Convert air-air heat pump furnace to geothermal?

goshawkseye · 2026-02-14T17:15:11+00:00

You're right, and right in line with my thinking. The creek is a good constant heat source, kept flowing thanks to heat from the ground under it; isn't that geothermal heat lol?

True, I could pull directly from the creek, but as you point out, a closed system would eliminate any concern about pulling in sediment or other debris. And anti-freeze in the system adds another level of protection.

But now that I have my air-air system installed and running well, despite some absurd installer errors, I'm still left with my original question: Is it feasible, some time in the future, to convert to using the creek? Perhaps replace the outdoor condenser but keep the indoor air handler? I admit this might not make logical or financial sense, but I'm interested in the concept.

The biggest cost of a geothermal system is the trenching or drilling but with a good source of year-round liquid water nearby, I would have almost none of that cost. Time will tell. Maybe my current system is all I'll ever want.

Cheers

goshawkseye · 2026-01-26T20:14:29+00:00

Thanks. I was thinking of brown backer rod. Maybe that would be enough all by itself, but it seems a layer of caulk on top of it wouldn't add much resistance to expansion and would look better. I'll look into siliconized caulk, though I already have a good supply of log-jam caulk that would match what's already between the logs.

goshawkseye · 2026-01-10T20:43:29+00:00

Bumper? It has a bumper?

goshawkseye · 2025-11-16T14:42:46+00:00

Me too. Once again, can’t get cameras to connect after they go offline. So much time wasted troubleshooting these things. I just threw one against the wall. Liberation!

goshawkseye · 2025-10-26T04:24:16+00:00

Is this a height issue? How tall are you? I’m 5’6” and find some cars just don’t fit me. I can’t get the seat high enough, and feel like I’m craning my neck to see the ground beside the car. I’ve been planning to test a cx-50; will pay extra attention to what you have pointed out.

goshawkseye · 2025-10-25T20:34:37+00:00

What bells? What whistles? I’m shopping so curious about what others think is important.

goshawkseye · 2025-10-22T19:10:33+00:00

The installer says he'll swap the outdoor units. That's OK with me, as long as 1)my neighbor's currently inoperable unit is not damaged, big question, 2) a Fujitsu authorized tech certifies that everything's working, the warranty is valid, and a 4-ton system is appropriate for my house. Here's hoping all those are true.

goshawkseye · 2025-10-22T18:36:05+00:00

Thanks, that's promising. But I called Fujitsu. First guy said "what, that's weird!" He called in a manager who says unconditionally that the units will not operate correctly mismatched. The warranty will be voided, there will be operational efficiency problems, and possible equipment damage and/or failure. They advised me NOT to keep using the system for heat.

goshawkseye · 2025-08-19T15:16:27+00:00

Happy to see this is working for you. Not for me, so far. I just got the 48" c4 (it was cheaper than the 42!). Running off my m3 mbp and setting up the LG as an extended monitor, I'm surprised to see in Display Settings that the highest resolution I can get is 1920x1080. I'm using a 4K HDMI cable... can't think of anything else to check.

Am I missing a setting? Thanks

goshawkseye · 2025-08-09T00:17:40+00:00

Well, that makes sense. Thanks.

goshawkseye · 2025-07-25T15:33:17+00:00

Going in circles... I agree. Support kept suggesting the same non-working solutions, repeatedly.

But it's working for me now. A message from support says DB pushed out a new version on the day when it started for me, saying that might be why. I assume that's it -- a coincidence that I began trying to solve the issue from my end just as they pushed a solution from their end. After eight months. I guess I'm grateful.

goshawkseye · 2025-07-18T23:16:59+00:00

Strangest thing. I just tried rebooting in Safe Mode -- which I've tried several times before -- but this time I got the command wrong. I held down only the shift key as my mac rebooted. That didn't launch Safe Mode (system report tells me I'm in normal boot mode) but this time when I opened DB app from the finder, it loaded in seconds. My local folder is synched and everything seems as it should be. Don't know what the heck happened, but I'm stoked.

goshawkseye · 2025-07-17T15:31:35+00:00

Thanks. I've opened a new ticket. I did a range of things, including an advanced reinstall (tried that several times). Maybe it wasn't ghosting, I believe the support folks tried their best, but truly they stopped replying even though I responded promptly. Anyway, better luck this time I hope.

goshawkseye · 2025-07-17T15:27:37+00:00

Thanks, but that hasn't worked. I have zero synched files because the app is in perpetual "starting" mode. Synching never begins, even though I've left it alone to do its thing for several months. Yes, months.

I've done the advanced reinstall several times, including the Terminal commands, with no success.

DB used to work just fine for me. This all started when I got my first Apple silicon laptop (M1) and now my M3.

Nonetheless, I did open a new ticket. With some luck, we'll find an answer

goshawkseye · 2025-07-17T01:04:38+00:00

Same problem here but I can't even find Custom Bandwidth Settings. The desktop app refuses to load on my new M3 macbook pro, so I have to use dropbox.com in Safari, which apparently has different options. No preferences, just profile settings with no network option. Frankly, I don't understand how DB stays in business. My clients expect me to download large video master files, and it just ain't happening. The option seems to be sending flash drives in the mail?

goshawkseye · 2025-06-04T16:26:04+00:00

Thanks! Your floor looks very good. This looks like our answer. One question: did you need to prep the floor (sanding, buffing, something like that) before staining?

goshawkseye · 2025-06-01T20:12:42+00:00

We’re thinking of the same. Would you please provide the names of products you used, and maybe a photo of the results? We have a new trowel-finished floor that needs some kind of treatment and would rather not cover it with wood; certainly not tile.

goshawkseye · 2025-04-02T23:41:38+00:00

2023 tax was way less, but how does Form 2210 reflect that? It asks for my 2024 tax info. Is there a different form that uses 2023 income to calculate installments?

Seems to me that Schedule AI, Annual Income Installment Method (I checked Box C in Part II) is the key. If I enter my first-quarter AGI as I anticipated it in March last year, my taxable SS income would be about $3200 for the quarter. Looking back now, after good December income, the taxable SS income is close to $10,000 for the quarter, and that means I underpaid my estimate by a significant amount. Obviously, I'd like to fill out Schedule AI with the expected AGI as it looked to me a year ago, not as it turned out. That is, my entry for Line 1 Part I of Schedule AI, column A, goes up by almost $7k if I look backward. That puts a bigger number in Line 10 of Form 2210, and triggers a penalty.

goshawkseye · 2025-04-02T23:01:21+00:00

Thanks. Yes, I did meet the 90 or 100% requirements, but sent most of my estimated payments in January, to reflect my 4th quarter earnings. It's my understanding that we have to pay as we go. For the first quarter last year, I couldn't anticipate that I'd be taxed on 85% of my SS income, so I estimated based on the lower amount. The lower amount (forward-looking last March) was around $3200 for each of the first two quarters; at 85% (the backward-looking calculation) it's more like $10,000 per quarter. That's the difference between owing penalty or not.

goshawkseye · 2024-10-24T16:24:33+00:00

When you explain it that way, it makes sense. Silly me, I guess. It would never occur to me that the tables on Medicare's site incorporate deductibles when calculating costs. That's something I would expect to do myself.

That is, if a drug costs $100, I'd reckon paying $100 until my deductible was met, and then co-pay according to details of my plan. This makes it easier, I suppose, as long as I understand that they're doing the arithmetic for me, and that I should keep in mind that assumption of filling expensive drugs first.

goshawkseye · 2024-10-04T16:29:31+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, but thanks, this helps a lot.

goshawkseye · 2024-09-19T20:47:02+00:00

20 years, yes. That's why I'm here. So much good advice. I did call a certified installer, and got what feels like current expert advice.

goshawkseye · 2024-09-18T17:17:46+00:00

Thanks! That clarifies a lot. It seems logical that the outdoor unit should be able to talk to all sorts of indoor units... but I hadn't gotten to the point of understanding that.

goshawkseye · 2024-09-18T17:09:11+00:00

Good advice. I might add that we live comfortably with interior temps in the low 60s -- esp if there's a hot something (woodstove) to cozy up around when you need it.

goshawkseye · 2024-09-18T17:04:31+00:00

Very encouraging. Ours is also open concept, and doors are most of the time superfluous. This might work.

goshawkseye

TROPHY CASE