Sample project
Four tons, three bores, line by line.
This is a sample, not a past job. It shows how a quote reads for a 2,800-square-foot lake-view home that heated with propane.
Loop: vertical, closed
Three bores, each 250 feet deep, 750 feet in all, drilled by Fischer Drilling. Pipe is heat-fused polyethylene, pressure-tested before it is grouted.
Heat pump: 4 tons
A variable-speed unit in the mechanical room, with its pump, buffer tank and controls.
Distribution
The existing upstairs ducts, sealed and rebalanced. New tubing in the lower-level floor.
Removal
The old propane furnace is disconnected and removed. The tank is emptied and left for the supplier to collect.
Permits
Mechanical, electrical and the drilling permit. Each is its own line.
Restoration
Bore pads regraded and topsoil spread. Seed and watering are the owner's.
Not in the quote
A new electrical panel if the house needs one, landscaping beyond the bore pads and any change you ask for after work starts. Each would be a separate written quote.
Reading the numbers
What a ton is, and why the bores are 250 feet.
A ton is 12,000 BTU an hour of heating or cooling. Houses often need between two and five. Bore length comes from the heat loss and what the ground can give.
More heat loss, more tons
A bigger or leakier house needs a bigger heat pump and more loop to feed it.
Poorer soil, longer bores
Dry sand carries heat badly. Wet clay and rock carry it better, and the drill log tells us which we have.
Several short bores
Three bores of 250 feet usually beat one of 750. They are cheaper to drill and spread the load.
Want a sample for your house?
Send the address. After the visit you'll have a quote that reads like this one.