Ground Loops in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Geothermal Applications

You’ve got to have a new heating and cooling system. Maybe you’re weighing the advantages of a new Geothermal HVAC. Whatever the circumstances, you very likely want to know a bit more about how geothermal works.

Geothermal HVACs variously cool and heat your home by extracting ground temperature. This can be done because of an underground system called a geothermal ground loop.

Ground loops are essentially just a series of pipes buried in the earth. Several basic sorts of these systems are used for heating and cooling typical residential and commercial]26] buildings.

It works when antifreeze fluid goes through these plastic pipes to move heat quickly and efficiently up to a heat pump in your home.

Typically used are four different kinds of geothermal ground loops: Open Loop, Pond Loop, Horizontal Loop and Vertical Loop. These are divvied up into two categories categories: either they’re open loop systems or closed loop systems. The appropriate system for you is contingent on the structure and its environment. Home systems mostly use vertical or horizontal loops.

Below are additional details on each sort of ground loop.

Closed systems, which consist of vertical, horizontal, and pond loops, continuously push water through them.

Vertical ground loops are the most common type used residentially because, unlike horizontal loops, they don’t require a significant amount of space. They’re set in place by drilling small holes in the ground that extend 100-400 feet deep. Then pipes are driven into the holes and connected below ground to form the vertical loop. Next, extra pipes are attached that convey fluid to the indoor system to transfer the necessary temperature from the ground.

When compared to a vertical loop system a horizontal system has to have a lot more space but is typically less expensive since it uses only 2 straight pipes placed 6 inches in the ground within an area of ¼ to ¾ acre.

In order to make use of a pond loop system, you plainly must be near a pond, lake, pond, or well. Coils are installed vertically and fastened to the bottom of the water source. Water is then conveyed through more pipes beneath the earth to a pump, where the heat is pulled out and cool water is returned to the pond. However, in order for this system to work, the water can in no way be be acidic or else pipes will erode and filters will need to be replaced often.

The big difference between open and closed looped systems is the open loop’s need for a sufficient source of groundwater, a well or a pond, for instance. From there, it directly pumps water into the heat pump unit for use in heating and cooling your dwelling or other structure.

There are two ways to take care of used water: through surface drainage or water re-injection. In returning the water back to the earth, it must be pointed out that there’s no pollution. The only difference in water that’s processed through a geothermal heat pump is an insignificant change in temperature.