Ground Loops in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Geothermal Applications

You’ve just purchased or are thinking about purchasing a a new heating and cooling system. Maybe you’re considering a new Geothermal HVAC. Whatever the circumstances, you very likely want to know a little more about how geothermal works.

Geothermal HVACs variously cool and heat your home by extracting ground temperature. This can be done because of an underground system called a geothermal ground loop.

Ground loops are basically just a series of pipes buried in the earth. There are a few basic kinds of ground loop systems that can be used for heating and cooling most residential and commercial buildings.

The way it works is, antifreeze fluid travels through these plastic pipes to get heat quickly and efficiently up to a heat pump in the house.

There exist four different types of ground loops: Open Loop, Pond Loop, Horizontal Loop and Vertical Loop. These fall into one of two different categories: either they’re open loop systems or closed loop systems. The appropriate system for your house is contingent on the building and its environment. Household systems typically use vertical or horizontal loops.

Below are further explanations of each kind of ground loop.

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

Vertical ground loops are used most often in residences because, unlike horizontal loops, they don’t need a lot of space. They’re set in place by drilling tight-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, more pipes are attached that channel fluid to the indoor system to transfer the needed temperature from the ground.

When compared to a vertical loop system a horizontal system requires significantly more space but actually costs less since it uses only 2 straight pipes set 6 inches in the earth in an area of ¼ to ¾ acre.

In order to make use of a pond loop system, it should go without saying that you must be near a pond, lake, pond, or well. Coils are installed vertically and
secured to the bottom of the water source. Water is then transferred through more pipes underground to a pump, where the heat is withdrawn and cool water is reintroduced to the pond. That said, in order for this system to work, the water can never be be acidic or else pipes will corrode and filters will need to be replaced often.

The prime difference between open and closed looped systems is the open loop’s need for an ample source of groundwater, like a well or pond. From there, it directly pumps water into the heat pump unit for use in heating and cooling your dwelling 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 is important to note that there is no pollution generated. The only difference in water that’s processed through a geothermal heat pump is a slight change in temperature.