LAKE COUNTRY HTG & COOLING

installation went as planned except that I expected the pipes from the loop field to come into the house underground, mine were brought above grade and then into the house. Lake Country (LC) said this was to avoid 'seepage' but I suspect its because they do mostly new construction where other contractors probably take care of sealing up pipe entries through foundation walls. From what I have read about geothermal it should have come into the house underground but opinions vary, including from GeoComfort (HP brand). IGSPHA will not give you advice and I have not read any IGSPHA manuals. Also, the duct work was not the same quality of craftsmanship as that from when the house was built (1957); but then again some duct work I had done this year by another contractor wasn't as good either. aI had to hire my own electrician because LC doesn't do 'high voltage' work (again new construction, other contractors do electrical work needed, LC strictly heating and cooling). That means if you have electric backup heat you need extra 240V(high voltage) wiring done; also for the heat pump itself. I do not blame LC for the electrical since it is mentioned in their proposal, its my problem I didn't think of the extra expense and inconvenience. The heat pump has been working since last summer, two cooling and one heating season. The HP has made a few strange noises, kind of a thud, at times where the compressor would start before the blower fan. Most times the fan starts before the compressor. When the tech came this summer for the annual maintenance recommended he said there was a loose wire he tightened. The system hasn't been running enough this year for me to notice if this fixed the anomaly. The reason I would not hire this contractor again is not because they didn't do good work but because I would want a contractor that did all the electrical themselves and who would definitely bring the loop field pipes into the house underground. Unfortunately it is hard to find a geothermal installer that did not branch out from HVAC that do the geo work as a filler to their normal business.

The installation took some time and there were problems adjusting the heating system due to computer module problems on the boiler. Replacement parts needed to be ordered a couple of times. Lake Country responded quickly and efficiently. They always returned phone calls and made sure I was satisfied with the results. They backed their work and made sure it was working correctly when there were problems.

We knew the type of system we wanted. Lake Country Heating provided good advice on the reliability of various brands and the relative savings/payback time of different efficiency units. The company plumber took a long time but the results are neat and have not leaked. The boiler installation went quickly and easily. The calculated boiler size was accurate and saves us about 30% on our gas bill. I would highly recommend indirect water heaters in combination high efficiency boiler systems. I think that is where most of our natural gas savings have come from. There were numerous problems after installation with defective controls on the Lochinvar boiler but the final replacement parts work correctly. All of the return visits were at no charge because of the workmanship and part warranty. Lake Country Heating was very helpful and willing to return and replace parts until the system worked correctly. Lake Country heating workers were neat and professional and always on time.