It’s usually one of the biggest concerns of any geothermal system owner: what happens if the ground loop develops a leak? How will I know? How will it be found? And most importantly, does the whole yard need to be dug up to repair a leak in the ground loop? Here are some answers to these questions from the geothermal experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.
Signs You May Have a Leak in the Ground Loop
Ground loops are buried below the frost line in your yard, so these are the kinds of signs you want to be aware of when a leak has developed in the system:
- Puddling in the yard – the solution in the ground loop will makes its way to the surface of your yard, so if you have puddling in strange places for no reason at all, you’ll want to have an expert determine if it is from your geothermal system.
- Performance is dropping – is the performance of your heat pump dropping and the issue isn’t the heat pump itself? Then it’s time to have a geothermal expert check the ground loop.
How a Ground Loop Leak Is Detected
The way technicians detect and determine the location of a ground loop leak is by injecting dye into the ground loop (the dye is completely harmless). It takes a few days for the dye to make its way through the system, but once it does, it will seep into the surrounding ground and show up on the surface. The technician will then look for the location of the dye on the ground, and once it is found, he/she will know exactly where to dig to repair the leak.
Ground loop leaks aren’t very common, but if you do happen to develop one, it’s critical to work with experts who know and understand geothermal systems. The geothermal experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling have years of experience behind them, so call for help for your home in Doylestown, PA today!