What is a geothermal HVAC?
A geothermal HVAC system taps the power of earth to cool or heat houses. No matter where you are located, thesesystems can harness this renewable andsustainable fuel source. These devices have been around since 1940s. The best thing about this system is that they can use the constant temperature of the underground. This renders the system an efficiency of 300% to 600% on the chilly winter nights vis-a-vis 175% to 250% of an air-source HVAC system on cool days.Although the temperature above the ground fluctuates from sub-zero to scorching high with seasonal changes, the temperature under the ground remains constant. As in a cave, temperature under the ground is warmer than the surface air in winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The Geothermal HVAC taps this wonderful source of and gives it out through anexchanger. Installing heat pump is quite a hefty capital investment. But it is worth as the costwill be offset by energy savings in 5 to 10 years. These are highly durable system lasting for almost 25 to 50 years.
What are the types of heat pumps?
TheHVAC can be broadly divided into two categories- Closed loop and Open loop. In the closed loop a tube containing non-freezingliquid is placed in deep wells. The liquid in the tube absorbs the heat from underground and gives it outto the refrigerant in the HVAC system through a heat exchanger. This heat id circulatedto heat up the house.
Another variant of aclosed loop heat pump is the direct system. This does not need a heat exchanger. It pumps the refrigerant through copper tubing that is buried in the ground. These systems need large compressors. They work best in moist soils. So you will need additional irrigation to keep the soil moist. Also you should see that the copper tubes are not beingcorroded by soil. In closed loop system there are three types of geothermal HVACs. They are horizontal vertical and pond /lake system.
In open loop system, the water is taken from the ground or surface water (pond, lake, etc.), circulated to the individual heat pumps. Here the heat is drawn from the sourcethrough an exchanger. The water is thereafter returned to the ground via a disposal well or to the lake or pond.
Horizontal HVACs
Horizontal HVACs are quite cost effective. They are suitable for residential use. They are mostly installed for new constructionswherethere is sufficient land to place one. They usually have a pair ofpipes one buried at six feet, and the other at four feet. In some cases both can stand adjacent to each other at five feet in the ground in a two-foot wide trench.
Sections Coming:
• Vertical Systems
• Pond Lake Systems
• Hybrid Systems