[pachai]

I'd like to bounce something off the group.

I am having an addition built on my house.
(Digging started on Tuesday :-)
The builder asked me what kind of heat/cooling I want.

Well, GSHP, of course!

I have been pricing GSHP, and everyone around here says,
there is not enough room for horizontal loops.
(even the one person who seemed quite knowledgable and
thought at first it could be done :-)

So, they say, we drill. That's expensive.
Bedrock is only about 15' down.
We talked about perhaps a Domestic water
well with Pump and dump, etc.
(It would be fun to get DWW and have 30% tax credit :-)
But even with the tax breaks, this is very expensive.
I got two quotes for over $60,000.
I'm still waiting for another one,
but it likely will be more not less.

I have also been following the HomeMade GSHP Manifesto thread, and
have even built a drilling rig, but winter and bulldozer came before
I finished my own tests on it. What tests I did showed me that it
would be a fun project, but I could not possibly do it on the
builder's tight time schedule. He doesn't seem too interested in
helping me. (but his worksite manager has a green streak, did not
have a chance to talk to him :-)

In a parrallel project, my friend has added RF microcontrollers to my
boiler and all my steam radiators, which should make the house more
comfortable, and should save 20% on my gas bill. (I am a beta site)

So I thought, maybe I'll use steam for the addition,
(which should need heat in about 1 month or 2)...
(I can do that, I did for one radiator previously).
and work on DIY GSHP. in the spring/summer/fall/winter etc.


Ideas that have occured to me include
-borrow money and "do it right" (another forum had this idea)
-Have the GSHP installer "start" do the parts that need to be done
before the walls go up, and "finish" after the refinance
-Buy a commercial GSHP and install myself, and pray that I can
put in the Redundant Array of Independent Ground Loops myself

Note, I am convinced that some of my heat can come from Solar
Thermal and GSHP...and I have ideas for cooling the loop water also.
So if my ground loop is shorter than "specified" for a GSHP,
I am not so worried.
(BTW, if I went horizontal, I think I can get at least 140' of
trenches without much hassle).

-Buy a used GSHP on ebay for $600/ton and DIY install as above
-Convert my old Air Conditioners (EER 9 - 10) - A few good ideas
were shown on this forum.
-Have the builder install the wall penetrations at the time of pouring
cement, and even stub out the pipes 5' so that I don't have to dig
near the house when I go to make the ground loop. - He and I
discuessed putting in a dry well (misnomer), so I thought I could
use that as a manifold vault. I could have him stub out 6 pipes
into the dry well, and then do my drilling from there.

(BTW, my friend who is using my house as a beta site, said,
just spray water on the coils of my existing A/C. Not as easy
as it sounds, but do-able).

One concern I have is whether a "homeowner-assembled" heat pump would
impact home value positively or negatively.

And of course, into the whole mix goes my "free time"
which is really. (It will get bigger in a year or two,
as my kid gets old enough to help... :-)

BTW, I signed a contract under 1BOG.org to get solar panels
on the roofs that face 120' and 210', so it's only the 300'
face remains, 18' pitch.

I am thinking I will have a 2'x20' skylight on the 210' face, and make my own solar collector under it - INSIDE the thermal envelope

I would be grateful for your comments, good bad or otherwise. I hope it doesn't sound like a repeat question...at the very least, it is a revision of an old question.

Thanks for your patience

Seth, in NORTHERN NJ