hector8762
New Member
Posts:23
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| 09 Feb 2008 08:55 PM |
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I'm looking for information of the TerraLoop geo systems that ART sells. (I know they're not ART anymore.)
Anyone have one of these systems or know anything about them?
Thanks! |
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Palace Geothermal
Veteran Member
Posts:1609
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| 10 Feb 2008 08:46 PM |
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I haven't been able to find any info on a TerraLoop. I guess you will have to tell us what you know. |
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Dewayne Dean
<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system |
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Eltekon
New Member
Posts:7
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| 10 Feb 2008 09:28 PM |
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Hector,
TERRALOOP was an ART Product and ART no longer exists. www.geothermaldiy.com manufactures a comparable system. |
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hector8762
New Member
Posts:23
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| 11 Feb 2008 09:07 AM |
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geodean and Eltekon,
Thanks for the replies. I can't find much info on TerraLoop either. I know that ART doesn't exist anymore, and that the systems are now being sold at geothermaldiy. What I don't know is how reliable the systems are, how the operating costs compare to other geotherm systems, and how happy customers are with the system.
I was hoping that someone here might have some firsthand experience with the system, or may have heard some secondhand feedback.
Thanks again |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 11 Feb 2008 01:02 PM |
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Guys....
When ART defused, Nick and Mark Ross went there seperate way, Nick is www.geothermaldiy.com and Mark Ross still posts on
this forum. The terraloop is the system I'm getting myself and I researched the web and found some good feedback.
Still, the quality of the product is directly affected by the installer...
Francis |
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hector8762
New Member
Posts:23
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| 11 Feb 2008 01:23 PM |
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Francis,
Would you please point me towards the feedback that you found? I can't seem to find anything. Also, I'd be very interested in hearing about your experience when your system is operational.
Jon |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 12 Feb 2008 10:49 AM |
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Best way to find reviews is by sipping through " Arit geothermal " in google... You will get feedbacks throught those
forums that you will find. You can also contact mark Ross or Nick through the forum here. Im sure they can point you
towards clients... |
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hector8762
New Member
Posts:23
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| 12 Feb 2008 02:57 PM |
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Thanks Francis. I've Googled the topic several times. I usually find lots of "you can buy DIY kits here" and "I'm going to buy a system from ARIT", but rarely find someone who has actually purchased and installed one of the systems.
You mentioned somewhere that you were breaking ground around July or August of last year. Did that go as planned? Have you installed a geo system?
I've tried to contact Mark via PM, but haven't gotten a response. This is a busy time of year (World of Concrete and International Builder's Show), so he might not be reading his messages. |
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WolfCandy3x
New Member
Posts:56
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| 12 Feb 2008 03:18 PM |
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Hector,
Try Nick directly at www.geothermaldiy he is very accomodating but I think thaty Mark Ross is your best bet for
in depth information. Yes I was supposed to break Ground last July but the sale of my house fell through :( Being a bi-generation
3000sf house without counting full baserment and garage it's not everyday you comme across a family wanting this big loll
On the other hand, It's given me time to go through the steps in my head and paper several times thus changing approches,
design, even some materials. All in all it's not wasted time in my opinion just a virtual walkthrough of teh project.
Francis |
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rond
New Member
Posts:1
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| 27 Feb 2008 06:41 PM |
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I installed an ART system a couple of years ago including radiant heat and I have spoken to Nick and a "freind" of Marks since they disolved ART.
There were a couple of small issues with workmanship and the "how to" on the controls instalation. The workmanship issues were just leaking fittings
which were I changed out and the control confusion was quickly taken care of by Mark at the Time.
Instalation was a bigger job than I antiapated. I installed 12 loops, 750' ea in 75' trench @ avg of 8' deep. Headed was 140' by time I went around some trees.
Handling the loops was a hand full but got better later in the project. I have spoken with Nick since the split but would also like to speak with Mark since
the plan was to add to the system when an addition went up. I am in the planning stages for that now. Over all the system works as it well.
I haven't installed the radiant in the upper half yet so I don't have a good sense of cost of opperation.
Rond |
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Mark Ross
New Member
Posts:73
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| 19 Feb 2009 05:21 PM |
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Posted By rond on 02/27/2008 6:41 PM I installed an ART system a couple of years ago including radiant heat and I have spoken to Nick and a "freind" of Marks since they disolved ART.
There were a couple of small issues with workmanship and the "how to" on the controls instalation. The workmanship issues were just leaking fittings
which were I changed out and the control confusion was quickly taken care of by Mark at the Time.
Instalation was a bigger job than I antiapated. I installed 12 loops, 750' ea in 75' trench @ avg of 8' deep. Headed was 140' by time I went around some trees.
Handling the loops was a hand full but got better later in the project. I have spoken with Nick since the split but would also like to speak with Mark since
the plan was to add to the system when an addition went up. I am in the planning stages for that now. Over all the system works as it well.
I haven't installed the radiant in the upper half yet so I don't have a good sense of cost of opperation.
Rond I'm still around, just be careful what you purchase. I am not supporting any "ART" (which appears to be touted as being "terrasource" now)sales, due to conflicts. Mark Ross
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bmancanfly
New Member
Posts:79
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| 19 Feb 2009 05:41 PM |
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Posted By Mark Ross on 02/19/2009 5:21 PM
I'm still around, just be careful what you purchase. I am not supporting any "ART" (which appears to be touted as being "terrasource" now)sales, due to conflicts.
Mark Ross
Care to expand on this? |
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Mark Ross
New Member
Posts:73
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| 19 Feb 2009 05:57 PM |
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Not yet. But soon
Mark Ross |
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bmancanfly
New Member
Posts:79
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| 19 Feb 2009 06:00 PM |
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Mark,
As a past (and I suppose future) wholesaler/retailer of this type of equipment. What type of things should a purchaser look for? |
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Palace Geothermal
Veteran Member
Posts:1609
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| 19 Feb 2009 08:56 PM |
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Dewayne Dean
<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system |
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engineer
Veteran Member
Posts:2749
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| 19 Feb 2009 10:43 PM |
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There really aren't all that many components in a geo heat pump - Compressor, reversing valve, air coil, water coil, expansion valves, a blower, some water plumbing and a control board...in other words, not rocket science.
That said, the components selected need to be top quality and assembled well - we expect these things to run trouble free for 15-25 years. Clear documentation describing unit and installation is important as well. Not every brand / private label provides all of the above. Low first cost may turn out to be a foolish economy. |
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Curt Kinder <br><br>
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is - Winston Churchill <br><br><a href="http://www.greenersolutionsair.com">www.greenersolutionsair.com</a>
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bmancanfly
New Member
Posts:79
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| 20 Feb 2009 08:34 AM |
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This is very distressing.
I am persuing the possibility of installing my own system. I'm have trouble getting consistent info from DIY companies. And my interactions with "professional" installers locally is even more dismal. One never showed for our appt., the second got to my house and before looking around started to try to convince me to go with an air-to-air system, and the third spent an hour at my home said he would give me a quote by the next day and 8 days later I still haven't heard from him. And he seemed like he wasn't familiar with what a slinky was at all.
I'm getting the feeling that this industry is, possibly, still too immature to invest the kind of money necessary to do this. |
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TomWS
New Member
Posts:49
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| 23 Feb 2009 09:33 AM |
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BManCanFly, I'm with you (although not quite at the point of finding it "distressing").
I do find that there is tremendous variability in what the local 'professionals' have to say and can support. As Engineer said, this isn't rocket science and the 'secret' to success is probably the quality of installation.
With the installation in the hands of 'professional' neophytes who may not have done the same amount of 'homework' that this forum's readers have done, and may be only doing the job grumbling and for the buck, frankly, I find the notion of DIY very appealing simply because I can personally oversee and control the quality. Looking at the Terrasource website, the DIY aspect seems realistic, but as the OP asked, anyone have experience they can share?
One thing I am curious about is why the loops are 'precharged' with antifreeze when they are delivered. Is this so hard that a newbie can't do it??? Precharging seems like it would make the loops that much more difficult to manage. And doesn't the addition of connectors introduce a reliability risk?
Tom |
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bmancanfly
New Member
Posts:79
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| 24 Feb 2009 08:00 AM |
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Posted By TomWS on 02/23/2009 9:33 AM
BManCanFly, I'm with you (although not quite at the point of finding it "distressing").
I do find that there is tremendous variability in what the local 'professionals' have to say and can support. As Engineer said, this isn't rocket science and the 'secret' to success is probably the quality of installation.
With the installation in the hands of 'professional' neophytes who may not have done the same amount of 'homework' that this forum's readers have done, and may be only doing the job grumbling and for the buck, frankly, I find the notion of DIY very appealing simply because I can personally oversee and control the quality. Looking at the Terrasource website, the DIY aspect seems realistic, but as the OP asked, anyone have experience they can share?
One thing I am curious about is why the loops are 'precharged' with antifreeze when they are delivered. Is this so hard that a newbie can't do it??? Precharging seems like it would make the loops that much more difficult to manage. And doesn't the addition of connectors introduce a reliability risk?
Tom
Amen.
Maybe distressing is the wrong adjective, how about dissappointing?
I totally agree with your statement about quality control. I do very meticulous work and my experience with many, not all, tradesmen is that they don't have the same attention to detail.
As far as the "precharged" question. I find that questionable. They tried to sell that to me and I live in FL - a no freeze zone.
From what I've read, antifreeze, while necessary in most areas, actually slightly reduces the efficiency of a system. If you price the pipe and anti freeze locally, you can save a lot of money. Not to mention the cost of shipping 'water'.
As far as the connection question I haven't resolve this yet myself. The pros use heat fusion, but the tool is very expense and I haven't found a place that rents them yet. Also, it seems that it may take a certain skill set to operate the heat fusion tool. But I'm still looking.
All that said, I'm still a newbie DIYer. There are many much more knowledeable people here who can correct me. Just stating what I've learned so far.
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Bruce
Basic Member
Posts:142
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