I have two 4-ton systems in two attics on different sides of the house. The 8 vertical wells are all on parallel. There are 2" pipes up from the wells to the first unit, then 1-1/4" pipes go up over the cathedral ceiling and down to the second. I haven't finished the house, so I haven't used the units yet, but I have run the water pumps on cold nights to stop them freezing. There is a lot of water noise. The driller purged the system twice, but from outside, ~25ft lower that the high point. I don't believe he is geting all the air. I dont have a purge vent or fill valve in the system. I'd like to cut the pipe over that high point and add them, but as a homeowner I can't connect them with fusion fittings. Can I just use barb fittings from Home Depot, or is the pipe size unique to Geo and I have to get them from a Geo supplier? thanks

You could use barb fittings or geo stab would be more reliable.

I would vote for Stab Fittings. You can buy them at Geothermal Supply in Kentucky

My vote is to NOT cut it yourself and ask the installer to do it for you.
You cut that pipe and install anything into it, your now liable and the cause for anything that goes wrong from now until forever!

Dan makes a reasonable point, I might add that most equipment warranties are void if you use them as construction heaters.

I can't fully envision your setup or proposed solution. I would say that despite the most rigorous testing, installation and QC mechanical things still do fail. Don't introduce a potential point of failure above your cathedral ceiling in a location inaccessible for inspection and maintenance.

Posted By mtrentw on 22 Nov 2013 02:42 PM
I can't fully envision your setup or proposed solution. I would say that despite the most rigorous testing, installation and QC mechanical things still do fail. Don't introduce a potential point of failure above your cathedral ceiling in a location inaccessible for inspection and maintenance.

My guess is his setup is exactly as mine (see geo diagram): http://www.neukranz.com , with the exception that I don't know where his pump(s) is/are.  I think his cathedral ceiling is positioned somewhere along the way in the pipe diagram between where the 2" Tees are and the 5 ton pumps (left side of screen).

Yep, I too wouldn't want my air vents up in an inaccessible point in the ceiling.  While they're not supposed to break, it's easy to see how they could leak.  What a disaster that would be to rip out some drywall just to get access to the leaking air vent.

My air vents are connected right at the WaterFurnace Entering Water pipe entrance ( air vent for 5 ton Envision unit ).  So far, with installation in 3Q07, I haven't had any problems with them.  But I do check for leaks a few times each year, as they're up in the attic with nothing but insulation and drywall underneath them.

Best regards,

Bill

Your installer needs to flush the loop longer, we typically flush a 3-5 ton system for 3-4 hours with our flush cart and that is a lot of large pipe so you may need a large purge/flush cart or really slam the water through the system to ensure there is no air.
How cold is it getting that you are worried about freezing? Your loop should have an antifreeze mixture to 15F.

But DO NOT cut into that pipe, it sounds like they are using non pressurized flow centers but we use presureized so any little leak and water will spout out.