Hi all, hoping to find an answer here. I recently moved into a new house with a geothermal system. Educating myself along the way, but still pretty ignorant. The buffer tank in my DSH water heating system failed (spewing water from the top - plumber says it's a complete tank failure). I've had to shut off my hot water pending the repair. My question: is it safe to continue operating the geothermal unit if no water is cycling through the desuperheater?

Generally, yes, it's fine to run the heat pump without the DSH being active. (Many or even most systems don't even have DSH installed.)

Of course truly creative idiots COULD conceivably install it in a way that nothing works without the DSH, but it would take a genius-class idiot to do it in a way that was dangerous or damaging. If the heating/cooling still works while the repairs are pending, go ahead and use it.

Thanks for the reply! Just to clarify, the DSH on the geothermal pump still functions (is active?)... there's just no longer water running to it. Still ok to run the heat pump?

I wouldn't run the system unless either the DSH-in or the DSH-out is open (ex. not capped, not closed by a valve(s), etc.). Of course, both sides open should be fine. You don't want pressure to build up and have a bigger problem!

You likely can take the cover off the unit and unplug the wires to the DSH pump and be fine. Mine had a seized pump new, may have been from an air bubble I never got out but who knows. So yes, I would just unplug the pump.

Yes it should be fine to run, but there is a circulation pump that needs to be switched off (may have a switch on the front of the furnace). If there is no switch then the wires need to come off either a control board or compressor contactor depending on who makes the furnace.

I have a Water Furnace 5 series and mine has a switch on the outside of the cabinet to turn the DSH on or off.