 4, 2004)

Do you guys with geothermal have another heat source? 
I was told the geothermal alone would not be enough to heat my home when the temp got very cold, and that I would need a second source of heat in those conditions. Was I told wrong?


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## PaleRider (Oct 24, 2007)

Lucky Dog said:


> Do you guys with geothermal have another heat source?
> I was told the geothermal alone would not be enough to heat my home when the temp got very cold, and that I would need a second source of heat in those conditions. Was I told wrong?


I do have a wood fireplace, never used, for looks only not efficient for home heating and a gas (propane) fireplace not adequate for heating home. My back-up would be the generator to keep the Geo working in a power failure also the emergency electric heat built into the Geo itself (never used). We heat 5400 sq ft.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

Lucky Dog said:


> Do you guys with geothermal have another heat source?
> I was told the geothermal alone would not be enough to heat my home when the temp got very cold, and that I would need a second source of heat in those conditions. Was I told wrong?


Our Water furnace has a electric heat boost also, but not the most energy efficient for using as back up heat. We normally use wood, which we use primarily in Jan/Feb - but my wife like the house to be really "warm". That is the one thing about Geo that is different. Your house temp is pretty much always the same (whatever you set it at) and you never get that warm blast like you do with regular heating systems. AC in the summer is awesome. Hot water production is great too. 

A lot of the efficiency of the system is determined my the soil also. Where we are we have a sand ridge - great for drainage but a soil with more clay holds heat better, or so I was told when they were installing it. Bottom line is, with the tax credits and cost of other options, you can't beat it.


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## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

Most geo systems that are stand alone will have electric strip heat in the unit, much like a toaster. My strip heat will rarely come on unless I bump the temperature up 6 to 8 degrees which I never do.

Geo system can a do keep up because there is heat in the ground as opposed to air to air when it becomes a little more difficult when the temps drop below 30 degrees. 

Many of my neighboors have geo as well, a great investment.


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## USMarine2001 (Feb 23, 2010)

what kind of temps can be reached in the house (heat/ac in summer)


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