TechGromit started another post that asked about cost of service for geothermal.  I was hoping some people on this site may be able to comment on what to expect from an annual service visit.  I would like for my contractor to be fully aware of my expectations before he sends one of his techs out. 

I would also like to ask to be able to make a copy of the "results" before the tech leaves or have the contractor send me a final report.

Does this seem reasonable?  Or does it seem a tad too much? 

(to give a little background:  At some point during the end of my installation process I said to my contractor "I'll bet you regret taking me on as a client with all the questions I have and how involved I've been" and he responded with "I knew exactly what I was getting into."  This tells me that he is understanding of the type of person I am and I believe will not be offended by my list.)

Any items to add to my list of expectations of annual service would be greatly appreciated.

Ona;

This is what we provide...

Water side closed loop... Water pressure in and out. Water temp in and out. Flow rate in GPM. Heat of extraction. Heat of rejection. Glycol test including %.

Water side open loop... Water pressure in and out. Water temp in and out. Flow rate in GPM. Heat of extraction. Heat of rejection.

Air side... Make sure filter and air coil is clean. Air temp in and out. Check and clean condensate drain. Voltage readings (240V & 24V) Compressor amp draw. Fan motor amp draw. Capacitor microfared readings. Electric strip voltage and amp draw(s).

Desuperheater water temp deltaT.

Record and compare above values to start-up form, or previous service call form.

A continuing record of the systems performance makes it very easy to spot small problems before they become big ones.

Bergy

Copy and paste Bergy's list to your contractor. Yearly recording of what Bergy suggests will alert you or your maintenance person to emerging problems and indicate deeper maintenance needs. A system monitored and maintained in this way will last a lifetime.

I confess I hadn't thought of taking capacitor uF readings until now, but it makes sense. Capacitors have a weird habit of dying and stopping the system on Friday afternoons during heat waves, 10 minutes after the supply house closes for the weekend. They are cheap to buy and easy to replace.

The suggestion begs this question: Do capacitor uF readings deviate from nameplate in advance of failure so as to be able to proactively swap them out?

This is exactly what I was looking for... thank you.

Out of curiosity, how do you test for glycol (or in my case methanol) percentage?

Ona;

I can't answer about methanol, we don't use it.

Testing Glycol percentages is very easy. Two or three drops on a Refractometer is all that is needed.

Bergy

Testing for any alchohol based antifreeze is done with a hydrometer. It works for methanol and environol both. Water furnace has a slick kit available to their dealers for 15.00. It consists of a hydrometer in a pvc tube that is used for storage and measuring, and has a chart for both types of antifreeze.
Eric Sackett
weberwelldrilling,com