my closed loop system has 3 wells and normally works very well. System very effectively heats and cools my home wonderfully, however, every summer since it was installed approximately 4 years ago it stops cooling without warning. The installer comes out and tell me that the "pressures were off" and they had to adjust them. My thoughts are that if the pressure is constantly getting low, there must be a leak of some type somewhere. He tried to tell me that I need to get regular maintenance as this is just like owning a car. I explained that maintenance is one thing, but if my car completely stopped working every summer, I would trade it off, but kind of stuck with my geo unit. Is anyone else experienced anything like this.

Why are you posting here and not on the geo forum??

Yeah and also start using the term Ground Source Heat Pump instead of the term Geo Thermal heating. GSHP nearly always fails sooner than it should. GT heating lasts forever or as long as life can be sustained on this planet. GT is very rare option but always best green and economical winner. GSHP is always a loser for fools.

I think there’s some truth to that.

Most advocates of heat pump systems focus on the 3-4 coefficient of performance and low operational cost, but tend to brush over the added system complexity with associated high failure rate and high maintenance cost, and much higher acquisition cost than other cooling/heat source options. The other thing to also consider is that if you construct a well-insulated and well-sealed building envelope of reasonable size, and also take advantage of passive solar cooling/heating design techniques, your cooling and heating loads start getting very small.

So a 60% heat pump operational cost savings on an already small required cooling/heating load has a less significant effect on your heat source ROI analysis given the higher heat pump system acquisition cost...and especially given the much higher ground-source heat pump system acquisition cost.

I think your dollars are always best spent on first improving the building envelope and minimizing the required cooling/heating load. Then do a ROI analysis to see what cooling/heat source option makes the most sense.

"...your dollars are always best spent on first improving the building envelope and minimizing the required cooling/heating load. Then do a ROI analysis to see what cooling/heat source option makes the most sense."

Singin' my song...

But that's not solving geoforum's problem.


However since geoforum isn't asking a question other than "Is anyone else experienced anything like this", or providing much detailed information it's not clear what, if anything there is to do other than empathize. Finding a competent tech other than the installer to diagnose what's going on is probably called for, but often easier said than done.

Yes, all true Dana... I just figured that Robinnc had already pointed him to the geo forum to seek help and ICFbound had already derailed this topic... I see that the OP has now re-posted on the geo forum and I suspect his experience is not uncommon and that he will receive some good advice once he provides more detailed info about his system.