Although geothermal systems have an upfront cost steeper than most other home comfort systems, they have such high energy efficiency and longevity that they will provide many years of operation after their payback period to save homeowners money. The EPA estimates that the underground system of coils can last more than 50 years. Contrary to rumor, it takes almost a generation for the loops in the earth to wear out.
However, not all components of a geothermal heat pump has this same half-century of endurance. At some point, any system will require replacements—in part, or in whole. We’ll look at what this entails in this post so you can know what to expect from a geothermal system on your property.
For more information, or to schedule service for cooling and heating in Salem, OR, contact Comfort Flow Heating and talk to our geothermal specialists.
When geothermal heat pumps need replacements
Thankfully, when one section of a geothermal heat pump malfunctions to the point where repairs will no longer do any good, you don’t need to dig up the whole system and remove the refrigerant lines to put in a replacement. Usually, the indoor heat pump will need replacement 30 years before the coils in the ground do. This replacement is not much different from replacing a standard air-source heat pump and costs approximately the same. Professional installers will make sure that the new heat pump unit connects to the underground components and also to the ductwork.
What about when those geothermal loops in the earth finally need replacement? This is something you may encounter when you inherit a geothermal system with your home. New loops will need to be put in, but the job is far easier than the original one and costs less as well. Digging the trenches for the loops is the most costly part of the job, so with those trenches already in place it takes less time and money to put in new loops. For a job that usually only needs to be done twice a century, it is remarkably fast and easy to do.
Thinking of going geothermal?
If you don’t already have a geothermal system installed on your property, we hope that the above information will make you see that choosing to go with a geothermal heat pump is indeed a long-term investment that will not need major replacements for at least fifty years. You can expect to pay for a standard heat pump replacement in about 20 years, but by that time you should be saving so much on your heating bill that the replacement pump will practically buy itself.
Contact Comfort Flow Heating today and find out more about how you can bring geothermal cooling and heating to a Salem, OR home.
