Ground Loops in The Hudson Valley, New York, Geothermal Applications

You’ve finally gotten, or are considering getting, a a new heating and cooling system. Maybe you’re considering a new Geothermal HVAC. Whatever the situation, you very likely want to know a little more about how one works.

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

Ground loops are essentially just a series of pipes buried in the earth. Several basic types of geothermal loop systems are used for heating and cooling commercial or residential buildings.

Antifreeze fluid goes through plastic pipes to transfer heat quickly and efficiently down to a heat pump in the house.

There exist four different types of loops: Open Loop, Pond Loop, Horizontal Loop and Vertical Loop. These are divvied up into two categories categories: either they’re open loop systems or closed loop systems. The right system for you is dependent on the structure and its surroundings. Household systems mostly use vertical or horizontal loops.

Below are additional details on each type of ground loop.

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

Vertical ground loops are the most common type used residentially because, unlike horizontal loops, they don’t take up a lot of space. They’re set in place by drilling small-diameter holes in the ground that extend 100-400 feet deep. Then pipes are driven into the holes and connected below the ground to form the vertical loop. Next, additional 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 takes up much more space but is actually not as pricey considering it uses 2 straight pipes set 6 inches in the earth over an area of ¼ to ¾ acre.

In order to install a pond loop system, you obviously must be near a pond, lake, pond, or well. Coils are installed vertically and fastened to the bottom of the water source. Water is then conveyed through more pipes belowground to a pump, where the heat is pulled out and cool water is put back into the pond. That said, in order for this system to work, the water can not 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 an ample source of groundwater, a well or a pond, for instance. From there, it directly pumps water into the heat pump unit for use in heating and cooling your house or other structure.

Used water is taken care of in one of two ways: through surface drainage or water re-injection. In returning the water back to the earth, it’s worth mentioning that there’s no pollution. The only difference in water that’s processed through a geothermal heat pump is a modest change in temperature.