With the arrival of colder weather, some homeowners are encountering issues with their geothermal units. To assist those who may be less familiar with these systems, we are reposting some history and essential information regarding your geothermal units and our loop system. Also be advised, there is more information on our Geothermal Page on this site.
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Yes it is that time of year when you should be looking at getting your heat pump and water tanks serviced. This annual service is not unlike any regular maintenance you probably did when you owned a home which ensured your furnace and water heater functioned properly.
On November 4th, 2019 the owners of Wills Creek finalized the purchased the ground source loop system and related works, components, pipes, loops, valves, fittings and facility from Corix Utilities Inc. These assets are integral to the ground source heat pump system on the real property at Wills Creek.
In November, 2013, Strata council issued a notice to owners recommending owners undertake annual servicing of their furnace and hot water tanks. As owners of this system, now it is incumbent on each of us to ensure we have our heat pumps (furnaces) and loop system serviced on an annual basis to ensure the integrity of the system and to identify any changes in the systems which could indicate a leak in the system or other problems. Any leaks in the system will reduce the pressure which in turn may affect the overall functionality and performance of your heat pump.
Your Council is aware many owners do schedule annual servicing of their heat pump and are provided a report with information on the overall condition of the loop system (ie, any potential leaks). There are a number of companies out there that are familiar with geothermal systems and have provided service within the complex,(Walton’s Heating and Energy 1) are two that come to mind.
Please keep in mind that not all service providers provide sufficient documentation in their reports to give owners a good sense of the actual condition of the system other than general comments such as “ pressure is good, or pressure was a bit low so fluids topped up”. Establishing a “standard” set of expected test points is important to provide meaningful data as to the condition of the loop system. Homeowners should request information be recorded for the following test points regardless of which contractor is being used. This feedback should by no means increase the cost of the inspection. These points include:
1. Actual pressure observed in both intake and output lines during thermal transfer (system generating heat or cooling)
2. Temperature of fluid during thermal transfer
3. Pressure data (actual reading)
4. Fluids added and how much
5. Any visible external leaks, this will support (validate) item 4 and could provide indication whether the leak is internal or external based on the amount of fluid replaced and frequency)
Please note these test points only focused on the condition of the geothermal closed loop network and does not address or pay any attention to internal mechanical components, which are the responsibility of the homeowner. Therefore, this is the only data which the strata needs to collect to effectively monitor the system.
With this in mind owners are asked on a strictly voluntary basis to provide a copy of their service records to Council so we can track the number of units that have servicing completed but more importantly, any issues identified with the loop system. Naturally if there is any personal information that owners do not wish to share, it can be redacted accordingly or you can just provide information regarding the unit and address, service provider, date of service, and any comments relative to the loop system and test points as noted above. Any information can be sent directly to willscreekcommunity@gmail.com Thanks.
Sent on behalf of the Maintenance Committee
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