Question for hvac folks - geothermal and insulation/venting attic

[zseese]

So my ac has a leak and will most likely need to be replaced, along with my 20 year old hot water heater. I just had the ac serviced and filled and it still won't keep up. It's properly sized.

Anyways, I am going to add insulation to my attic to bring it from r19 to r38 and was told a second vent would help by providing air circulation, is that true?

So since I'm looking to replace both the ac and water heater, I wanted to look into replacing them with an all in one geothermal system. Does anyone know, assuming adequate insulation, whether they are worth the cost?
Will they keep up with the heat and occasional extreme cold?
Maintain hot water for a conservative hot water use family of four?
Also, any examples of cost for a retrofit installation? (I'm waiting for a call back for a quote, just wondering what to expect).
Anything else I should ask?

Thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[beardking]

I'm not an hvac person, but I'll relay what I did and how effective it was. When I lived outside of Dallas a few years ago, our house was a standard '70's ranch house with basically no insulation in the attic and all electric heating and air. I was going to have insulation blown in, but when I was talking with insulation guys, their suggestion was to first have radiant barrier installed throughout the attic. We did this and can say that our electric bill in the summer dropped from around $300/mth to about $175/mth. We didn't add insulation, so the efficiency of the heating system in the winter was not improved. We never got around to adding insulation before we moved, so I can't tell you what the difference would have been if we had. I can say that I'm a firm believer in adding radiant barrier to the attic. Either that or having the entire attic insulation with spray on foam insulation which would, in essence, make your attic part of the conditioned space.

 

[saddlebum]

geothermal .......expensive to install.......cheap to operate .........expensive to repair and maintain.anyone who tells you different is selling them and I sold them for years. you will never save enough to off set the costs.at around five years you start losing pumps and taco valves etc and you try to stay ahead of the repairs the rest of it's life span

 

[doctorjj]

geothermal .......expensive to install.......cheap to operate .........expensive to repair and maintain.anyone who tells you different is selling them and I sold them for years. you will never save enough to off set the costs.at around five years you start losing pumps and taco valves etc and you try to stay ahead of the repairs the rest of it's life span

So you lied to people for years?

To OP: I've done a lot of research into this. They will generate a better return on investment that a conventional system. Find a reputable installer and go for it.

 

[dennishoddy]

Proper venting of the attic will help reduce the temps in the attic so the insulation you add will be more efficient. Attic temps without vents can run up to 130 degrees on a 100 degree day.

 

[castleeleven]

I agree too. And currently installing it. Check with your city if they can give rebate to you too. Edmond is doing it too. 800$ per tons rebate.

 

[Glock_21]

Geothermal is great until things start wearing out after 7-10 years (if that now a days). Then they become a maintenance nightmare.

 

[dennishoddy]

Geothermal is great until things start wearing out after 7-10 years (if that now a days). Then they become a maintenance nightmare.

Get a home warranty?

 

[Timjohnson]

So my ac has a leak and will most likely need to be replaced, along with my 20 year old hot water heater. I just had the ac serviced and filled and it still won't keep up. It's properly sized.

Anyways, I am going to add insulation to my attic to bring it from r19 to r38 and was told a second vent would help by providing air circulation, is that true?

So since I'm looking to replace both the ac and water heater, I wanted to look into replacing them with an all in one geothermal system. Does anyone know, assuming adequate insulation, whether they are worth the cost?
Will they keep up with the heat and occasional extreme cold?
Maintain hot water for a conservative hot water use family of four?
Also, any examples of cost for a retrofit installation? (I'm waiting for a call back for a quote, just wondering what to expect).
Anything else I should ask?

Thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes there are some of the HVAC companies like airdexinc. which will help you to replace these old equipments with the new ones with some of the additional charges which will be required. Along with it they also provide the installation and repairing facilities to their customers. Also to any of the quires that you have asked above, they will suggest you more better ideas.

 

[jrusling]

Consider adding solar powered vents to the roof or gable. They can make a lot of difference providing you have enough vents for the incoming air.