Geothermal is the most efficient heating and cooling on the planet - one unit, no outdoor compressor, no gas bill, no flame, and operating costs 40-70% below a high-efficiency furnace. It's also the most misunderstood system on the market. You're in the right place. Polley's Perfect Seasons has been designing, installing, and servicing geothermal across central Indiana since the mid-90s - back when WaterFurnace was the only game in town.
Common problems
Common geothermal problems we fix
Tap the symptom you're seeing for the real cause and the typical fix.
Loop not pulling heat
Aux electric running constantly in winter.
Antifreeze leak / glycol smell
Sweet smell or wet spots near the unit.
High electric bill suddenly
Geo bill doubled but weather's the same.
Loud or vibrating unit
New rumble, hum, or rattle indoors.
Frequent lockouts
System keeps faulting on high pressure.
20+ year old system
WaterFurnace, ClimateMaster, or Bosch from the 90s/00s.
Tap a problem for the fix
How geothermal actually works in Indiana
A geothermal (or "ground-source") heat pump uses the constant 54-56°F temperature of the earth a few feet below your yard as its heat source in winter and heat sink in summer. A buried loop of HDPE pipe filled with a water/propylene-glycol mix exchanges heat with the ground; the indoor heat pump concentrates that energy and delivers it through your existing ductwork. Because the ground is far warmer than 5°F winter air, geo delivers 3.5 to 5.5 units of heat for every unit of electricity (COP) - even on the coldest Hendricks County night. An air-source heat pump on that same night might be running at a COP of 1.8.
Three loop types - and which fits your Indiana lot
Horizontal closed loops are trenched 5-6 feet deep across an open area - ideal for the larger lots common in rural Plainfield, Mooresville, Danville, and Stilesville. Cheapest to install if you have the space (typically 1/4 to 1/2 acre per ton).
Vertical closed loops use 200-400 foot boreholes - the only practical option for tighter Avon and Brownsburg subdivision lots. More expensive per ton but the drilling footprint is tiny and the loop never sees seasonal soil-temp swings.
Pond loops drop coils into a body of water at least 8 feet deep and 1/2 acre - the cheapest installation of all when a homeowner has a pond on the property, which is more common in western Hendricks and northern Morgan County than people think.
How it works
How a geothermal project goes
Whether it's a no-heat repair on an existing loop or a brand-new install, here's the playbook.
- 1
1. Honest geo screening
Not every Indiana home is a fit. Free phone screen - lot size, soil, existing ductwork, electrical service - before we ever roll a truck.
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2. Manual J + loop design
We size the heat pump to actual heat loss, then size the loop to your soil's thermal conductivity. No back-of-napkin tonnage.
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3. Drill, lay, commission
Partnered drillers for vertical bores, in-house excavation for horizontal loops and pond loops. Full pressure test, flow verification, and 30-year loop warranty.
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4. 12-year equipment + 30-year loop
Equipment carries our 12-year parts and labor guarantee. Ground loops carry a 30-year manufacturer warranty. Most geo systems we install in 1998 are still running.
Geo system down or shopping a new install?
30 years of Indiana ground-source experience. Honest economics. No-pressure quote.
Geothermal repair on every brand
We service every major ground-source brand installed in central Indiana over the last three decades - WaterFurnace (Envision, Series 5, Series 7), ClimateMaster (Tranquility 22, 27, and 30), Bosch (Greensource and SM), Bryant/Carrier GT-PX, Trane, and the older Hydron Module and FHP units still running in Hendricks County farmhouses. Our trucks carry the diagnostic tools specific to geo: flow meters, glycol refractometers, loop pressure gauges, and the right brazing kit for coaxial heat exchangers. We don't farm geo calls out to "the geo guy" - it's standard work for our team.
Real Indiana geothermal economics
On a typical 2,400 sq ft Plainfield home, a 4-ton geothermal system installed runs $24,000-$38,000 depending on loop type and ductwork modifications. Subtract the 30% federal tax credit and you're at roughly $17,000-$27,000 net. Compared to a $10,000 high-efficiency furnace plus $7,500 AC replacement (which only handle the two seasons and still leave a gas bill), the lifecycle math gets real interesting at year 7-10. Add the elimination of your gas bill and the geo system pays itself off and continues delivering 25+ years of near-free heating and cooling.
The honest answer on hybrid geo
For larger Indiana homes (4,000+ sq ft) or extremely cold-snap-prone designs, a hybrid geothermal setup pairs a smaller geo loop with a gas furnace backup. You get the bulk of the efficiency savings without sizing a loop for the coldest 1% of hours. It's not always the right answer - but when it is, we'll tell you straight.
Service area
Geothermal across Hendricks County
Pick your town for the loop type we usually recommend and the local lot considerations we work around.
Plainfield
Larger lots in Eastern Hendricks make horizontal loops practical and cheap.
View Plainfield Geothermal ServiceAvon
Newer Avon subdivisions on tight lots - vertical bore is the standard play.
View Avon Geothermal ServiceBrownsburg
Brownsburg's clay soil holds heat well - excellent COP year-round.
View Brownsburg Geothermal ServiceMooresville
Rural Morgan County acreage is ideal for horizontal loops or pond loops.
View Mooresville Geothermal ServiceDanville
Danville's older farmhouses benefit most from geo retrofits.
View Danville Geothermal ServiceClayton
Stilesville, Belleville, and Monrovia geo service and installs.
View Clayton Geothermal ServiceCamby
Decatur Township geothermal - service and new installs.
View Camby Geothermal ServiceClermont
Indy Northwest geo repair without the long travel charge.
View Clermont Geothermal ServiceGeo system down or thinking about a new install? Call (317) 649-8749 and we'll get you a real answer fast. Or compare to air-source heat pumps, high-efficiency furnaces, or the full heating services lineup.
