Think of a Geothermal unit as a Central Air unit that can run either forward or backward. The cost to repair a geothermal unit is going to be comparable to that of fixing a Central Air unit. There are a couple extra pieces of equipment involved depending whether or not you want to heat water or not, or if you are using a horizontal or vertical field instead of an air exchange unit, so that can add some extra costs. The place that I priced out a system at said they have some very well maintained systems still being used that were installed over 50 years ago.
Um no.
I work for a residential HVAC service and repair company. The single most expensive repairs (and most problematic systems) we routinely stumble across are geo thermal.
Compressors need to be special ordered as nobody around keeps them in stock. Turn-around time can take 1-2 weeks, and longer during peak seasons. Pumps are the same. And lord help you if there's a leak somewhere. I think the theory behind geo is sound, and there's a lot of potential there. But long-term it's going to potentially cost you beucoup bucks, especially if you're not an annual maintenance kinda guy.
Truth be told, I think 99 percent of the issues stem from improper installation. When geo was all the rage 8-10 years ago, every swinging dick with an HVAC license (and some without) wanted a piece of the action. Well, you get what you pay for. We have a customer west of DL who had a company install his Geo, then went out of business. Now he's stuck with an expensive system that kicks out error codes like a Bismarck bouncer, and is considering starting over with a standard forced-air system and air-to-air heat pump.
it seems to me when it comes to equipment, heating and cooling included, the simpler it is, the better. If I were to build a home out of town, I'd consider something like a gas-forced air system with electric plenum heater for backup. If there's an opportunity to do off-peak electric, I'd run a heat pump and have the propane furnace as secondary heat source. For my outbuildings, simple hung unit heaters would suffice. As long as they're insulated and you keep the doors closed more than they're open in the winter, unit heaters can be relatively inexpensive to run and maintain.
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I've had a geothermal heating system for about 32 years. I replaced my furnace 2 years ago. I started to have trouble and the service guy would come and put more freon in my unit. I finally had to replace the furnace because it had a leak and wasn't cost effective to throw a bunch of money at it. I just replaced it with a new unit. I hardly spent anything on my old furnace for maintenance or upkeep. One key thing is to have a knowledgeable geothermal guy set up the system and figure out what you need as far as sizing and setup. I had a hard time finding anyone who knew anything about the geo furnaces to come and even check out the initial problem. I have a great guy now.
Do some research and talk to a bunch of geo guys. Good luck.
I should also tell you that I have wells in my back yard. I didn't have enough room to trench and bury pipe.
Fish On!
What he said!! ^^^