One of the niceties of heating and cooling your Alaska home with a geothermal system is the minimal maintenance it requires. The system’s relative simplicity explains that. Still, minimal maintenance doesn’t mean no maintenance. Keeping your system running smoothly and efficiently calls for periodically checking the heat pump’s fluid levels and temperatures as well as swapping out filters in both the air handling unit and the geothermal ground-loop system. In addition to that, once-a-year maintenance service should be provided by the registered, qualified geothermal energy engineers at Energy Efficiency Associates. These binary efforts – yours and ours – can assure that your compressors and circulation pumps last for a solid 35 to 50 years, the approximated life of your geothermal system.
Make sure you consult your owner's manual for proper maintenance procedures. It’s enough to note here that inspecting fluid levels on the whole occasions checking on the amount of refrigerant needed to utilize the geothermal heat pump.
There are actually two filters in the air handling unit that need changing periodically: one in the discharge ducting, the other in the air return system. Both filters catch airborne particles sucked in from all over your home; particles like dust, fluff, dust mites, insects, and smoke residue. In general, HEPA filters are used, but there are other types of satisfactory filters that can help allergy sufferers.
Most geothermal system air filters are disposable. Change them every three months. Permanent filters, which you can refresh with a vacuum-cleaner hose, should be pulled from the housing and cleaned every one to three months. Whether cleaning or replacing, it’s important that you put on rubber gloves, eye protection, and a face mask that fits over your mouth and nose. It’s even more critical, in any event, that you cut the system off from all power sources beforehand!
For further specifics on maintaining your geothermal heating and cooling system, read your O&M Manual or
call on the experts at Energy Efficiency Associates. We’re at your service!