"JonS" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello All,


I'm hoping I can get some advice from someone out there who may have
run into the scenario I'll describe. Thanks ahead of time for taking
the time to read this.


I moved into a new house last spring into which we installed a
geothermal heating system. The house is 3300 sq ft, lots of windows,
open family room, etc. The loop is closed, in three vertical wells and
the unit is a ClimateMaster Genesis Split.

Did they install the geo pipe into water wells? What antifreeze solution did
they use?


There is a 3 ton unit
servicing the 1st floor (sized to accomodate future basement finishing)
and a 2 ton unit for the 2nd floor. The refrigerant line runs to the
attic where it connects to a 2 ton Trane Variable Speed Air Handler.

Do you mean the loop water line or an actual refrigerant line? If its a
refrigerant line then you have a split unit? thats were the compressor is
separate from the air handler? Is the air handler in the attic or
conditioned space?


The original contractor went out of business before the house was
complete without having finished the 2nd floor system (it needed
charged and checked out). I got it charged by another company and they
retured to adjust it once when it tripped off in the summer.




Now, to the winter and the problems. The loop seems to be working fine
- loop temperatures and pressures are reasonable. The 1st floor unit
works like a dream. We have a set temp of 72 deg and even on the
recent days when it's been near zero, the unit does not run full-time
and maintains temperature. The inlet air temp at a return on the floor
is about 70-71 and the exit air temp at the supplies are about 95
degrees. All of this is great, except for the fact that it must be
working harder to help the second floor.

This is NOT an indication that everything is fine!!! All this tells me is
the back up heat is working and your paying about four times the amount of
electric than if your unit was running by itself.





My second floor air handler is running 24 hours a day and is still
failing to meet the set temperature.

Geo's will run all the time when its cold outside.


I've checked and sealed any
ductwork leaks and added additional insulation to the attic. I've got


R30 in the attic and R19 in all the walls. I don't think I'm losing

R-44 to 48 is the standard.



heat to the attic because on a recent 18 degree morning it was about 19
degrees up there. If I do a heat transfer balance based on the
R-values I should have and the 2nd floor temp, that was the correct
equilibrium temperature.

I'm also not losing it in the ductwork. The new contractor I have
looking at it put his gages on the lineset and said everything looks
fine.

What else did he do? I need exact information here.




If I take the temperature at the inlet and exit of the air handler, I
get a delta T of only 10 degrees.

All this tells me is the back up heat isn't working and the geothermal unit
is. But it doesn't tell me what the geothermal system is actually moving in
BTU's.



I'm pretty sure this is where the
problem is, but my HVAC guy has not been able to get out the last
couple days to diagnose it further.
Any thoughts? (and yes, I've changed the filter.)

Yep, I think your HVAC guy needs to be fired, there are tests that will
prove what is wrong with your system. One thing I notice is the upstairs
units back up reistance heat or what ever type you have isn't installed,
hooked up or isn't working or being called to work.

The downstairs unit temperatures tell me that the resistance heat is working
but maybe not the Geo. The HVAC guy could have done all the necessary tests
without puting his gauges on the refrigerant lines. As a matter of fact, if
this is the only thing he did you got ripped off big time.


Thanks.


Jon