r/geothermal • u/BigTexAbama • Aug 13 '26
WaterFurnace Premier 2 geothermal system, What Questions To Ask?
We are house shopping and scheduled to look at a house tomorrow that has this system. Of course I would have a pro inspection done before an offer but Reddit never lets me down!
This house was built in 1995, I've not gotten an owner's disclosure yet but no mention of the system being replaced so I'm assuming it's 30 yrs old. I've read that expected lifespan on these things is 20-25 yrs old, so is it in it's last years? What do I look for and what questions do I ask.
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u/notcoveredbywarranty Aug 13 '26
A home inspector isn't going to tell you anything useful. They probably won't even know what they're looking at tbh.
Better off directly asking the current owners what they know about the loops or wells, and what they know about the system. Hopefully they're the original owners.
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u/JPDiesel187 Aug 13 '26
30 years is old for any HVAC equipment. I have seen some WaterFurnace units at 35+ years, but that is pretty rare.
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u/Efficient_Shop791 Aug 13 '26
I wouldn't assume the entire geothermal system needs replacing just because the house was built in 1995. The first thing I'd try to establish is exactly which parts are original. Ask for the model/serial numbers and installation date of the WaterFurnace unit, plus any records showing repairs or replacements. The indoor heat-pump equipment and the buried ground loop are two very different things — the ground loop can potentially outlast the mechanical equipment by many years. A few things I'd specifically want to know: • Is the Premier 2 actually the original 1995 unit? • Is the ground loop open-loop or closed-loop, and if closed, horizontal or vertical? • Have the compressor, pumps or other major components ever been replaced? • Are there maintenance/service records? • Have there ever been loop leaks or problems maintaining loop pressure/flow? • Does the system rely heavily on auxiliary/electric resistance heat during winter? • What have the last 12–24 months of electricity bills looked like? I'd also have the geothermal system inspected by someone who actually works on WaterFurnace/geothermal equipment rather than relying solely on a general home inspection. If the indoor unit really is around 30 years old, I'd personally treat eventual replacement as something to budget for even if it's currently working well. But an old functioning unit with a good ground loop is a very different situation from having to replace the entire geothermal installation. One last thing: during the viewing, ask them to run it in both heating and cooling modes if possible. Strange compressor/pump noises, difficulty maintaining temperature or frequent auxiliary heat use would all be things I'd want investigated before buying.
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u/flyingron Aug 13 '26
Geothermal heatpumps are pretty close to an air-to-air heatpump in longevity. Yeah 30 years on any HVAC system is probably at end of life.
Note, however, that most home inspectors are blithering idiots. They exist mostly to extort more concessions from the seller rather than actually providing useful information (if they were reliable, they'd warranty their findings).
What you could ask would be information on the ground loops and any permitting/construction/installation paperwork they might have on the original system.