LESLIE: Wendy in Michigan has some questions about heating. I bet it’s chilly up there. So good question.
WENDY: Yes, it sure is. We’re about four miles from Lake Michigan and it’s really cold here.
TOM: Oh, boy.
WENDY: I do have a question for you regarding geothermal heating and the maintenance of it.
TOM: OK.
WENDY: Could you tell us how reliable they are? We’ve had this home for about two years …
TOM: Mm-hmm.
WENDY: … and it just seems to be working like a dream. It’s very inexpensive. We don’t have to take care of that air conditioning evaporator unit outside.
TOM: Right.
WENDY: But we are wondering if there should be a special filtering system or how we maintain – we’re worried about the water coming out of the ground into the furnace. How do we keep that clean?
TOM: Well, first of all, geothermal systems are great when they don’t break down and when the coil does not break down that’s underground. That’s the only concern I have on them. Once they’re installed, they work very, very well and, as you have experienced, they don’t cost a whole lot of money in energy bills.
Now, in terms of the maintenance, I would only tell you, at this point, to make sure that you have it serviced twice a year by a service contractor that’s very experienced with geothermal. Other than that, I wouldn’t worry about it because the hard part is done. It’s already installed. So I would just maintain it and continue to enjoy it.
WENDY: OK, well thank you so very much.
TOM: You’re welcome, Wendy. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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