How Geothermal Works
Geothermal heat pumps are the most efficient way to heat and cool your home. These appliances actually pump heat into your home during the heating season, and out of your home during the cooling season, using technology similar to your average refrigerator.
By utilizing underground piping buried under the earth, Heat Pumps have an infinite source of energy. This energy is pumped into your home in the heating season, and pumped back into the earth in the cooling season where it is stored. The earth has a near constant temperature at depths below 20 feet, so unlike air source heat pumps, the system will have consistent temperatures and capacities.
Case studies have shown incredible savings versus even the highest efficiency furnaces and air conditioning systems. The reason? Fluctuating fuel costs . . . With the cost of fuels spiraling out of control, geothermal heat pumps look better and better each day. They allow greater savings and comfort in almost all applications.
Geothermal Ground Loop Types
(1) Horizontal Loop - these loops are common for applications where substantial land is available. Pipes are buried at 5' - 7' depths in trenches ranging from 100' to 300' in length. Typically one pipe or circuit is used for every ton of equipment. Sometimes the circuits are placed side by side, and other times they are spread apart by as much as 10'. The trenches are covered with the soil that was removed during digging, and will settle around the ground loop. These systems are typically a more economical type of ground loop, as the equipment required is common and readily available.
(2) Vertical Loop - these loops are common for applications where land is limited. Pipes are buried in drilled holes, with hole depths ranging from 150' to over 400'. Typically one pipe or circuit is used for every ton of equipment. These systems require a minimum of 15' spacing between bore-holes, and 20' is recommended. The holes are sometimes filled with a special grout to ensure pollutants do not enter the hole (and water table) and to ensure that there is good contact between the pipe and the earth. These systems are typically more efficient (approx 10%) than horizontal loops due to the more constant temperature of the earth at greater depths.
(3) Open Loop - commonly referred to as "Pump & Dump" systems, open loops use water from a well or pond as the source of energy. The installation cost is typically the lowest with open loop systems, as there is no need for piping (horizontal or vertical loops) to be installed in the earth. In certain conditions, open loop systems are the most efficient means of geothermal heating, since they take the heat energy directly from the earth with no tubing or piping in between. Most areas will require a CurpoNickel heat exchanger and filters to prevent sediment from entering and potentially damaging the heat pump.
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