Sorry you're having problems. I hope you can get it fixed without too much delay and with a light touch on the bank account.

Since you mentioned "would hate to have to go back to fossil fuel....", what is the source of the electricity you use to power your HVAC system? Unless you have a large solar cell installation or are located in an area with a lot of hydroelectric power, most public electricity sources have a large component of power generated by fossil fuels. Just curious. Thx.

Sounds like you might have
an older EarthLinked DX geothermal system. I would suggest contacting the
manufacturer directly for support.

How many tons is your system;
what configuration of ground loop? What’s the warranty on the ground loop? Are
you the original owner?

If your installer confirmed
that everything in the mechanical room looks good then the problem most like is
in the manifold where the individual ground loops are brazed. Was nitrogen used
during this process?

Do you know the acidity (ph)
of your soil? Some parts of North America have a problem with soil acidity that
can actually ‘eat’ copper pipes. This can be greatly ameliorated today with
Cathodic Protection in the mechanical room at the HP and an Anode installed in
the borefield. Has this been done?

I would speak with
EarthLinked about the possibility of finding the source of the problem at the
manifold. It’s not that likely that the problem is at the bottom of a borehole;
it’s likely a brazed joint at the manifold. Worst-case scenario is that it
might be less expensive to install a completely new ground loop system than to
install a completely new conventional system. Your Geo HP would likely outlast
a new conventional system despite its age.

If your installer cannot
reliably repair this then I would question their competence & dedication to
their clients.

I would not give up or abandon your geothermal system!

IMPO

SR

Elmer, We have a 10.5 KWh solar array that creates 100% of our electric demand. We are not off-grid, net meter tied. We have not paid a bill since it went into service in 2013.

fsq4cw, Thanks for the reply and I am in the same mind set as you on the repair. I am not sure the other half is at this point, but something positive like you post may give us hope.

It's not an Earthlinked system, but from the company that Earthlinked spun off of, so they systems were identical back them. I understand that Earthlinked has moved a little more forward than the manufacturer of my system, who did the initial install.

Some details you requested. Its a 3 ton system with 7 earth taps that extend 70 feet down and back 140 each totaling 980 feet of heavy walled copper tubing. Its configured in a conical shape with the manifold at the narrowest point at the top. The manifold sits about 6 feet below grade.

Yes nitrogen was used to pressure test the inside compressor (we opted to put it in the basement) all the lines to the air handler core and to the domestic hot water unit as well to 250 psi. They checked all of the usual suspects for leaks with a bubble spray and all of the connection points. The pressure held perfect to the tee and there was also no signs of oil anywhere. I had them put in valves on both lines going to the field a number of years ago so the 2 areas could be isolated. Next was a 400psi test with nitrogen on the field side. Within 30 minutes it had dropped to 230 psi and even a little low as we were talking about it by the meters. The checked all around the valves and the lines going out through the house until they entered the ground.

We are the original owners. Living in south eastern PA I don't know the exact PH of the soil. I assume in the high 5's as that is what our ground water tests ate and the use if an acid neutralizer is needed to attain 7. I am uncertain if an Anode was used or not, I will ask. I have reached out to the manufacturer to give us an estimate on the cost of excavating, testing and possible repair.

The field is covered for a lifetime, but for materials only.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my situation. I appreciate any input!

Then you are indeed just burning rays of sunlight on a net basis, though not in actuality in the wintertime. Good luck

fsq4cw would you have any further comments?

Repairing leaks in the field simply wont last as they noted. Another leak will most likely develop somewhere else in not too long of time. The entire pipe is exposed to similar conditions and repairing one leaky spot wont help the rest of the pipe.

Thanks to those that helped. Sadly here it is a month and a half later and I can get anyone to move on this. Either no one is willing, able or cares to help us out. The manufacturer wont do the testing or repairs. I was referred to another that I had a nice convo with yet has not sent a quote. The guy that did all the maintenance on my system over a decade wont do the field repair. They had nicely given us a "loaner" portable AC unit to get us through. Than after waiting a month trying to get some info from this HVAC guy on alternatives or repairs he in forms me that they had to buy new portable usits to help another customer and I will now have to pay $40 a week for the one I had. They never reached out to us saying they had a need for the portable or I would have given it up. I hold him that I would not pay that because the term they used was "loaner" and not rental. So I packed it up and called them today to tell them that they can pick it up. The guy laughed and said they would pick it up and "See if the next guy would do this for you" and hung up on me! I've been nothing but nice and overly patient with them and I was not looking for another company. I guess I am now.

So here it is that we are nearing autumn and all we have is a 10KW heating strip in our air handler. The other half is panicking as we will be away the 2nd half of Sept on a trip. It seems like we are going to have to abandon the old system and go with an air sourced heat pump. I wold consider an EarthLinked DX system, but who is to say that this couldn't happen over again?

So I have been looking at the big ones out there like York, Trane, Lennox and others. I want the most efficient one because I assume that these all will use more power than my old Geo. Plus now the heating elements are on in the hot water tank for the first time in 10 years. I found a small company in Canada called Maritime Geothermal who make Nordic heat pumps. They have a new line of air sourced HPs that also preheat your hot water. Its call the ATA series. Has anyone ever heard or dealt with Maritime on Nordic HP's?

Sorry to hear that you have been left in the lurch. I know
Maritime Geothermal quite well as I have been involve in the installation of
their GSHP. Our own system is a Nordic DX-45. We’ve had it for 13-years and it
has been a strong performer.

Is your system a split system, geothermal HP & separate
fan coil unit or a mono block all in one? If your system is a ‘Split’, you
might consider a new geothermal HP with desuperheater and continue to use the
separate fan coil.

Given that you would have to abandon your existing ground
loops, I would consider a conventional liquid ground loop system with HDPE
plastic pipes. Other than Earthlinked, everyone seems to have moved away from
DX, however you could speak with Earthlinked as well.

The other question would be could you still get an R22
system or one that would be compatible with your fan coil if it is indeed a ‘split’.

SR

I purchased a house with two 5-ton EarthLinked DX geothermal systems that are 10 years old. We've had problems with both units almost every year. Each year, we've had to replace components and drain and refill the R22 refrigerant (which is now extremely expensive) twice. This year, the compressor in one of the units failed again.

For the past four months, I've been in contact with the manufacturer to explore replacing the unit entirely. I've reached out to every one of their certified installers in my state, but I haven't been able to get a single quote for a replacement. We've been without air conditioning all summer, starting in late May, and now it's mid-October with the weather getting colder.

I've also spoken to traditional geothermal installers to see if it's possible to use one of my existing ground loop fields with a different system, but everyone has said it's not an option. I feel completely out of options at this point.

There is only one manufacturer of DX geothermal systems in the U.S., and for some odd reason, they don't seem interested in retaining their customers. Their dealer network is extremely limited, making support and service hard or impossible to get, depending on where you live.

The lack of support, reliability, and options with this system has been incredibly frustrating. I'm now essentially being forced to abandon my two copper ground loops entirely. This is the equivalent of digging two ditches in your front yard, throwing $30k+ into each one, and lighting them on fire.

This is a cautionary tale for any homeowner or business considering a DX waterless geothermal system: do not install it under any circumstances. If you want geothermal, go with the traditional water systems. The difference in efficiency is minimal, and you'll avoid the massive maintenance bills, failing copper ground loops, and lack of support from a limited pool of installers and an unhelpful manufacturer.

“This year, the compressor in one of the units failed again.”

“I've reached out to every one of their certified installers in my state, but I haven't been able to get a single quote for a replacement.”

Nobody is reaching out because they don’t want to ‘own’ your system if they even touch it.

One problem some DX systems have had was returning enough oil dissolved in the refrigerant back to the compressor to keep it properly lubricated - especially in 1st stage (low speed), if it’s a 2-stage (speed) system.

Your best option at this point would be replacement with conventional water-to-air. water-to-water or triple function heat pump system with HDPE ground loops, such as WaterFurnace.

You didn’t say where you live or what type (not brand) of HPs these are.

Where we live, a new 10-ton geothermal system would have cash rebates of $95,600. - minimum - and that’s not a typo!

… And YES - it would pay to do it if you lived here!

IMPO

SR