Propane Gas Tank in Ground vs Oil Heat
NewEnglandgal
5 years ago
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propane heat vs. electric heat
Comments (39)GROUND UP TO U: (vs. in-ground) Since 1980: about 7,ooo btuh [separately in a ditch] in damp clay as described below can be extracted from 52-deg earth with every 500 ft of 3/4" Poly-Black tubing and circulated easily [up to 5-3/4" pipe runs with a header to 1.1/4"] hdpe pipe 160 psi thicker sdr-9 www.geothermal-pipe.com www.flowcenterproducts.com on one 1) 1/6 hp (B&G pl 33) if the loop is ~ 35 degrees (chilled) by/on www.hydro-temp.com (ARKANSAS) a heat-pump, having ~ 18% methanol antifreeze by volume ~20% glycol, for usable(net) output per the following: if at a depth of ~6-to-7ft, lower piping runs (back-in-bottom-of-ditch-tightly-packed) x ditch length of 245 ft, up to 3-pipes in 2ft ditch and on the bottom of the ditch, up to 5 piping runs (2 ditches) on 1) pump 1/6hp damp clay soil, and returns back in same ditch as follows: RETURNS are on top at a depth of ~5ft (4.1/2 settles to 5ft in backfilling~) like a 'hair-pin over under design on side view... each ditch may support a "2-TON" Hydro-Temp, which is equal to others' 2.2/2-"ton" rated units that use higher than normal blower speeds, or water:water with over pumping to just get "high" ratings... LOOK at COMPRESSOR labels: they should have a 19,000-24,000 btuh compressor IF VERY WET, 52-DEG SUPPORTS A 30,OOO COMPRESSOR IN THAT DESCRIBED DITCH FOR RATINGS @ "3.0-TONS" YOU GET ONLY ~85% OF ANY COMPRESSOR ON ~34-DEG LOOPS... Directly GeoLoops : ECL's (Earth Coupled Loops) are generally producing only ~ 4,200 btuh at 40-degrees/avg and high volumes of ~ 3.1/2 gpm per 3/4"pipe and no antifreeze keeping things obove 38-degrees (ie @ 37 entering ECL, from loads applied/ with or without a heat pump... )...See MoreGeothermal heat pump vs air source heat pump vs gas
Comments (27)Air source heat pumps don't make sense in areas where winter temps frequently fall below 32 degrees. Once you get below freezing, you will be running the auxillary heat a lot. If you decide to go the air source route, you will want a second stage gas fired auxillary heat. I live in the mid-atlantic region in the mountains and selected GT. That choice was coupled with a blown cellulose insulation package. My other choice was a propane heat/electric AC with a foam insulation package. Both options were roughly the same install cost. Both would have provided similar energy efficiency. At the time we selected, propane was 3.75 a gallon and rising (with no end in sight) so we went with GT. The delta cost for the GT system (above the cost for a HE propane heat and electric AC system) was $15,000 for the heat pumps and loop plumbing (including pumps) plus $17,000 for digging the pit. The pit excavation should not have cost as much as it did but it is a 12 ton system and the hole was gigantic (120' x 48' x 6'). We live on a mountain and hit a bunch of boulders that required special equipment to get out. Rocky soil also required a 1' base of stone dust to cover the loop piping. The total cost for the GT HVAC system including all ducting was $50,000 plus the pit excavation cost of 17K. It is a large investment and I would only recommend it if you plan to live in the house a very long time. My heating bills are great - maybe 300 dollars maximum a month during peak winter for an 8500 square foot home (5900 living and the rest a condiitoned but unfinished basement). Make sure that whatever equipment you choose can be maintained by more than 1 very qualified HVAC company who has many years of GT experience. In my area there is only 1 GT company who has over 20 years of experience but I am stuck with them for maintenance. There have been times when I wanted to fire them but cannot. Local competition is a good thing. Also - if you build a tight home make sure that you consider ventilation and dehumidification in the HVAC design. I wound up adding both a whole house dehumidifier and energy recovery vent after we moved in becuase we had basement moisture issues as well as stale air in the winter. Tight homes are great for energy efficiency but can create health issues too. It is easy to deal with as long as you plan for it. Good luck with the build....See MoreOil boiler VS propane furnace VS propane boiler
Comments (4)IF you have vents you have the right idea with getting a heatpump instead of straight A/C. Get a good high efficient single stage heat pump with demand defrost. This will handle a big majority of your heating. 15 seer would be good. I would want one that is one the quiet side since it will be running alot. Having a compressor blanket is a must. The propane option sounds nice, but propane is not cheap either. You would probably be better off with straight electric element as backup (probably just as expensive as oil or propane). The nice thing about the water heat is it is very even, quiet, and produces no dust. But you won't be using it very often since you will have the heatpump. Its up to you if you want to keep the oil base-board, get rid of the base-board altogethor. I'm not sure what the point of switching from oil to propane would do for the baseboard....See MoreGas Heating vs Oil+HP ?
Comments (2)Full discloser, I live in Montreal and work in this industry as a consultant so my opinions are not just that of another homeowner. Your worst option (aside from doing nothing) would be to add a heat pump to your existing oil furnace even with the Hydro DT rate. The reasons being that even though you will be told that you only use oil when you switch over at -12ÃÂC with the DT rate, this is in fact NOT true. Every time the heat pump goes into defrost mode (perhaps every 1-hour to 1-1/2-hours), irrespective of outdoor temperature, you will be burning oil, lots of it. I base this on my neighbour's experience that has the same brand/vintage furnace as you. In addition, you still have the oil tank issue that, as you know insurance companies don't like. That when it's time to sell, in the Montreal area there are real estate agents that won't even show homes that are oil heated. This I discovered through a client that had discussed her heating options with friends that are agents, of course that doesn't mean your house won't sell, it just means that you are at a disadvantage. Your best options are either all-electric with heat pump or gas furnace with heat pump and the Hydro DT rate. Either system should be as efficient as possible with variable speed blowers. Neither of these options will qualify for any rebates from either Hydro Quebec or Gaz Metro. Carrier Infinity would be an excellent choice with Carrier Infinity Greenspeed being best. There are presently substantial rebates being offered to convert from oil to geothermal. Today's prices for heating oil (Nov. 23, 2012) in the Montreal area are as high as $1.09 per litre - $1.25 per litre with tax! SR...See MoreNewEnglandgal
5 years agoNewEnglandgal
5 years agoSpringtime Builders
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoDavid Cary
5 years ago
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