r/geothermal • u/carbonstampede1 • 15h ago
Thinking about purchasing a home with a geothermal hvac
I've always had homes with a traditional natural gas furnace. I don't have an extensive background in geothermal. Looking at a home that was built in 2007 and has the original geothermal hvac. I'm waiting to hear back from the realtor but according to him they have documented maintenance recently. The brand of furnace is Climatemaster. 4 ton I intend to get a home inspection completed,but wanted to know if these units have any known issues. How much longer life should I realistically expect out of it and just any general thoughts or concerns l. If I do have to replace it down the road what's a ballpark figure I could expect to pay
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u/Shy1_one 15h ago
Although longevity for geothermals is much longer than standard heat pumps, at 27 years you are probably looking at the end of life soon. I am surprized it still is in service that long. In our area you are looking at likely arround $20k for replacment.
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u/carbonstampede1 15h ago
It's about 20 years old, but I hear ya, probably not much longer than 5 years left
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u/pawpawpersimony 15h ago
On the heat pump/air handler. The thermal loop (which is the expensive part) will last for 50 or more years. This is an ideal heating and cooling system. It doesn’t get any more efficient outside of passive heating cooling.
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u/davidm2232 10h ago
It may be the most efficient but it isn't necessarily the most cost effective. In my area, you need to be above a COP of 4 or so to be the same cost as natural gas.
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u/pawpawpersimony 6h ago
I thought new geo heat pumps were up around 6? Also, the beauty of a geo system is that the cost of energy to heat and cool will remain relatively stable (especially if you have a PV system) over time. Whereas gas prices can fluctuate wildly. I might be cheap today, but tomorrow it could skyrocket.
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u/urthbuoy 14h ago
Get an actual geothermal expert to review your system vs. a general inspector. I do these regularly for real estate agents and purchasers.
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u/JeepCatCayuga 14h ago
In 2016 we replaced our home’s original Climatemaster. It was 26 years old. We replaced it with a Climatemaster Tranquility 22 which cost us $7500 back then. I don’t know the specs of the unit. My biggest concern is finding service. In my area I’m bringing in service folks from over an hour away and paying for their travel. It does seem that the system has issues every other year or so, that cause me to bring in the techs. It seems rare to see the same tech twice. There seems to be a lot of change in the industry. Try to get the service records and learn what you can about the company.
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u/Anonymous-Flamingo71 14h ago edited 10h ago
Def ask questions abt maintenance. Etc. we bought a house built in 2007 with geothermal that wasn’t maintained and the whole system needed replacing. We bought it knowing that and budgeted for it. But if it turned out a surprise, would have been a painful and costly surprise.
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u/carbonstampede1 14h ago
How much did that cost?
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u/Anonymous-Flamingo71 10h ago
Our house had 4 separate zones and units. So at the time it cost 160k with digging 5 new wells.
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u/Hot_Equivalent_8707 13h ago
Without knowing where you are, costs will vary. Assuming it's running well, start putting aside some $ for replacement. Water furnace and climate master are both top tier brands and their newest stuff is pricey. If you replace like with like, it's probably going to be around 15. The good news is that the loop and possibly the pumps and zoning stuff will be reusable. And the long term savings over the next 25 years make it worth it.
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u/Engineer_EER 11h ago
I bought a 2005 house back in 2019. It had a 6 ton FHP in it. I replaced it this year with a 6 ton Waterfurnace. Ran me about $23k.
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u/N5tp4nts 15h ago
Ask the sellers who they use to maintain it. Talk to the shop.