Into the Homestretch . . . But Still A Mess

From the Thanks for Asking! Department, we're still in the process of installing the geothermal system, so we're not yet basking in the luxury of indoor cooling -- but we're getting there. Two 350-foot wells have been drilled and a loop of black tubing has been run down each, then grouted into place inside each well. The two open ends of each black tube are now sticking out of each well, ready to be tied into the main system. And as you can see, it's a complete mess:

That gray sludge you see is pulverized bedrock -- which, once it mixed with the bit of water that came out of the ground, has now taken on the consistency of putty. At the moment, walking across this section of our yard is like walking on a waterbed. I've been assured that all this yucky stuff will be scraped off and buried in the trench that will connect the wells with the house.

Speaking of messes, our HVAC crew is doing yeoman's work in removing the old boiler-based system from the house. The 80-year-old boiler -- which was too heavy for me to remove from the basement myself -- has been expertly dismantled and hauled away, and now the 4-year-old replacement boiler has also been disconnected and is waiting to be shipped to the Great Scrap Iron Heap in the Sky:


All that other junk in the background? Also stuff that came out of the boiler room. Yup, it's gross.

The rest of the work is scheduled to be completed early next week, and the system should be fired up by mid-week. I'll keep you posted.