We all understand that our life is in our blood. With out it we can not live. Period. The same goes for water and Geothermal heat pumps. Without water they cannot and will not operate. To understand this better, lets go through a quick overview of how geothermal works. We will start with the fact that we still use refrigerant and the same process as any other air conditioner or heat pump. The primary difference is instead of having that noisy, unsightly unit in your yard, we place piping 3-5 feet under the ground to transfer the heat. Lets start at the compressor in a geothermal unit in cooling mode. Refrigerant leaves the compressor as a hot, superheated vapor and heads to the condenser where it comes in contact with the water. The water is cooler than the refrigerant and pulls heat from the refrigerant which makes the refrigerant turn into a sub cooled liquid. From there the refrigerant travels through copper lines to a metering device that turns the refrigerant from a high pressure liquid to a low pressure liquid in a coil placed in the air stream. This refrigerant is colder than the air resulting in heat being pulled from the air into the refrigerant and the air being cooled providing that ever so sought out air conditioning. After that the refrigerant returns to the compressor and starts the process all over again.
Now that we understand a little about the Geothermal heat pump, now let‘s look at the water side. After we pick up the heat from the heat pump we must disperse it away from our system. This is where the tubing comes in. A typical system has from 1800 to 3000 feet of piping depending on system size, ground conditions and other influences. There are several methods for laying tubing and loop field design. The water travels through the tubing dispersing heat into the ground at a slow rate. As we reject this heat into the ground, the earth will retain some of this energy for use next heating season. As the water returns it has been cooled and again it is ready for action.
So, what if I run out of water? What if it stops flowing? There is then no way to remove the heat from the heat pump and it will not function. The heat builds up and overheats the system and it will shut down.
Reliable Comfort technicians are trained to maintenance and service all makes of geothermal systems. These units, with a little maintenance and attention can provide excellent utility savings, dehumidification and cooling for any home, office and even factories.
For more information on Geothermal systems and for all your HVAC needs, call Reliable Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning. 1866-524-9994