In this post I will share most useful experiences related to the 7 years of operation of my ground sourced heat pump. Most wanted facts about heat pump operations:
- Costs: In first years operating costs (heating area 150m2, good insulation, county EU Slovenia) were from 250€ to 350€ for one winter season.
- Operation time: The heat pump was in operation 3,5 hours on average per day.
- Geothermal collector efficiency: At the beginning of the winter season the water from the geothermal collector was about 10,5 degrees Celsius. At the end of the winter season the water from the geothermal collector was about 7 degrees Celsius.
The pump was running very smoothly without any problems ... until. Two years ago I noticed that my heat pump runs more and more hours per day. At the end it was running almost 5 hours on average. From 3,5 hours to 5 hours ... what happened?! The winters were comparable in last years, the settings of the heat pump were the same, the geothermal collector was working O.K. So? I called the maintenance team of the producer of the heat pump. They showed up very quickly in few days. We found out an oil stain inside the heat pump below the compresor and we found out that cooling gas level is too low. After checking and screwing some pipes we added the cooling gas to the correct level. We started the machine, made some tests and ... it was running like new and it still do. The cost for the maintenance was 70€ and it was worth paying this money, because the pump will again run more efficient this winter. Having any additional questions ... just post a comment and I will try to answer asap.
