What is a geothermal heat pump?

How is heat transferred between the earth, air or water into the home?

Does the ground collector system really work?

What is a ground collector system?

Where can this ground collector be located?

How deep and long will my trenches be?

How many pipes are in a trench?

How long will the loop pipe last?

How are the pipe sections of the loop joined?

Will an earth loop affect my lawn or landscape?

Can I reclaim heat from my septic system disposal field?

If the loop falls below freezing, will it hurt the system?

I have a pond near my home. Can I put a loop in it?

What is an open loop system?

What do I do with the discharge water?

How much groundwater does an open loop system need?

Does an open loop system cause environmental damage?

Can a geothermal heat pump also heat water for my home?

Do I need to increase the size of my electric service?

Simple put, a Heat Pump is a device that extracts energy from under the ground, lakes, rivers, and vertically drilled wells or from the air, to heat water. Although driven by electricity, it is extremely efficient in the way it heats water – the most efficient of these pumps return nearly 5 times the energy output in relationship to energy input.

The earth has the ability to absorb and store heat energy. At a metre depth the temperature of the earth is approximately 6° Centigrade all year long. To use that stored energy, heat is extracted from the earth through a liquid medium (groundwater or an anti freeze solution), which is then pumped, to the heat pump or heat exchanger from the “ground collector,” buried underground. The liquid medium at 6°C heats a gas, which is then compressed to raise its temperature. The exchanger transfers the heat from the gas to the water that will eventually circulate through the underfloor piping to heat your home. The maximum water temperature achievable from low temperature Heat Pumps is approximately 55°C, although no more than 35° - 40°C will be required to provide the heating. Running the Heat Pump at lower temperatures will result in lower operating costs.

Similarly, it is also possible to extract heat energy from the air, rivers, lakes and vertically drilled wells.

The buried pipe, or "ground collector," is the most recent technical advancement in heat pump technology. The idea to bury pipe in the ground to gather heat energy began in the 1940s. But it's only been in the last few years that new heat pump designs and improved pipe materials have been combined to make geothermal heat pumps the most efficient heating and cooling systems available.

The term "ground collector" is used to describe a geothermal heat pump system that uses a continuous loop of special buried plastic pipe as a heat exchanger. The pipe is connected to the indoor heat pump to form a sealed, underground loop through which an antifreeze solution is circulated. Unlike an open loop system that consumes water from a well, a closed loop system re-circulates its heat transferring solution in pressurized pipe.

That depends on land availability and terrain. Most ground collectors are trenched horizontally adjacent to the home. But any area near a home or business with appropriate soil conditions and adequate square footage will work.

Trenches are normally one metre deep, one metre wide and one metre apart. The amount of piping depends on the size of the building to be heated – the software we use determines the optimum length of pipe required. One of the advantages of a horizontal loop system is being able to lay the trenches according to the shape of the land.

Each client’s heating requirements are unique to the design of the building they intend constructing. Our software will calculate the exact amount required.

Ground collector systems should only be installed using high-density polyethylene or polybutylene pipe. Properly installed, these pipes will last 25-75 years. They are inert to chemicals normally found in soil and have good heat conducting properties. PVC pipe should not be used under any circumstances.

The only acceptable method to connect pipe sections is by thermal fusion. Pipe connections are heated and fused together to form a joint stronger than the original pipe. Mechanical joining of pipe for an earth loop is never an accepted practice. The use of barbed fittings, clamps and glued joints is certain to result in loop failure due to leaks.

No. Research has proven that loops have no adverse effect on grass, trees or shrubs. Vertical loops require little space and result in minimal lawn damage.

No. An earth loop will reach temperatures below freezing during extreme conditions and may freeze your septic system.

No. The antifreeze solution, methanol, in the loop will keep it from freezing down to about -16° Centigrade.

It depends on the depth, volume of water and flow rate – our technical people can advise you this.

The term "open loop" is commonly used to describe a geothermal heat pump system that uses groundwater from a conventional well as a heat source. The groundwater is pumped into the heat pump unit where heat is extracted, and then the water is disposed of in an appropriate manner. Since groundwater is a relatively constant temperature year round, it is an excellent heat source.

There are a number of ways to dispose of water after it has passed through the heat pump. The open discharge method is the easiest and least expensive. Open discharge simply involves releasing the water into a stream, river, lake, pond, ditch or drainage tile. Obviously, one of these alternatives must be readily available and must possess the capacity to accept the amount of water used by the heat pump before open discharge is feasible.

A second means of water discharge is the return well. A return well is a second well bore that returns the water to the ground aquifer. A return well must have enough capacity to dispose of the water passed through the heat pump. A new return well should be installed by a qualified well driller. Likewise, a professional should test the capacity of an existing well before it is used as a return.

Geothermal heat pumps used in open loop systems need differing amounts of water depending on the size of the unit and the manufacturer's specifications. The water requirement of a specific model is usually expressed in gallons per minute (g.p.m.) and is listed in the specifications for that unit. We will able to provide this information.

No. They are pollution free. The heat pump merely removes heat from or adds heat to the water. No pollutants are added whatsoever. The only change in the water returned to the environment is a slight increase or decrease in temperature.

Yes. We supply and install high temperature Heat Pumps. Please ask one of our technical representatives for information.

Your electricity supplier or contractor will be able to determine your service needs in relation to the size of Heat Pump you intend to use.