Welcome Home Page Information Request Press Release Help Wanted  About Us Our History Our Staff Commercial Project Resume Project Portfolio Directions Our Services Heat Pumps HVAC Pipe Fitting Plumbing Sheet Metal Service Med Gas Backflow Preventers Design / Build GeoThermal FAQ Energy Analysis What does it cost? What is the payoff? Would it be possible to install the field myself? My yard contains many shade trees. Will these trees affect ground temperature and my ability to reclaim heat? Do you recommend one type of field over another? How will it work in my house? How does it work? What kind of warranty should I expect? What type of maintenance should I expect? What enhancements do we recommend for your system? What are our qualifications? What do you recommend for financing? What does it Cost? Please accept my congratulations for considering geothermal. This technology leads the industry in return on investment improvements. The cost of geothermal is relative to your current situation. But make no mistake, although this technology has tremendous paybacks, the initial up-front cost is higher than conventional systems. But do not lose hope! Every dream has several paths to reality! Let's discuss your situation; you may be closer than you think! Depending on if you want to upgrade your current system or include this in a new home, several factors affect your final cost. Please answer the following questions. If you need help, please call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy. 1. Current air distribution system. 2. Quality of home insulation. 3. Quality of windows and doors? 4. Your current utility rates. 5. Status of your homes "envelope". 6. Do you have a pond close to your home or have ample room for the loop ground exchanger? 7. Status of your existing power supply. As you can imagine, quoting a firm cost, incorporating the above responses, requires you to visit with us. When you consider the operating costs of geothermal heating, cooling, and water heating, energy savings quickly offset the initial difference in purchase price! Only quality installation makes this technology work to its full potential! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What is the Payoff? What will your return be for installing geothermal? Good question! Let's talk savings. Since it only depends on a small amount of electricity to power the compressor and small circulating pumps, it will cut the average home heating, cooling, and domestic hot water cost up to 75%! During the cooling season, the geothermal system uses the excess heat from your home to generate free hot water. The unit generates hot water whenever it is heating or cooling. If you couple this with a large family or high hot water usage, the savings climb even higher! As you have no doubt noticed, fuel prices are a roller coaster ride. We have very little control over what energy costs. Please picture the land beneath your feet as your personal energy source! Your local energy company may actually promote geothermal. Energy companies want you to provide them a constant demand, free from peaks and valleys. This allows them to build fewer power plants, store less natural gas, and decrease the wear and tear on their distribution systems. Most energy companies offer some type of help like rebates or financing. By far the biggest rebate is in the electric incentive rate. If you switch your house over to all electric, your utility company may offer a reduced rate! Contact us to find out about the rebates that may be available to you. We have documented cases in our area homeowners homeowners' heating, cooling, and electric hot water average cost of $1 per day. Most of these cases were using 10-year-old technology! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. Would it be possible to install the field myself? Fusion certification and hands on experience are required to install a field properly. As stated on the opening page, this technology requires proper installation to get full energy savings. Problems can sometimes be averted in the field as conditions change. All geothermal loop designers and installers should be IGSHPA certified. My yard contains many shade trees. Will these trees affect ground temperature and my ability to reclaim heat? Trees have no affect on ground source. Ground source also has no affect on trees! Just stay clear of the main tree roots. Do you recommend one type of field over another? Good question! If properly installed, each type of loop performs just as well as the other. Let's expand on this a little. There are four main types of geothermal fields-Open system, horizontal loop, vertical loop, and pond loop. Each has its own advantages and requirements. 1. Open systems require an adequate supply of suitable water and an open means of discharge. 2. Horizontal loops require strips of land 100 to 400 feet long by 15 feet wide for each ton. Installation costs are lower than vertical loops. 3. Vertical loops require less space than horizontal but costs are slightly higher due to the drilling. 4. Ponds are by far the best geothermal field to have, but not everyone has a pond! Installation costs are substantially less due to the whole field being in one spot. The only trenching required will be to get from the pond to the house. Deciding which type of field is right for your project requires a visit with us about your project. You probably have a pretty good idea which system is right for you already! Give us a call and we will expand on your ideas! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. How will it work in my house? Geothermal heating and cooling matches technology with comfort! Geothermal system owners often comment every room in the house feels the same. With this comment, many items are addressed. Geothermal systems move warm air or cool air throughout your home or business. This air gently brings your space up to the desired temperature and keeps it there. In cooling the air temperature is very similar to a standard central air system. Geothermal cooling does not require an outdoor condenser, so you do not have a unit to listen to or mow around! With any geothermal unit, you can set back your temperature set point in cooling and we recommend only setting back your thermostat 2 degrees or less in heating or use a special stat. A heat pump performs best when it stays in a 2 to 4 degree window around your set point. Because a heat pump operates so efficiently, once you get the furniture and surroundings to the desired temperature, it only cost pennies to keep it there. You also eliminate "pockets" of stale or uncomfortable air by keeping your settings constant. A critical part of the equation is the status of the house envelope. In order to maintain this level of comfort, homes must be structurally tight. Any efforts taken by the homeowner either during construction or during a retrofit greatly affect not only energy savings, but also owner comfort. This topic is discussed in greater detail on the "What other enhancements do you recommend?" page. Another factor in the equation is the air delivery system. It is imperative that any shortfalls in your duct system be corrected or replaced. A duct system review should be part of your installation process. We like to say "Make it right and make it tight". Please call for further information on this. Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. How does it work? In simple terms, a geothermal heat pump has a lot in common with a window air conditioner. It uses fluid as an exchange medium and enhances the refrigeration process. If you go outside when a window air conditioner unit is running, the air coming out is hot. The unit is drawing heat into the refrigeration system from the air inside and rejecting the heat to the outside air. This is the cooling process. If you take the same window air conditioner and turn it around, it would take heat from the outside and reject it into the house. Sounds simple, right? No matter where you live the underground temperature is fairly constant year-around. Your house is literally sitting on its own energy source. Using fluid-filled pipes buried in the ground, inserted into wells, or sunk in a pond, the geothermal heat pump either draws heat out or rejects heat into the ground. Remember the window air conditioner? Instead of rejecting the heat to the outside air, a heat pump rejects heat to the fluid through the use of a built-in heat exchanger. This fluid is then pumped outside where the heat is transferred to the ground. How does heating work? A heat pump will draw heat out of the ground and transfer this heat to a heat exchanger inside the heat pump. The unit then compresses this extracted heat to a high temperature and delivers it to the home. Clear as mud, right? You may ask just how much heat is available in the ground? The answer is a lot! Another benefit of this system is that the heat rejected in the summer "builds up" in the ground. So that is available first. Then your heat pump begins to draw down the ground temperature. Have no fear, if your loop system is properly installed, you will not run out of heat before spring! Does it pay to install more field than necessary to never run out? NO. You are better off using backup electric heat on rare occasions than over sizing your system. There is a tremendous amount of heat in the ground, even at 32 degrees ground temperature! The really great thing is that this energy source is renewable and you already own the source! It only takes 25% to 50% of the energy you would have spent operating traditional systems to get the endless supply of energy out of the ground! Let's go get it! Please call! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What kind of warranty should I expect? This is another important issue for the homeowner. After your financial investment for geothermal, you want to not only know what the system will save, but also what it will cost. As a general rule you get what you pay for. You have no doubt done some research, talked to some friends, or visited a trade show. You know there are many different brands to choose from some cheap, some expensive. As a mechanical contractor we have installed several different brands. WaterFurnace leads the industry in performance and comfort. Each brand has its own pros and cons. When I say there is a heat pump to fit your budget, there really is. We can discuss this in great detail when you call but please remember that whatever brand you may choose, you are better off selecting the unit with the highest efficiency and warranty. Your outside loop piping will last for generations. The only way to really hurt the system outside is if you damage it or install the wrong product. The correct piping to use is cross-linked polyethylene or PE for short. This pipe has been used in the underground gas industry for years. New uses for this pipe are being discovered all the time. Most PE providers warrant their products for 50 years or more. Heat pump manufactures typically will warrant their products from 3 to 10 years. WaterFurnace has a complete 10 year parts AND labor warranty Having your equipment installed by a certified installer allows for these warranties. Please remember that the higher priced equipment offers the best warranties. The quality heat pump manufacturers do not expect any problems with these units for 15 to 20 years! They really manufacture the units that well. Feel free to call and discuss which unit best fits your budget and needs. Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What type of maintenance should I expect? You should expect very little unit maintenance with maintenance quality unit. CHANGE YOUR FILTERS! This is the most important maintenance item that directly affects the life of your equipment, not to mention the efficiency of the unit. A dirty filter causes pressures to be outside of the unit's design. This causes the compressor to work harder. High pressures and low suction lead to premature compressor failure and valve failures. A $10 filter can extend a unit's life by years! You should have your unit condesate pan condensate yearly for corrosion and clogs. The outside loop piping should not require any maintenance. The freeze protection solution installed in the piping should be good for the life of the loop on a closed loop system. Any unit we install comes with a 1 year warrenty and warranty units have a 10 year parts AND labor warrenty.warranty At the 2 to 3 year mark we recommend having Camblin Mechanical Inc. check the loop pressure and pressure drops. An annual checkup is recommended thereafter just to keep in touch. Please call to set up this visit for your unit. We'd like to see you again and say hello! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What enhancements do we recommend for your system? Geothermal technology is by far the best investment for you, the best for the environment, and the best for the country. 1. The enhancement that matches perfectly with your new heat pump is insulation. Whether you are building new or retrofitting your existing house, this item will increase your savings and comfort. 2. A properly designed system will cover your heating 80% to 95% of the time. If there is a sudden surge of demand, such as doors or windows left open, the backup heat may come on to get the space back to comfort level. 3. We believe in high efficieny efficiency, both single and two speed. Standard heat pumps have single speed compressors. This type of unit performs well and saves the homeowner thousands of dollars through the life of the unit. But now imagine that you own a car with an eight-cylinder engine in it, and if you could drive the same car on five cylinders, you would save money, right? This is what a two-speed heat pump does. A four-ton, two-speed heat pump would operate 75% to 85% of the time on 2.5 to 3 tons! This unit would significantly increase your savings. On the average the additional cost to install a two-speed unit has a 4-year payback. This payback will begin as you pay off the base unit! Two-speed technology pays and pays. In the low speed you use less energy, get more dehumidification, and make the unit work less. It's perfect! 4. Please request a unit that uses environmentally friendly R410-A refrigerant. This alternative refrigerant is chlorine-free and zero ozone depleting and has a higher efficiency. 5. We can install a heat pump to be used with your existing furnace. This is called a dual fuel system. This may also qualify you for a dual fuel rate from your power supplier. 6. If at all possible, convert your whole house to electric. Most power companies will allow one gas backup heat source. This does not include a furnace. Fireplaces and gas stoves are a couple of examples. By converting to all electric, you should qualify for a all electric rate for winter. 7. Make sure to apply for all rebates from your utlility utility. If you don't know what rebates are available, feel free to call us for details. Let us help you start your journey! 8. Your home, make it air tight and ventilate it right by installing an energy recovery unit in your house! Every structure needs fresh air introduced into the space. Years ago houses were not built to the tough standards of today. Fresh air migrated into the house through doors and windows. It was generally accepted that this air was enough to avoid the "sick house" syndrome. As we began to realize the wasted energy from this process, houses began to be sealed up. Although this makes your house very efficient, it also makes fresh air a must as part of the installation process. 9. Be very cautious when it comes to fireplaces. Most fireplaces, whether gas or wood fired, draw combustion air from the living space. If your house is air tight, there will be no fresh air coming in the house to replace this combustion air. The industry has begun to manufacture fireplaces that draw combustion air from the outside. This is the best solution. Be cautious of "ventlessvent less fireplacesor fireplaces or other "vent less" product. We do recommend reccomend using these products. Fireplaces are for looks only and should not be part of your homes heat system. Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What are our qualifications? After all of the hype I have created by demanding your geothermal be installed correctly, you probably want to know why you should use Camblin Mechanical Inc., right? Well the answer is easier than you think-----we're good!!! We have worked commercially since 1995 in the geothermal market and continue to please engineers, architects, and commercial owners. When you work on this technology commercially, you are constantly under the scrutiny of these professionals. We learned very early that this technology is installation sensitive and you can not cut corners-no matter what anybody says! Our design engineers watched every step of our installation and liked what they saw! This gives you an edge when it comes to special installations. We began applying the same principles to residential installations in 2001 and we would be happy to make your house our next masterpiece! No matter if it is 1-1/2 ton or 150 tons, the basic principles are the same, and we know how to use these principles on your project! We have IGSHPA-certified installers. IGSHPA stands for the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association. We also have polyethylene-fusion certified installers on staff. This is the ONLY APPROVED method of underground pipe connection for geothermal. Others may say these certifications don't matter or are not required, but I assure you, they say this because they DON'T HAVE THEM! The last thing you want is a leak in your system or a ground loop installed improperly that doesn't work! Please let us put our training to work for you! The efficiency margins do not allow for error! Your energy savings depend on it!! We have WaterFurnace, Climate Master, Carrier, and GEO Excel-certified installer/trouble shooters on staff. This is an equipment-specific training course offered by vendor vender. We have a list of references for you to call. Please call and we'll give them to you! We even have some installations in the area that you can visit. Let us make you comfortable! Please click on our resume button. Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email. What do you recommend for financing? Financing is a big issue with geothermal. Many say that they would use geothermal, if they could afford it. In fact affordability is not the issue, because the system will pay for itself in time. The real issue is finding the financing so you can take advantage of low heating and cooling costs. If you are building a new home, the extra money required to go beyond a standard heating and cooling system adds only a few extra dollars to your payment. Normally the heat pump will more than pay for this additional expense. Please remember the word "BEYOND" means the additional cost over and above the cost of a quality conventional system. We hope that you will always compare geothermal to quality standard equipment. Comparing lower quality equipment makes this technology seem out of reach. Installing lower quality equipment will not get you the return you deserve on your hard-earned dollar! In remodels many power companies, including Mid American, IES,and REC's offer low interest loans specifically for heating and cooling upgrades. And yes, the interest may be tax deductible. Many banks consider geothermal upgrades an investment in your home and will work with you whenever possible. Almost all power companies offer rebates for geothermal loops and equipment. Remember that this technology benefits them as well as you! We have most of the rebate programs on file as well as financing information from the power companies. Please remember that technology is your best investment. Single speed, two speed, Water Furnace or other brands, anyway you get it, it pays. We pride ourselves on working the numbers to get a system in your budget. One thing you should remember, "You get back what you spend" i.e., cheap unit, low return, expensive unit, high return. Please call for details. We want to help you save money. Please stay tuned as the 2006 and 2007 tax incentives and rebates come out! Let's talk! Call 712-243-1535 and ask for Andy or send an email.
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