Share pictures or your geothermal: plumbing

[LD1]

Parts are starting to role in for my DIY geothermal. If weather holds, will break ground within the next week to get all the loops done.

But between the geo unit, flow center, manifolds, secondary water heater tank, I am interesting in seeing how others have things laid out in their basements. What your manifold setups look like, Ina cabnet? Attached to wall? Free hanging? Hooked direct to furnace/flow center, etc.

Just looking to get ideas on how to make it a good looking clean install.

Thanks

 

[s219]

Heh, mine uses up a whole crawl space and closet. I'd only want to share pics if you get really desperate and none of the guys with cool looking setups come through....

 

[jrclark]

You've peaked my interest - never heard of DIY geothermal. I'm off to google this wonderful sounding thing. Can you please share what your project entails? Are you doing vertical wells?

 

[LD1]

Anything can be DIY. Just depends on your skill level and what equipment you have. No vertical Wells, horizontal loops.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I headered inside, with ball valves on each loop. Pipes sleaved in 2" pvc.

This allows you to flush with your flow pump.
I also put in bypass valves, so i can bypass the geo unit for flushing.
You can open the pump tank and put in your antifreeze.
I also made my own flow meter unit to hook up to the pump to measure flow.

Coiled my own loops, dug, covered.
With the money i would have paid someone else to install, i bought a new tractor and backhoe.

 

[LD1]

Nice. I wish I didn't spend the $500+ on the manifolds I got. They came in the kit, so not sure if a "not included" price would have actually saved that. But if doing again I would just get valves and fittings and do my own on the fly.

Good idea on the bypass.

Did you find it necessary to lay the coils out and zip tie things together? Or you think it's possible to do on the fly.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My kit to fuse the pipe costs around $1200.
You need to make the slinkies ahead of time, not hard, but use a pattern for constant size loops. I marked on the board where each loop went, made 3 loops, slide it down and repeat.

I put a washer pan under each unit, also put a piece of hard insulation under the units to help reduce any vibration.
Also put PT connections going into the unit to take measurements.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Does a kit come with the design? Loop lengths, depend on climate, depth, min/max design temp, loop type, flow rates, etc..

 

[LD1]

The manifolds I have don't have anything fused. Compression fittings for the sdr11 pipe, and a pvc manifold. Something I could have made with compression adapfer fittings the either brass or PVC.

I will forgoe the dryer pan. The corner of the basement where everything will be located is just bare concrete and a 10x13 area all sloped to a drain. Water heater, well pressure tank, and city water in are all located here too, and will be closed off. The rest of the basement is semi-finished. Thinking about making a cement/mortar dam around the inside of the room also. In the event anything leaks, water will be contained to that room and flow freely down the drain.

As to pre-making the slinkeys....my plan "was" to uncoil enough for the straight run, then slinkey out the rest in the trench as I go. "Assuming" the springyness of the coils will kinda hold them tight in the trench. And once backfilled they won't go anywhere. Sounds like an all day thing and several bags of zip ties to make up 4 loops at 800' each

 

[buckeyefarmer]

That might work out ok, just be careful working in the trench.
I put topsoil around the pipes.