My DIY Geothermal System Was So CHEAP!!!

If you've ever thought geothermal is out of your price range, I'm here to tell you that you may be surprised at how affordable it actually is. I did my own diy geothermal system for about the same price as a typical 13 to 14 SEER HVAC system, and I get double the efficiency. If you are willing to put in some work, you too can afford this option and reap the benefits of lower utility costs ongoing. A geothermal heat pump is one of the most efficient systems out there.

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[Challenged]

Thank you all for watching my video. Make sure to check out a couple of my other Geothermal videos:

[osmosisomni]

Wow! I'm a commercial building engineer and this is the best explanation I have seen of a residential use break down of a heat pump and geothermal systems. No youtube hype filler. Thank you for a great video!

[jeremymacklem]

I work for a Geothermal exclusive company in the NW Chicago area. We do the entire job start to finish. Vertical boring is what you do in a city...it is possible in most areas. 150ft/ton straight down. We bore 5" holes drop the pipe, grout with bentonite/graphite mix. Also we use methanol as an antifreeze and have protection to 15°F. Not possible on every city job. But many more than most people think. I am one of very few Geothermal service techs in the area as well. I cant lie. Self installed Geo systems scare me. I have seen some nightmare jobs. That being said. This is a VERY GOOD VIDEO. Informative and correct in all aspects. Great job on this sir!

[embracethesuck]

"Try to do it right, so you only do it once" is an excellent motto and one that I try to adhere to.

[yank]

I was digging a 14 deep 3/4 acre lake /pond on my property so I simply laid my collection system in the bottom of the pond which luckily was blue clay hardpan and then covered it with 4 inches of sand backfill . My unit was a 4 ton and my home was 2300 sq ft with 10 ft ceilings and 18 ft in my large living room . My electrical bill for the year was 825 dollars total for heat and air conditioning . Excellent

[watferfoot]

My parents did that way in 1979. Heating pump is still working now !

[JOSTinGreeneville]

Had a geothermal unit added at my home in the 1990's. I forgot to have it checked for 20 years, called my installer and he said if I was having no problem leave it alone so I have. Love this thig, figure I save $100. per month on electric bill from my old heat pump.

[ronjones]

Thank you for your video on geothermal heat/air. I built my home about 15 years ago and installed two 3 ton heat pumps. I have been considering updating them to geothermal to get more efficiency and because I have a five acre pond 250 foot from my home that I could use in a closed loop system. The pond stays at a consistent depth because of some springs that feed it. I also have a backhoe to dig a trench from the house to the pond. Being retired and 76 years old I have not been as inclined to do this as I would have 15 years ago! But you have inspired me.

[bryangarcia]

I'm recommending this to my airport manager as he is thinking of developing some new hangers/building at our municipal airport. He loves DIY and this could spark some new ideas since we have a lot of land to work with. -Thank you!

[charleswilliams]

I installed 2 geothermal heat pumps when I had my house built back in 2001. Had engineers design the system for a 2.5 ton for one area of the house and 3 ton for larger area.
Used 300’ per ton as length of tubing. So ended up with 2 loops 6-8’ deep one goes out with pipe in bottom of trench leak tested and back filled with 2’ over that pipe, top pipe is 6’ deep for a total for 2.5 ton is 1000’
3 ton unit has 1 continuous loop of 1000’ 8-10th deep.
System was designed without additional electric heat for a backup. In 21 years have not needed it either, even at 10pm outside.
Very happy with this system. Did not use anything but water with make up valve and expansion tank, no glycol at all.
Pipes are in the attic which I run 2 pumps in winter 24/7 to prevent them from freezing, summer they run with compressors.
Did all the work myself except for the digging, hired that for $1, 000.00, and I tested for leaks and back filled myself.
Would do it again except would use antifreeze with a back flow preventer.
House has 6’’ walls and very efficient. Heat pumps are Trane.

[VXComanche]

I have a geo system in a suburban neighborhood with a 0.4 acre lot. It runs a closed, 460’ deep single loop. Been running flawlessly for 5 years. Only issue I had was my neighbors thought I was insane when the 30-ton drill rig showed up at my house!

[jie]

We installed a closed loop geothermal five years ago in a single 450’ well. It supplies all our heating, air conditioning, and hot water. We did not hook up the backup hvac heat strips nor the backup hot water elements. No problems, and we have only had annual preventative maintenance services. We elected to do the single well rather than the ditches all over our yard. Our power bills have been low all year and we have been well pleased with the system.

[amywestbrook]

Great explanation of heat pump technology! I put one in my house 18 years ago and cut my electric bill by about 60 plus percent and summer time hot water for free. Used my old hot water heater as tank and a new in demand hot water heater. I am absolutely thrilled with the technology! Regards

[mikemallery]

We have had geo thermal now for 5 years. Best hvac system for comfort and low electric bills year round. Can freeze out the house in august and not worry about the bill.

[TheDillynator]

Hey quick comment. In my experience, I've used 50/50 for non automotive use. As an automotive professional, I know that antifreeze/coolant also has lubricants, anti corrosion, anti organic life, on top of other additives. Diluting antifreeze may cause premature impeller and bearing wear, loss of anticorrosive properties, and affect the PH level allowing organic life to grow. Mind you this takes a really long time.

Even though you may not need "antifreeze", I do recommend something like freezetone that offers such additives to continue protecting your system with superior conductive properties.

[tompace]

I built 12 years ago. Three zones with 6T of cooling. Four trenches 12 feet deep with 9, 000 ft of 1" HDPE tube. Great system and very efficient. 29SEER Florida H.P. now Bosch.

[PhilLesh]

They can go deep with a closed loop system, if you have limited space. Instead of drilling two wells for an open loop, you drill one hole and place the heat sink loop in the hole. It may not be as efficient as placing that loop at one specific depth, but it's still way more efficient than air to air heat exchanges.

[stevenmobley]

Important to note that when using distilled water or reverse osmosis water (RO), you have to be careful about what fittings and piping are used and where. Polypropylene, Polyethylene and 316L SS are preferred for high purity waters. You can use PVC and CPVC, but they are more prone to failure long term. This particularly true when using glycols for freeze protection.

[ernestounionista]

I spent over 30 years in HVAC. I think this is the most ACCURATE and informative YouTube video I've seen yet. Great job!

[zevi]

Once I saw a system that uses solar vacuum tubes in which the sun heats the water inside and the water doesn't lose temperature to the environment because of the vacuum walls. It works even in forecast days and can boil water even in snow, that was pretty clever too!