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Moved into a house with a pre-existing geothermal heating. Short version: previous holding company went out of business and has no documents on the house. The builder also went out of business a decade ago.

The geothermal lines are in the backyard, but nobody can figure out if they are in wells or spread out... and I'm afraid to dig in the yard and hit one.

The do not have tracer lines. We called the manufacturer but the serial number was sold to an installer through the builder, and any information is lost there. The city (small city) has no details or maps. The neighbors also have the same issue of moving in and not knowing.

I've heard ground imaging is the only way. Is there no way to tell if they dug wells or if the lines are spread out? I figured the pressure of the pumps would tell us something, but the local installers say they do not know much about that.

How to find the lines (or even if they are in a well or spread out in the yard) for less than something like $800?

jsotola
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Crow
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1 Answers1

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At the point of being a huge hassle (because it involves shutting down the system and removing the fluid or water in the lines, then sealing it up and replacing the fluid) you could disconnect the pipelines in the house and shove a metal fish tape into them as far as possible, then locate that fish tape out in the yard as far as it goes. If there are not sharp elbows, you should be able to shove a tape in 100 feet or more, which would give you some idea. If there are sharp elbows, you'll know where those are to dig them up when you locate the end of the tape, and if it's not a buried well, you can shove the tape in again from that point.

In my area (but possibly not yours) if they drilled wells those should be registered with the state (or possibly a different level of government in your area, or not at all - it varies.) Mind you, if they drilled them in the past 20 years or so, regulations in at least two states around here require the well casing to extend above ground level, too. But that may also vary in your location. Start with finding out if well drillers need a specific license in your area, and if so, that might lead you to the right entity.

Alternatively, go dig with a shovel, not a backhoe or excavator, and don't cut any big black smooth shiny "roots" you encounter.

Ecnerwal
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