I'm having a 4 ton 2 stage Climate Master installed in central Oklahoma. My driller said that (2) 400 ft. vertical wells are about the same as (4) 200 ft. wells, but would give a better connect with the ground water. I'm having trouble with the search feature today, does this seem like enough straight pipe? I liked this contractor better, but another guy had said that he'd do 1,000 ft. of vertical pipe for a 4-ton.

Thanks!

Other things being equal, more contact with ground water is an advantage. Ask them about which grout they will use and single or double U tubes and spacers. 800' can outperform 1000'.

Again..........
ask them how much you are going to pay for the double u tubes and clips and enhanced grout on a residential 4 ton system to gat any roi on the 20% claim increase in performance.

Ask both contractors for refferalls to happy customers. In the end it all comes down to design and who you trust. If the contractor you like has a pile of happy customers in your area it becomes a no brainer. Leave the design and footage to the contractor/designer that is going to gaurantee it works and your happines.

Hope this helps
Eric

175'-200' of vertical well per ton of HVAC is pretty typical for my area (west central Arkansas). This is with a single U tube loop down each well. So, for 4 tons HVAC you are looking at ~800' of well which is what you have been quoted. In my area, the water table is shallow, so it would be more common to see 4 wells 200' deep. In your case it may be deeper to the water table hence the proposed two (2) 400' deep wells. With the deeper wells you are likely looking at 1" or larger diameter loop pipe due to friction losses with the longer loop lengths whereas with the 200' deep wells they typically use 3/4" diameter loop pipe. Definitely find out what the intended grout is as that can impact the wells performance. Thermally enhanced grouts are available and improve the heat transfer from the loop pipes to the surrounding earth.

Apparently, even going down 400 feet, they "barely hit water". They were spraying water down the first hole, and mud was coming out. It didn't look like they were adding water with the 2nd well, and they were pulling out barely damp dirt, definitely not mud. The grout looks like a bunch of little gray stones, but when you stick your finger in it, it's like super soft little balls covered in gooey egg white. Sorry guys, I didn't research grout terms.

Both of these guys were recommended by an insulation guy who does some of the best work around here. One guy was just a bit insulting with his jokes, as well as costing $750 more. I just want to make sure I don't want to have them dig another well before they're done with the job.

Thanks!