ClimateMaster TT-038 Tranquility 27 2-Stage Heat Pump

Just installed and put on line my Geothermal Climatemaster TT038. I purchased it through the internet from a DIY site geothermaldiy.com. (very fast service). Installation involved removing my present system (forced air electric) and putting the TT in the same location so I could connect to existing air plenum.  With a trip to my local HVAC dealer, I got an adapter to make the unit to plenum connection. My well driller put a new constant pressure 15gl/m pump at the bottom of my 500' deep well. The static water level is about 60' from the surface and with a test pump of 5 gallons per minute for 30 minutes decided to place the water return at 150.' (recommended 100' per ton) Had to dig up the yard from the well to the house to run the new to and from lines to the house.  Lines were put 8' down with 4 inches of insulation over the top of the pipes for additional protection from the frost line which here in Vermont can go 4 feet on snow covered ground. All lines from the well to the house were made with 160psi 1.25" plastic pipe. I made all connection to the unit with plastic 100psi 1" pipe and have a slow closing valve and water control valve (to adjust water flow) on the return line from the unit. Specs say you want 8-10 degree drop in temperature through the unit so being able to adjust water flow, I feel, is important for max efficiency.

The unit is quiet and the fan has no perceptible noise. The most noise is made from the adjustable water flow valve. The TT038 has been on line now since August 1st and so far it is working perfectly in cooling mode only so far. Current draw is just under 5 amps at 220VAC. That should put my winter heating bill about 1/6 of what it was last year.  The only power draw I still have to measure is the water pump draw (about 6 gallons per minute) when the unit is in the second stage of heating which won't come for a while yet maybe January or February.

Purchased a new electric water heater last year and I am having some problems with it leaking and Sears not wanting to cover it under warranty. So the water heater (desuperheater) is not connected yet. I also purchased the aux heater (10KW) which will come on if the unit is not capable of producing enough heat, but hope it never comes on, we will see when it hit -35F this winter.

I was quoted $15,000 from a local dealer for the unit and installation. DIY was the only way to go.


Update: January 2, 2010

My Climatemaster is running great. We have had sustained temperatures below 20ºF for more than 3 weeks now and the unit is still keeping us nice and warm (68ºF). This unit provides a very constant heat making the house feel warm without drafts and I do not lower the temp at night. Present incoming well water temperature is 44ºF and HP exit water temperature is 40ºF. The unit is still running in the first stage of heating (I have not seen it go to stage 2 yet). On a couple of particularly cold (5ºF) windy days the unit ran for 16 hours total turning on and off throughout the day (still in stage 1).

I was finally able to measure the pump current which is 3.5 amps @220V. So combining the water pump with the HP unit's just under 5 amps puts it at about 8.5 amp draw when running (1.87KW). I am presently paying 16.5 cents per KW, so the coldest day so far has cost me $4.96. If I averaged that for 30 days, my heating bill would be $148.80!! So far the unit is running only about 12 to 13 hours per day and I'm sure it will run longer and will get into stage2 heating when it gets down to -20ºF. Interesting thing is, I can barely see any difference in current draw from stage 1 to stage 2. (maybe a 1/4 of an amp). Well Pump amps will go to 4.5 when stage 2 kicks in.

Looking forward to seeing how things run when it's -20ºF

Update March 1, 2010


Climatemaster still running great. In the middle of January I finally connected up the De-Superheater, this unit heats my hot water. Comparing last year's electric use in February to this year I have cut my household electric bill in half and reduced my heating bill by 75%. I will say that the Climatemaster Tranquility 27 is doing its job beautifully. Incoming water from the well is holding at 44 degrees, so I think that is the "constant" ground temperature here in Vermont. Althought we had several weeks of single digit temperatures there were only a handful of below zero nights. The unit never went into Stage 2 heating so it continues to work very well using only stage 1.

For the many people who have emailed me asking about my experience I want to say thanks for the interest. I also want to include the Geothermaldiy.com website since that is the first question asked. Also for those of you that have hot water heat,Climatemaster does make a water to water heat pump.

Summary of Results:

•The total cost in oil for the preceding 12 months was $1,707.79. The total increase in our electrical bills after the installation of the Geothermal system was $915.64. This gives a net savings on utility payments of $792.15 for the year (46%). Update: I paid $0.72/L at the time for heating oil. Current prices are ~$1.06/L - savings are now in the area of 60% per year.
•While the installed cost for the system was $23,076.48, we received a GST rebate of $692.29 and a grant under the Energuide for Houses program of $957.00 for a total installed cost of $21,427.19. Present buyers of geothermal systems in Ontario are entitled to a grant of $7,000 (combined federal & provincial)
•If we were to build a new house we would definitely equip it with a Geothermal system instead of a conventional combustion system (oil, gas, etc.). It is important to note that builders of new homes should not be trying to justify the purchase by saving $25,000 in utility bill savings, the cost of these systems. Rather the difference between this system and a conventional system (in our case $21,427.19 minus $10,550 = $10,877.19) is the appropriate target. Energy savings alone, at today’s rates, would see this paid back in ~14 years, but this ignores lifetime and maintenance costs which offer further savings with the Geothermal system. Furthermore, for those building or renovating a house with intention to sell, the question to ask is whether or not the home value will be improved by more than the extra investment. The bank considers our home worth much more, but market conditions are the ultimate driver for this analysis.
•The 10kW electric heater was only observed once in the first winter. It happened when we tried to increase the temperature indoors while it was -28C outside. It only operated for seconds at a time and the home was up to desired temperature minutes later. The heat pump kept us comfortable throughout the winter.
•The indoor temperature selected on the Geothermal system was 21C and was not turned down at night to avoid using the 10kW heater in the mornings (i.e. this system is more energy efficient if it is not turned down at night, unlike combustion furnaces which save money when used with programmable thermostats). The oil consumption from the previous year benefited from a programmable thermostat with lower temperatures at night (16C) and while away during the day (15C).


Conclusion:

The Geothermal system was an excellent investment. The increased value to our home is not something we focused on because we intend to keep this house for many years, though it is comforting to know we could make this investment back. The utility savings are in-line with the model predictions from Atel Air and amounted to a 46% improvement this past year. The extra we put towards our mortgage each month is offset by these utility savings.
A Geothermal system is a worthwhile consideration for anybody upgrading their old furnace, building a new home, or renovating a home for resale purposes. All factors considered, it was the most economical choice we could have made.

You must read this before you purchase a Climate Master Tranquility geothermal system.

I purchased a Climate Master Tranquility 27 unit in November 2007.  I am still waiting for the unit to 'work the bugs out'.  I hope I don't go bankrupt before I get all the kinks worked out.

First, geothermal is wonderful.  I love it.  We had oil heat before and we always used the gas logs in the fire place.  Since we had geothermal installed, we very rarely use our gas logs.  Love it!!!!

Either the Climate Master Tranquility 27 product is a piece of you know what or just my particular unit is a lemon.  I am giving Climate Master the opportunity to show me it's just my particular unit.

In less than four years:

The auxiliary heat control board burned up.  It was a visibly charred, burnt up circuit board.  During the summer, when there is no aux heat being used, it fails.  But, the design is so poor it fails in the "on" position.  So all summer, our a/c system is cranking out electrical resistance heat (you know how expensive that is) that we are then having to cool with the geothermal a/c system.  6 visits to fix.  Really???  The local company that installed it (ClimateMakers, see the problem, I am so &^$#%) couldn't fix the problem in less than 6 separate trips to my house.

The compressor wouldn't run (fully??)  What do I know?  I called the installer because it wasn't cooling the house.  Two more trips to replace the part that was "shorting out".  Another electrical issue.

Freon leak.  Geothermal systems are like your refrigerator.  They are not like your old a/c system.  There is no inside unit and out side unit that's connected by copper tubing.  It's all one unit make by the manufacturer, Climate Master.  One of their copper joints was leaking.  Their copper union, their joint, their labor, their problem.  Wrong!!!  Climate Master's assistance stopped at providing another $1.25 copper fitting that could have been purchased at Home Depot.  Distributor?  Nope, Virginia Air wouldn't help either.  The local installer, ClimateMakers, were happy to help.  $740.00 their help to fix the manufacturing defect cost me.  3 more days off from work to find and fix the problem.

TXV Valve?  Didn't know I had one.  But, you will when it goes bad.  It's a component inside the refrigerator sized unit.  Again, no one's responsibility but the manufacturers.  They will pay for the part.  Did I want to pay $100 to have the part shipped in sooner?  Fortunately, my service warranty, for an additional fee, covers the labor.  But, there is the small issue of me having to pay another $281 for the freon in the system.  Another 3 trips to fix.  Can you say ka-ching?

Evaporator leak!!!!  You got to be kidding me.  You know the routine.  The part is covered.  But, to get the part shipped sooner it will cost me $200.  I am just so thankful to the local installer, ClimateMasters, that they found the evaporator leak before they installed the TXV valve.  If they had not found the second freon leak before installing the TXV valve it would have cost me more days off from work and another $281 worth of freon.  Yippy!!

Can you tell that I am less than happy right now?  In less than four years two electrical components failed, a mechanical valve failed, and there were two separate leaks on the sealed freon system.  This is just a poorly manufactured unit.

I am looking for manufacture (ClimateMaker.  Did you know that they are owned by Carrier!!), distributor (Virginia Air), and/or the installer (ClimateMakers) to step up and do the right thing.  The unit I have is a lemon.  They need to step up and replace the unit.  The $27,989 that I spent to have my HVAC system modernized is at risk because neither the manufacture / distributor / installer has stepped up and spent the $2-3,000 it would cost to install a new unit.

I will keep you posted!!
 

I purchased a ClimateMaster TT-038 in late 2008 which I installed myself and had it up a running in early 2009. ( I don't recommend this as a do it yourself project unless you have a pretty good mechanical back ground). I purchased the unit new online for $4500 plus $300+ S&H. By buying it this way I didn't get the manufactures warranty, which isn't smart! My unit is a closed loop system that recirculates water (25% antifreeze and 75% water) through 1500 ft. of 1 1/4 inch 160 psi rated hard polyethylene pipe. I heat fused the (3 rolls of 500 ft.) together and buried it from 5-6 feet deep. I didn't have the electric heat package installed as I have base board heaters as backup if needed. As a equal payment costumer with my electricity provider, my power consumtion has dropped by $82 a month. To date the only problem that I have had has been a run capacitor on the compressor which I installed myself. While the initial investment is much higher, the water loop part of the system (whether open or closed) should never have to be replaced, making the cost of a new heat pump, once its useful life is up, in line with a covientional unit.  Plus, the Feds and several states offer tax credits that will help pay a large part of the cost. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone interested in a geothermal heat pump.

 

P.S. My cost for the complete installation was about $12,700 plus or minus a few dollars. With the tax credit from the IRS and N. Carolina I have about $9,000 invested.