Blog

Could This Be Your Story?
Chapter 1: The BeginningJohn Smith was a geothermal contractor. He had been in the business for over 20 years, and he had seen a lot of changes in the industry. When he first started out, geothermal heat pumps were a new technology, and they were not very popular. But over the years, they had become more and more popular, as people became more aware of the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling.John loved his job. He loved working with his hands, and he loved helping people save money on their... Read more...
Ecoforest Obtains AHRI Certification for NetZero Products
The most sophisticated Water-to-Water Heat Pump obtains AHRI Certification Although the AHRI Standard (13256-2) was never designed to truly reflect the seasonal efficiency of such a sophisticated heat pump, obtaining this Certification has cleared the way to qualify for & obtain NYS Clean Heat Rebates.  The NetZero heat pumps are available in three nominal capacity sizes 9, 12 & 22 KW (30.7, 40.9 & 75.1 KBTU/Hr) the AHRI ratings are as follows:It is vitally important to understand that these ratings should not be used to compare to conventional water-to-water heat pumps... Read more...
Who Stole my Gas Meter?
OMG, how am I going to heat my home or take a hot shower? Winter is coming! And, in Upstate New York it can seem like it lasts for years (Ugh!).Before we call 911, my meter was not stolen, it is merely the first step at decommissioning an archaic infrastructure. History will reflect that extensive natural gas pipelines became archaic the same way that delivering blocks of ice to homes to keep our food from spoiling, new technologies rendered the ice box obsolete, and we are witnessing the use of... Read more...
Direct-to-Load Hydronic Piping
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WGA 3 ACT Geothermal Presentation - Designing for Efficiency
We were pleased to be able to participate in the Wisconsin Geothermal Association's Annual Conference and the following 3 video's are the live recordings of the three subjects covered in our presentation: Read more...
MNGHPA 3 ACT Geothermal Presentation - Designing for Efficiency
We were pleased to be able to participate in the Minnesota Geothermal Heat Pump Association's Annual Conference and the following 3 video's are the live recordings of the three subjects covered in our presentation: Read more...
Chapter 2 - IS YOUR ENGINEER DUMBER THAN A BAG OF ROCKS?
In response to the comment below, I submit the following:There are several methods that could be employed when faced with such a situation – namely (4) loops at 200’ and (1) loop at 100’.To better define the situation we will have to make some assumptions: All loops are ¾” Nominal sizing is 150’/ton Desired flow is 3 gpm/ton Based on above, the nominal tonnage is 6 and the desired flow rate is 18 gpm Furthermore, the 200’ bore depth loops should have 4 gpm and the 100’ bore depth should... Read more...
IS YOUR ENGINEER DUMBER THAN A BAG OF ROCKS?
I recognize that this is a pretty harsh statement; after all, rocks deserve more respect. All kidding aside, there are some very serious issues that we as an industry need to discuss. My intent is to simply capture the attention of all geothermal system designers such that collectively we can deliver the best possible system design to our clients. I wish I had a nickel for every time a well driller, loop installer or a mechanical contractor called me up complaining about a geothermal loop or system design, sharing their... Read more...
LOOP FIELD DESIGN - "GROUPING"
The “Grey” Paper Concept – There is a term widely used called a “White Paper”, I do not know the derivation of this term, but it implies to me that the world can easily be described in black and white terms. Anyone involved in technical design has to recognize the “grey” nature of the design process; a good design is one that embodies the appropriate amount of compromise to strike a balance yielding maximum value. Consequently, the concept of the Geo “Grey” Paper is not so much to present the... Read more...
THE MYTHS, LEGENDS AND TRUTHS ABOUT GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS
As my first BLOG, I've opted to present an article I wrote a while ago, I welcome your comments and feedback. First of all, kudos to everyone who spoke out in the recent issues of BIG GREEN (Big Green Digest - 05/05/03) regarding Ground Source aka geothermal heat pumps, it is that passion that will drive the changes we are all striving for.... I would like to convey my take on this, if nothing else, interesting technology. Since 1982, I have lived with a system, installed hundreds of systems, sold... Read more...