kuby
Silver Member
Thinking of instaling it myself but how does one fuse the lines together?? The lines are simuler to naturel gas lines.
Geothermal anyone??
- Thread starter kuby
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Not sure about Geothermal but I just watched a plumber run the gas lines from our new propane tank. He used a steel mandrill that he heated with a torch to 500 deg. It had molds for the male and female ends. After it was heated he just slipped on the line and connector which melted the plastic, removed them from the mandrill/form and stuck them together. Said the tool cost about $150.00.
BubbaJr
Platinum Member
We have geothermal and we like it a lot except for the furnace noise. I'm assuming you are talking about plastic pipe that you bury for a closed loop system. Around here they use a long enough length so they don't have to splice it underground. I've been told that there isn't a 100% trouble free underground joint when you have ground heaving with frost, and clay soil shrinking and moving. Ours is an open loop system so we avoided those issues.
slowrev
Elite Member
Not had it myself, but a friend about 1/8th mile down the road did. It was closed loop type. He had it replaced with a heat pump last year and he loves the new system, lots quieter, seems to be about the same operating cost and the old system " was nothing but trouble". Just relaying this info on.....
On the noise issue the compressor was in the basement unit, so that explains the noise thing. Heat pump compressor is in the outside unit.
Ben
On the noise issue the compressor was in the basement unit, so that explains the noise thing. Heat pump compressor is in the outside unit.
Ben
thcri
Elite Member
We have put a lot of systems in and have never had a leak yet. And because of the individual runs there is about 8 joints underground in each system.
As far as noise, yes they are noisier and they move more air than a standard system. I am not sure I am a fan of them as of yet. We monitored a couple of houses and did not see a savings even when buying electricity at 4 cents. It is a lot of extra money for these systems.
murph
As far as noise, yes they are noisier and they move more air than a standard system. I am not sure I am a fan of them as of yet. We monitored a couple of houses and did not see a savings even when buying electricity at 4 cents. It is a lot of extra money for these systems.
murph
Birdhunter1
Veteran Member
With all geothermal systems you will have some underground connections in the manifold. They are cheaper to run but only if your house is sealed and insulated well, if it's a drafty old farm house I'd just put in a wood or gas furnace and live with it. I think the geo units are quieter, some folks may not. One thing to remember though if you put it in a place where you won't be by it all the time then you won't notice it, regardless of what type of system you have you will hear it if you are always near it..
slowzuki
Elite Member
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We're getting a water water system in the future to supplement the stove. The outside is a closed water loop and the inside is a closed water loop in the floor. The compressor and all the refridgerant is sealed in the "box" from the factory.
Ken
Ken
slowrev
Elite Member
Sort of off the main subject here, but was talking to a friend the other day about high efficiency gas furnaces. He has been in the business for about 25 yrs and is of the opinion that the new high efficiency furnaces cost just as much to own/operate as the 80% hot vented ones. He says you will either pay for higher costs on purchase and service on the high efficiency ones or gas for the 80% ones, which seem to never break.
Ben
Ben
engineer
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My folks are on their second home with geothermal in upstate New York. They retrofitted both homes with the geothermal and have been very satified. they are running a deep well geothermal system not a closed loop system, still runs on the same principal; intake at 30' below grade return 300' below grade.
It sounds like the pipe you are discussing is high density polyethylene. All joined together by butt fusion. the tow pieces are placed in a clamp assembly, the two ends are brought together and squared up by a rotary planer, a hot iron heats up both ends (425°F a typical minimum temperature, large pipe usually requires more), then using the clamp assembly stick the ends of the pipe togeher and allow to cool. Typically the fusion is stronger than the pipe. Typical to this area suppliers who sell the HDPE pipe will aslo rent the fusion equipment.
Just my two cents.
engineer
It sounds like the pipe you are discussing is high density polyethylene. All joined together by butt fusion. the tow pieces are placed in a clamp assembly, the two ends are brought together and squared up by a rotary planer, a hot iron heats up both ends (425°F a typical minimum temperature, large pipe usually requires more), then using the clamp assembly stick the ends of the pipe togeher and allow to cool. Typically the fusion is stronger than the pipe. Typical to this area suppliers who sell the HDPE pipe will aslo rent the fusion equipment.
Just my two cents.
engineer
thcri
Elite Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( He has been in the business for about 25 yrs and is of the opinion that the new high efficiency furnaces cost just as much to own/operate as the 80% hot vented ones. He says you will either pay for higher costs on purchase and service on the high efficiency ones or gas for the 80% ones, which seem to never break.
Ben)</font>
Ben, you might have been mislead a bit in your friends statement. Today's 80% furnace has just about as many controls on it as the 90% plus furnaces. So from a operation stand point there isn't much difference. Yes you only save 10% on fuel. If you go back to prior 70% where there was just a gas valve, pilit light, limit control, blower and heat exchanger yes them furnaces never broke down. Today nothing can be manufactured less than 78% and all furnace's pretty much all have the same controls on them now. The 90's do have a couple more safety switches over the 80's but that is about it. Now most manufactures have even gone into Variable drive blower motors, again you can get them in 80 and 90%. In Minnesota we don't even sell the 80%'s anymore. In new construction our codes pretty much have forced everyone to go 90% or better. Sealed combustion is another requsite for Minnesota which is not made in the 80% range. My opinion being the business since 1976 is to go with a variable drive 94% or better. The variable drive being DC voltage will use about 80% less electricity over some standard blower motors.
murph
Ben)</font>
Ben, you might have been mislead a bit in your friends statement. Today's 80% furnace has just about as many controls on it as the 90% plus furnaces. So from a operation stand point there isn't much difference. Yes you only save 10% on fuel. If you go back to prior 70% where there was just a gas valve, pilit light, limit control, blower and heat exchanger yes them furnaces never broke down. Today nothing can be manufactured less than 78% and all furnace's pretty much all have the same controls on them now. The 90's do have a couple more safety switches over the 80's but that is about it. Now most manufactures have even gone into Variable drive blower motors, again you can get them in 80 and 90%. In Minnesota we don't even sell the 80%'s anymore. In new construction our codes pretty much have forced everyone to go 90% or better. Sealed combustion is another requsite for Minnesota which is not made in the 80% range. My opinion being the business since 1976 is to go with a variable drive 94% or better. The variable drive being DC voltage will use about 80% less electricity over some standard blower motors.
murph
