Ground Loops in Defiance, Ohio, Geothermal Applications

You’ve just gotten or are looking into buying a a new heating and cooling system. Maybe you’re considering a new Geothermal HVAC. If so, you undoubtedly want to know a little bit more about how geothermal works.

Geothermal HVACs take consistent temperature from the ground to deliver hot or cool air to your home’s interior. This works because of an underground system called a geothermal ground loop.

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

It works when antifreeze fluid flows through the pipes to transfer heat quickly and efficiently to a heat pump in your house.

There are four different types of ground 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 best system for your home is determined by the specific building and its surroundings. Household systems primarily use vertical or horizontal loops.

Below are further explanations of each kind of ground loop.

Closed systems, which encompass 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 take up a significant amount of space. They’re positioned by drilling tight-diameter holes in the ground to a depth of 100-400 feet. Then pipes are driven into the holes and connected under 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.

In comparison with a vertical loop system, a horizontal system requires a lot more space but is usually not as costly since it uses 2 straight pipes placed 6 inches in the earth in an area of ¼ to ¾ acre.

In order to make use of a pond loop system, you plainly must be close to a pond, lake, pond, or well. Coils are installed vertically and fastened to the bottom of the water source. Water is then transferred through more pipes beneath the earth to a pump, where the heat is pulled out and cool water is reintroduced to the pond. Still, in order for this system to work, the water can never be be acidic or else pipes will corrode and filters will need replacing often.

The major difference between open and closed looped systems is the open loop’s need for a plentiful source of groundwater, like a well or pond. From there, it directly pumps water into the heat pump unit to be used in heating and cooling your house or other structure.

Used water is disposed of in one of two ways: 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 a minute change in temperature.