Ground Loops in Burlington, North Carolina, Geothermal Applications

You’ve just gotten or are thinking about purchasing a a new heating and cooling system. Maybe you’re weighing the advantages of a new Geothermal HVAC. Whatever the case, you undoubtedly want to know a little bit more about how geothermal works.

Geothermal HVACs take consistent temperature from the ground to put hot or cool air into your home. This can be done because of an underground system called a geothermal ground loop.

Ground loops are pretty much just a system of pipes buried in the ground. Various basic sorts of geothermal loop systems are used for heating and cooling conventional residential and commercial]26] buildings.

Antifreeze fluid goes through the pipes to transfer heat fast and efficiently to a heat pump in the building.

There exist four different kinds of loops: Open Loop, Pond Loop, Horizontal Loop and Vertical Loop. All four fall into one of two categories: either they’re open loop systems or closed loop systems. The appropriate system for your home is determined by the structure and the environment surrounding it. Home systems primarily use vertical or horizontal loops.

Below are additional details on each sort of ground loop.

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

Vertical ground loops are used most often in residences because, unlike horizontal loops, they don’t need a lot of space. They’re positioned by drilling small-diameter holes in the ground that extend 100-400 feet deep. Then pipes are driven into the holes and connected under ground to form the vertical loop. Next, extra pipes are attached that carry 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 usually doesn’t cost as much since it uses 2 straight pipes set 6 inches underground in an area of ¼ to ¾ acre.

If what you want is a pond loop system, you obviously must be close to a pond, lake, pond, or well. Coils are installed vertically and anchored to the bottom of the water source. Water is then moved through more pipes underground to a pump, where the heat is extracted and cool water is put back into the pond. Nevertheless, 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 replacing often.

The essential difference between open and closed looped systems is the open loop’s need for a sufficient source of groundwater, such as a well or pond. 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’s worth noting that there’s no pollution. The only difference in water that’s processed through a geothermal heat pump is a minor change in temperature.