[Greenbuilding] Ground-source heat pumps; was Re: Green real estate market

[Steve Tripp]

That is the same information I've been getting when doing my own research is
that they are fairly reliable and low maintenance.  I don't know the
backgrounds of the contractors I've talked to, but I don't think they are
being willfully misleading.  So I would have to say that it is primarily
being comfortable with heating and cooling technology they have been working
with for years, and not being sure they want to get involved in this
"untested" technology.

On 1/11/07, Leslie Moyer <Unschooler at atlasok.com> wrote:
>
> Steve Tripp wrote:
> > One thing I have noticed after talking to several General Contractors
> about geothermal systems is that there is not a lot of good information out
> there about reliability and performance.  10 years seems to be average that
> they
> > give these systems to last before requiring major repairs.
>
> This just doesn't seem accurate to me--it goes against everything I've
> heard about them. I'm not connected to the industry at all, but the
> International Ground Source Heat Pump Association is in my state and
> I've heard a lot about them at conferences around here....and there are
> a lot in service around here, too. I might want to look at a motive your
> potential contractors might have for falsifying information....or maybe
> they're just ignorant about them.  Are there no installers in your
> immediate area?  Does their brother-in-law do their HVAC?  Are they,
> perhaps, talking about air-to-air heat exchangers?  Perhaps they had one
> bad sub-contractor.  It is true that this technology hasn't been around
> that long, but all I've heard about them is that the first
> (experimental) ones they put in 30+ years ago are still working
> flawlessly.
>
> The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHP) is a
> non-profit organization: http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/ based out of
> Oklahoma State University.  About durability, they say:
>
> "*How long will my GSHP system last? *
> GSHPs are durable and highly reliable. The GSHP contains fewer
> mechanical components, and all components are either buried in the
> ground or located inside the home, which protects them from outside
> conditions. The underground pipe carries up to a 50-year warranty."
>
> I'd pursue this further, if I were you.....
>
> --Leslie / Oklahoma
>
>
>
>
>
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