New Oklahoma Installation

Thanks, Bob. Mine has vertical loops, but I imagine horizontal loops would have been problematic.
Butch

 

On a paid service call I would definately measure temp. If I was on an estimate I probably would as well, however on a 107* day if the entering water pipe was not uncomfortable to hold on to I would figure the system was close.
Many manufacturers teach that the hand can detect a 5 degree delta t and that touch is the first stage of trouble shoot. So yeah I can tell a system is running okay by touch...........
then I get out my equipment to verify my impression.

 

Thanks, Joe. I'm not able to do that, but I believe experience and training makes it possible.
Butch

 

Just curious if the original poster is still around, to see how his system performed this summer. I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, and can usually handle the heat, but this one was just unbelievable. 114 here a few days. Hot enough to kill trees.

 

Cooling can't keep up

What a sorry story. To say a house can't be cooled! Certainly a Waterfurnace or any other properly sized unit will work. House construction is an important issue, and money should be spent on insulation and leak sealing rather than oversize AC. But still, this is just a design issue.

 

I assume you are talking about closed loop coils buried in the ground. To answer your question about coils designed for 3 1/2 ton working on 4 tons, the answer is tricky. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Someone with proper training: (engineering or equivalent; i.e. specific geo thermal training) should have originally designed and calculated diameter of pipe, length of piping run, horizontal, vertical, # of bores, series, parallel, hybrid design, etc based on compressor tonnage and house heating / cooling load. (That's what manual "J" is all about) That run has to be long enough to reject enough heat in the summer, and pick up enough heat in the winter.

If the unit is sized and working correctly, then, particularly if you are dealing with an older house, it is time to "tighten" the insulation package up any way that is cost effective and doable. One of the cheapest is creating shade in the summer through trees, plants, schrubs, etc.

 

Thanks, I imagine you are right. I am doing all I can to shade the south and west exposures, plus I added 8" of insulation in the attic. This last summer was a pretty good test for the new system, and it passed with flying colors.
Butch