How to grill your geothermal installer??

gunner0098

Hi,

I was wondering if I can ask your considerable advice please? My goethermal installer is coming to my house tomorrow morning to check out my system. I've been having continual issues with the system since we had it installed (DEC 2006).
Problems being:
- UFH only working in some rooms
- stats not working (stats have been replaced 3 times by installer)
- airlocks in grouond collector
- UFH loops not balanced correctly
- excessive electric bills
- currently my heat pump is saying that my outdoor temp is 32 degrees for the last week.

Finally the boss of the company is calling to see me and check the entire system out (he's sick of my constant phone calls!).

I was wondering if could suggest some possible questions that I could pose to him? I appreicate that this is a very open question and without the full details of my system maybe even fruitless! But my installer can talk for Ireland and it can be difficult to get beyond the BS.
**(NIBE 1220 Fighter 12KW heatpump with ground source collector, UFH in ground floor, UFH in dormer on timber floor with screed, 200m2 dormer bungalow, fully insulated)**

I'd apreicate any help you can offer.

Regards

gunner0098

termon8r

Hi Gunner0098,

How excessive are your electricity bills?
I am currently pouring the screed over the UFH pipes + geothermal.
How do you know that the UFH loops are not balanced?


Thanks,
A very concerned Termon8r.

gunner0098

gunner0098 wrote: »

Problems being:
- UFH only working in some rooms
- stats not working (stats have been replaced 3 times by installer)

- UFH loops not balanced correctly

Can only comment on UFH as no geo installed!

With my system, there is no balancing. As each room/zone comes to temperature that valve is shut and when the whole house is to temperature all the valves are shut. My UFH runs from a thermal store which is independant from the boiler.

I have the water flow temperature set to 35 deg so the whole system slowly raises the temperature and keeps the temperature stable in the house.

gunner0098

How excessive are your electricity bills?

My last bill was €392 -March - April. €365 - Jan - Feb, €327 - Nov - Dec 07 and €214 - Sept - Oct 07. Obviously you'll pay more in the winter months due to the greater output of heat required. Also I have seen bigger bills posted on boards aswell. The amount of the ESB bills was a surprise as my installer had set my expectation to a lower amount. He says it's not the heatpump that is pushing up the bill, but some other electrical device!

I am currently pouring the screed over the UFH pipes + geothermal.
How do you know that the UFH loops are not balanced?

After another callout to investigate our ongoing issues he said that the UFH wasn't balanced. He said "that heat will take the shortest loop possible hence leaving the longer loops with no heat". To be honest I don't know alot about this particular aspect of it so I accepted this excuse without issue. He said he re-balanced the loops and I would notice a different. I didn't.

termon8r

Are you using an ESB Nightsaver meter?

gunner0098

gunner0098 wrote: »

After another callout to investigate our ongoing issues he said that the UFH wasn't balanced. He said "that heat will take the shortest loop possible hence leaving the longer loops with no heat".

Yes that's correct if you have more than one loop on a zone.

gunner0098

Originally posted by termon8r

Are you using an ESB Nightsaver meter?

Yes

sinnerboy

OP would you mind taking part in this please

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055263818

Ask installer to check for sticking valves in the manifold