Plenty of homeowners here in Defiance, Ohio, have sought Schlatters Plumbing Heating & AC to transform their homes into geothermal homes. Still wary of geothermal heating and cooling yourself? Comprehending something of the science behind it – and the mechanics as well – would likely help.
We’ve mentioned elsewhere the advantages of geothermal heating and cooling. Suffice it to say here that almost no other manner of maintaining apleasant home environment whatever the season are as efficient, dependable, or affordable, especially when you factor in the energy savings.
Here’s how geothermal makes that a reality.
Thar’s Gold Heat in Them Thar Hills!
We mine the earth for precious metals. We drill the earth for oil. Now, as never before, we’re tapping the earth for a commodity no doubt just as valuable to most of us: the energy to heat and cool our homes that doesn’t call for oil.
You see, just below the earth’s crust – that would be in the neighborhood of 33,000 feet under our feet – is a mantle of magma. This is a molten and semi-molten brew, for the most part made up of silicates, in which temperatures range from 1300 degrees Fahrenheit to 2400 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter the deeper you go (not that you’d want to go there!). What this does is keep the ground immediately under the earth’s surface at a relatively consistent year-round temperature of between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Result? Underground temperatures in Defiance (and pretty much everywhere stateside, in any event) are warmer than the ambient air above ground in Winter and cooler than the ambient air above ground in Summer.
Time to Get Pumped!
This, then, is what geothermal heating and cooling systems do: they transfer heat from the ground to your home or heat from your home to the ground, in accordance with the season. Either way, your home’s interior stays at the ideal temperature to keep you and your family happy year-round.
The mechanism that accomplishes the transfer is a geothermal heat pump. It continuously circulates water or some blend (predominantly antifreeze) between your home and loops of piping (predominantly fabricated of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, PVC, or CPVC) buried in the ground. In Winter, the liquid is cold when it enters the ground. As it courses through the loops, it sucks up heat from the earth and is returned to your home warm. In Summer, the process is reversed: warm liquid enters the loops, where it assimilates the cooler ground temperatures before it’s returned to your home. Looking for details? You’ll find more specific information on ground loops here.
The primary point is that geothermal heating and cooling systems don’t produce energy. They’re not like central heating systems, which generate heat themselves. Instead, geothermal systems heat and cool your home by making use of the energy already amply available beneath the earth’s surface. That’s why geothermal systems are not only quieter but also considerably more reliable, need less maintenance, have far longer lifespans, and are more environmentally friendly than old-school HVACs. That’s also why, in the end, you’ll save much more more money by going geothermal.
Curious now? See Schlatters Plumbing Heating & AC, your Defiance geothermal heating and cooling professional, today.