Thread: Geothermal System

Inspected A Geothermal system today, i haven't inspected a system like this before. It heated and cooled well, but was slow. Can anyone tell me have to report the tonage and age of this unit. Here is the system label. Thanks

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My guess 53,000 btu, probably between a 3 ton and 4 ton unit. Circa 1994 is my guess.

What do you mean by slow?

By slow i mean not like a forced air heat pump, wasn't blowing hard and took about 5 mins. to show temp change

The water will circulate first then the compressor will kick on. It is likely a multi stage blower, dependent on temperature settings. One or two degrees above set point on thermostat will run in low mode, if you set the temp higher it will kick into higher output mode and increased fan speed.

Temp output is likely in the 80-95 degree range.

Also this unit looks like it has a super deheater which pre warms cold water and sends it onto the hot water heater. If incoming potable water is 47 deg. F. the waste heat from compressor boosts water temp to about 100-110 deg. F, and then the water heater heats it to 130-140 deg F. So it helps save on heating hot water.

This is based on my knowledge of my geothermal heat pump stats and the super deheater on my hot water tank.

There is a bit of a learning curve in inspecting geo-thermal systems. And, they vary quite a bit in how they can be installed (forced air blower systems, radiant baseboard or floor heat, etc). Many of these units, especially in northern latitudes, will have an electric auxiliary heating element that kicks in during boost mode. So part of the challenge in evaluating if a system is working properly or not is to determine if the heat being produced is from the geothermal heat pump or the electric heating element. I ALWAYS include a disclaimer in my reports that indicate my inspection of complicated heating systems is limited, and recommend a more compete inspection by a factory certified tech. Repairs can be horribly expensive ($7,000), so I don't want to be stuck with a liability claim from a home buyer when it turns out that his heating system isn't working right.
Water Furnace puts out an owners manual that contains some helpful info,
http://www.waterfurnace.com/downloads/manuals/WFOM.pdf

The rating plate shows what electric heaters are available with this unit. The installer did not check off which one was used, or none was used. If a heater is installed it will have a sequencer that will determine how many stages of heat to use. 2 stages of electric heat are listed for all of the heater models on the tag.

It's on the nampate. (lower left corner)

Cooling: 49 MBTH - 4 tons.