I Live in Iowa. Have had my FHP since 2003 love it. Got home and compressor is locked out count flashes its 2 this means shut off on low pressure does this mean in the loop or in refrigerant? Thank you Randy Meester

Low pressure suction line (refrigerant)

Previous answer could mislead. While it means low pressure in the refrigerant side, the typical cause will be found on the waterside.
You need to check for adequate flow across the heat exchanger. If you are open loop make sure pre-filter and drain are not obstructed.
If you are unable to verify flow your self get a service tech.
Let no one near refrigerant until water side is confirmed to be properly functioning
Good Luck,
Joe

Why how nice to recieve a private message from ICF, permit me to share it with you:

Subject: Previous answer could mislead.
From: ICFHybrid
Received: Wed, 16 March 2011 10:38 AM
Options: Reply | Reply without Quote | Forward to my E-mail | Delete


Are you just trying to be obnoxious or is your insecurity talking again?

Obnoxious? No ICF. If I were trying to be 100% candid, I might have suggested that the previous answer came from someone who is not a geo contractor, argues with pros while admiting you don't research, but never hesitates to offer wild opinions ( i.e. change in foliage might have significantly changed a geos behavior).
Instead I mentioned that the canned answer you read off a book on line could easily suggest that the problem was in the refrigerant when not only is water side more likely, but industry standard is to check it first. No judgement was offered, simply advice.
I'm sorry that your insecurity led you to feel attacked.
j

offer wild opinions ( i.e. change in foliage might have significantly changed a geos behavior).

It's a well-known and significant factor in building heat loads.

nstead I mentioned that the canned answer you read off a book on line could easily suggest that the problem was in the refrigerant when not only is water side more likely, but industry standard is to check it first.

Except I didn't suggest the underlying problem was in the refrigerant. I just answered the poster's question. He had already waited several hours with no response from you "pros". He obviously recognized the existence of the two separate systems and did not ask for additional troubleshooting.

My answer was no more misleading than your failure to note the possibility of hard water scaling in an 8 year old Iowa system.

"No judgement was offered, simply advice."
So.....who's being obnoxious? Is there a reason you are attacking me?
J

I also believe ICFHybrid's answer was misleading.  First and foremost, OP came here looking for help regarding his lockout.  Homeowners don't always know the correct questions to ask (or they would be pros and not need much help.)  Better to not answer than give a misleading answer.  I now fear the quality of answers to homeowner's geothermal problems will be greatly diminished should a pro not answer within 2 hours.

ICFHybrid does not identify himself as a homeowner (and not a pro) since it is not required by this forum (even though this identification would be the right thing to do when answering questions.)  He has defended this position by stating that everyone should be wary of internet advise.  Well, I suppose we have some common ground in that I would be wary of his advise.

Joe, glad to see that I am not ICFHybrid's only Pen Pal. 

While I agree with the premise that refrigerant gauges oughtn't be dragged out right off the bat, I've found it useful to measure the surface TEMPERATURE of the refrigerant line leaving the waterside heat exchanger.

Some systems infer and post a "low water flow" error from low surface temperature via a thermistor on the waterside leaving refrigerant line. This can be caused by loss of charge. I cheerfully admit I don't do a heckuva lot of service work, but in my tiny universe I've had two similar incidents this year.

Based on my own experiences I'm starting to suspect a systemic problem with a certain type of Schrader valve (variant with oversized core not removable with a normal Schrader core tool). The oversized core variant may help with system evacuation, but I have (limited) evidence across 2 brands that they may be somewhat leak prone.

Posted By geome on 16 Mar 2011 02:12 PM
I also believe ICFHybrid's answer was misleading. 

FWIW I didn't say the answer "was" mis leading, I said it "could" mislead. While the definition of the fault code was accurate, that definition could mis lead someone to believe the refrigerant was necessarily the problem.
I simply pointed out where the root of that symptom usually lies.
Trouble shooting is often a chicken and egg scenario, just because you know what the egg is doesn't mean the chicken is self-evident.
j