Dennis is a Geothermal Surgeon
About 12 years ago we had a ClimateMaster geothermal furnace installed in a new build. In 2021 the unit was low on refrigerant (locked out with an error: low air coil temp - i could see ice on the air coil in A/C mode) so there was likely a small leak somewhere. The installers got acquired and abandoned geothermal systems servicing so I got a hold of one local "geothermal expert" to come in to take a look. He came in with no gauges, just a tank of R410A refrigerant, connected it to the port and cranked it. The compressor was flooded and was not happy - it was extremely loud and blaring. He then proceeded to tell me my compressor was dead and said he needed to order a new one to replace it. For a geo expert to come in with no measurement equipment and for him to declare the compressor dead without measuring across the compressor's 3 windings first I knew something was not right - even if we replaced the compressor (for $thousands!) the underlying cause of compressor failure would still cause a subsequent failure on the replaced compressor as he didn't do ANY root cause analysis).
I called another company and they came in, and did things properly but could not locate the leak. They said it was most likely the water coil (refrigerant leaking into the water coil heat exchanger). Since the unit was working, it was obviously not the compressor (as the prior geo 'expert' claimed).
2023 snowstorm and power outage at Xmas time comes and the system stopped again. The refrigerant was low and we had a low water temp error on the thermostat. Called the company in and sure enough low refrigerant. He attempted to pump in more refrigerant but identified a large hissing sound coming from the water coil. There was a large rusted out hole there. The company did not want to replace the water coil (a big job) so suggested a whole geo furnace replacement. Big $$$ ($25-30k!). It was understandable that they did not want to attempt such a large job.
I called around, and found a couple of guys willing to take a look. Dennis from Polar Bear was one. Dennis' company, Polar Bear, manufactures geothermal units. He came by to take a look and quickly gave two options: A whole new system, or he could repair it. Dennis sounded like he knew what he was talking about and so we went with the repair.
There were a couple of delays before Dennis could come because of things outside of his control (weather, closed highways etc.), but Dennis was always sure to communicate with me clearly and ahead of time so I could rework my schedule. On the first day, Dennis removed the damaged water coil, brought very heavy water coils, took the time to insulate them very well and brazed them together. Because the cabinet was too small to house the larger coils he placed them on top of the cabinet. After spending the equivalent of 2 days, brazing, replacing filter dryers, and insulating, he pressure tested with Nitrogen and then put the system under a vacuum. The vacuum was excellent and he refilled the refrigerant as he carefully watched his gauges. He explained what he was doing every step of the way and documented the amount of refrigerant in my geo furnace to bring it to optimal. He then replaced the POE oil that was lost during the leak and loosened up the spring mounts to the compressor (which the installers failed to do!). The compressor is running quieter than ever before!
Finally we fired up the unit and it now works again!
Dennis is an honest, hard working individual that is one of the very few geothermal / water source heat pump specialists around. No one else dared touch our repair as it was akin to "open heart surgery", but Dennis stepped up and loves the problem solving. I also learned a lot as I looked over his shoulder as he worked as he explained every step of what he was doing.
Pro tip 1: If a so-called HVAC specialist works on anything with a compressor in it and blames the compressor first, run like the wind.
Pro tip 2: If a so-called HVAC specialist shows up with no gauges, no measurement equipment and only a tank of refrigerant and a hose. DO NOT LET THEM START. We were lucky that the first so-called geo expert didn't destroy our compressor.
Pro tip 3: Dennis is an older gentleman, and so if you assist him in some tasks like helping him carry equipment it'll make the job that much faster, and he'll appreciate it. If I had known about his expertise I would have purchased his Polar Bear system 12 years ago. If you learn about water source heat pumps a little bit before you interface with Dennis it will go a long way in understanding what Dennis is doing every step of the way and appreciate the complexity he has to deal with on a daily basis. I have read some reviews on Homestars that he is a very direct communicator and can be abrupt. On the contrary, I appreciate his candour and passion for geothermal science and he is happy to teach about what he is doing. He is a very in demand expert (he gets many phone calls), so having patience before he shows up is recommended. Once he starts the job he is determined to finish the job right.
Dennis is highly recommended! No one was willing to solve our issue, but Dennis stepped up and did so in a big way.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,000.00