1708.1 General — 2025 California Mechanical Code

The following requirements shall be verified prior to system start-up:

(1) Piping shall be cleaned, flushed, and purged.

(2) The ground-heat exchanger and building piping shall be cleaned, flushed, and, where required, shall be filled with the heat transfer fluid medium. The ground loop system shall be tested at the design flow rate(s) and differential pressure(s) recorded. Where the actual pressure change at design flow is more than +/- 10 percent of the design flow pressure drop, the cause shall be identified and corrective action taken.

(3) A method for the removal of air and a method for adding heat transfer fluid (where necessary) shall be provided.

(4) The heat pumps shall be operational and adjustments shall be made in accordance with the manufacturer’s

installation instructions.

(5) All necessary additional flow tests of the ground-heat exchanger shall be completed prior to heat pump start-up.

(6) Ground-heat exchanger and building piping, valves, and operating controls, shall be set, adjusted, and operating as required.

(7) The system shall be labeled at the loop charging valves with a permanent-type label, indicating the type of heat transfer fluid used. Where antifreeze is used, the labels shall indicate the antifreeze type and concentration.

(8) Supply and return lines, as well as associated isolation valves from individual boreholes or water wells, shall be identified and tagged.

(9) Supply and return lines on submerged systems shall be identified in an approved manner, at the point of entry to a surface water resource.

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