I'm am new to geothermal, only having in this house I just purchased a little over a year ago. I recently got what seems to be the dreaded "low pressure alarm" on my premier 2 that was installed in 1999. I had a tech come out to check out and he found that I'm about 6 psi low (R-22) with a leak. The leak has not been located. The tech has recommend a replacement due to cost of repair. ( $375 to locate leak, $1000 in new freon, couple hundred for repair if it can be done, plus labor, etc., etc.) He believes it could pretty quickly add up to nearly half of what I would be looking at for replacement. I am looking at replacing my unit with either a Series 5 or Series 7 but I'm not brand loyal to Waterfurance. I'm looking at Waterfurnace because that is what is there now and it seems to be a top end brand. There are really only two authorized dealers for WF in my area that I can find, (in between Lansing, Jackson and Ann Arbor). I do use the hook up for the DSH for hot water and have a 50 buffer tank the feeds a 40 gal tank. I also will be replacing the loop pumps that still work but are original so should probably be replaced. Based on their calculation I need a 5 ton unit. (2800 sq./ft. above ground w/ 900 sq/ft finished walkout). I got my first quote yesterday and I was a little surprised at the prices I was given, seeing that there will not be any work needed on the loop other than replacing the pumps and all other equipment in place. Yes, I do understand there will be some duct work and other things that go with replacing the unit that need to be accounted for. I was quoted a 5 series with the two loop pumps, wifi thermal stat, air purification filter system, and a ten year parts and labor warranty for $19,750. I was quoted a Series 7 with same options for $25,453. I know that WF supplies 5 yr. parts and labor and 10 year parts on all sales. I do understand that it is just an allowance for parts and labor and I may have to pay above what they will compensate. Out of those prices I believe $2500 was for the loop pumps ( which seems high but don't really have any reference). so that would make the Series 5 about $17,000 and Series 7 about $22,500 And finally I will ask my questions. Does this seem like a fair price? I hate to think this way but it seems like they have taken the 30% tax rebate and just added it to what I would expect the cost should be. Am I wrong? I was under the impression the loop was the costly part of the system to put in. In a two level (three if you count the walkout) with only R-19 walls would it really be worth getting the Series 7 or would you recommend just staying with the Series 5? How difficult would it be to change my own loop pumps? I plan on being here for at least 20 yrs. so I want to get this right. Sorry for the long winded post just trying to give you as much info as I can.
Prices are always dependent on the local market, no matter what you're buying. The only way to know if the price is good or not is to get more quotes. If you have access to natural gas or propane you may want to also get quotes on those alternatives to see what your overall options are. Regarding the warranty labor allowance, you are correct, it is an allowance and may not cover the full cost of a repair. Whether it does or not is dependent on the dealer. It is a very relevant question to ask of any dealer if they will repair during the warranty period at no additional cost to you or if there is the potential for additional charges. If they say they will cover additional costs get that in writing. One of the reasons I believe geo prices are so high is because the installing dealers need to cover future costs above the warranty allowance, but if they're not going to then that should factor into your decision as to if you want to pay for a replacement or not. You say the leak has not been located, is that because nobody has tried or somebody did and they just can't find it? It might be worth the $375 just to understand where your issue really is, and then you can compare repair cost to replacement cost.
