Geothermal - Water Source Heat Pumps

carrier logo3 Carrier Geothermal / Water source Heat Pumps
By JW Wright Wholesale / Representing Carrier Aquazone.

Geothermal Heat Pumps operate in an identical fashion to Water-Source Heat Pump units. However, without the need for a boiler or cooling tower, they save substantial energy costs and space. The water loop system is underground and the units are in the building. Thus, the environmentally friendly geothermal system preserves the architectural design of a building naturally.

How they work
Geothermal heating and cooling systems (also called ground-source heat pumps or GeoExchange SM systems) are heat pumps that collect and transfer heat from the earth through a series of fluid-filled, buried pipes running to a building, where the heat is then concentrated for inside use. Ground-source heat pumps do not create heat through combustion - they simply move heat from one place to another.

Geothermal Earth loops

Earth Loops come in several different configurations depending on space availability and soil properties. Chances are at some point you have either stood over, or walked across a geothermal loop field. Loop fields can be located under parking lots, landscaped areas, or any number of other locations. All earth loops use high-density polyethylene pipe to circulate either water or an antifreeze mixture. All joints and connection fittings are thermally fused to prevent leaks and most piping comes with a 25-year or longer warranty.

Lake Loops
Lake loops utilize a "slinky" assembly of geothermal loop piping placed at the bottom of a pond, lake, or other large body of water. An extremely cost effective loop system, lake loops are an easy alternative if the option is available.

Well (Open Loop) Systems
Most commonly known as "Open Loop", well systems pump water out of a nearby body of water or water well, and then discharge the water into another body of water or water well.

WELL SYSTEMS ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT (UP TO 31 EER) AND ARE COMMONLY USED FOR MOST OF THE COUNTRY.

Vertical loops
Vertical loops utilize bore holes drilled to an average depth of 250 feet. Once the loop pipe is inserted into the bore, it is grouted using a Bentonite mixture for maximum thermal conductivity. When space is a limited, vertical loops are the most common type of geothermal loop installed.