Geothermal in the Cold

It is about time I write about the geothermal system in the cold weather. Generally - so far so good. The auxiliary back up heat system does have to come on sometimes, in particular when it got to -30 (feels like -38 outside).

At one point, the temperature in the house wasn't reaching what the thermostat was set for. We called Parent Heating and Cooling to come check it out. At first we thought it had something to do with the ice on the geothermal system (check out the photo). It turns out that this happens because the more the system is used, the more the refrigerant circulates and then ice forms on the system. In the end the electric relay was disconnected. The compressor was contributing some extra heat but not enough until the relay was fixed ($200 later). We do have a 5 year warranty on parts but it is the labour that costs so much. Now the system is back up and running.....