As I invest more and more in my 16 year old Waterfurnace Geothermal heat pump I wonder how much is too much.
In January of 2009 I had to have a new 3-speed blower motor and control board installed at about $1,200. The work was done by a factory qualified dealer. Due to the age of the HP a direct replacement blower was not available (GE stopped making them - shame on Waterfurnace for not stocking some before they were discontinued) thus a new control board was also needed, part of the reason for the high cost. Two repairs have been needed on an emergency basis, middle of winter in the first case, above, and middle of summer in the second case, below. I guess two repairs in 16 years isn't bad, but look at the cost of the repairs.
Yesterday the HP went out and the diagnostic panel indicated a loss of flow from the closed loop heat exchanger. The cost of replacing to two pumps (two speed HP system) was $1,457 (Ouch). This means I now have over $2500 in repairs in two years - no repairs in the first 14 years. The only other big thing that could go is the compressor, and I asked for a replacement/update cost. I'd like to have this information while I have time to shop around. The compressor will no doubt fail when it is needed most. Hum $2,500/16 years is about $160 per year, not really too bad and I hope I can get another 4 or 5 years before any other major repairs are required...that all depends on the compressor which runs very smoothly.
I'd be interested in what good quality air-to-air Trane or other brand name 3 ton unit costs, installed in a system that has the proper air ducts - is a simple replacement of the existing cabinet. I would hate to throw away my ground loop, I think it would today cost about $12.000 - and it has a lot of life left, but I'm looking for some comparison/competitive numbers so I'm not again in the position of "Pay X, or don't get your unit fixed today". Emergency repair is not a "buyer's position".
From what I know without the price yet is the new plug-and-play HP (scroll compressor and electronics) plugged into my existing Geoghermal infrastructure will likely cost over $10,000. I'll also get a price for a whole new cabinet, the dealer said that would likely qualify for some tax credits and even though my current system delivers an EER of about 20 he said a new unit could give me about 30. I think that would require me to throw away my just replaced loop pumps for the newer higher efficiency designs... sorry for the ramble, if you've got any numbers on what you paid for a geothermal or air-to-air I'd like to have the reference.
In January of 2009 I had to have a new 3-speed blower motor and control board installed at about $1,200. The work was done by a factory qualified dealer. Due to the age of the HP a direct replacement blower was not available (GE stopped making them - shame on Waterfurnace for not stocking some before they were discontinued) thus a new control board was also needed, part of the reason for the high cost. Two repairs have been needed on an emergency basis, middle of winter in the first case, above, and middle of summer in the second case, below. I guess two repairs in 16 years isn't bad, but look at the cost of the repairs.
Yesterday the HP went out and the diagnostic panel indicated a loss of flow from the closed loop heat exchanger. The cost of replacing to two pumps (two speed HP system) was $1,457 (Ouch). This means I now have over $2500 in repairs in two years - no repairs in the first 14 years. The only other big thing that could go is the compressor, and I asked for a replacement/update cost. I'd like to have this information while I have time to shop around. The compressor will no doubt fail when it is needed most. Hum $2,500/16 years is about $160 per year, not really too bad and I hope I can get another 4 or 5 years before any other major repairs are required...that all depends on the compressor which runs very smoothly.
I'd be interested in what good quality air-to-air Trane or other brand name 3 ton unit costs, installed in a system that has the proper air ducts - is a simple replacement of the existing cabinet. I would hate to throw away my ground loop, I think it would today cost about $12.000 - and it has a lot of life left, but I'm looking for some comparison/competitive numbers so I'm not again in the position of "Pay X, or don't get your unit fixed today". Emergency repair is not a "buyer's position".
From what I know without the price yet is the new plug-and-play HP (scroll compressor and electronics) plugged into my existing Geoghermal infrastructure will likely cost over $10,000. I'll also get a price for a whole new cabinet, the dealer said that would likely qualify for some tax credits and even though my current system delivers an EER of about 20 he said a new unit could give me about 30. I think that would require me to throw away my just replaced loop pumps for the newer higher efficiency designs... sorry for the ramble, if you've got any numbers on what you paid for a geothermal or air-to-air I'd like to have the reference.