Geothermal / ground source heat pump installation

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Geothermal (Ground) Heat Pumps Installation

A ground source heat pump system is not a do-it-yourself project. Installers should be certified and experienced. Non-professional installations may result in a lower efficiency.

See, for details on this issue:
Heat Pumps Installers and dealers

How long it takes to install a ground heat pump?

A typical installation can be completed in one, two or three days, but all depends on soil conditions, or on the length and depth of pipe or on the required equipment.

Ground pipes and space available

You need some space outside or below your house for the ground pipes. The type of ground should be suitable for drilling and digging a trench or borehole.

Horizontal or vertical ground pipes?

Geothermal heat pumps demand a vertical or an horizontal pipe, which may depend on specific geological, hydrological and landscape issues, and also on the available amount of ground.

Horizontal installations (in which pipes are buried horizontally at 4-6 feet deep) are often simpler, but they require longer lengths of pipe and land. Where land is limited or where there is an accessible rock shelf, vertical installations are preferable.

Though vertical installations usually imply a more expensive installation (due to the increased cost of drilling: the loop is usually lowered into a 100–150 metres bore hole in the rock) they are usually more efficient. In areas with extensive hard rock or soil too shallow to trench, a vertical loop is the ideal.

In a soil with good heat transfer the horizontal piping do not need to be as long as in a soil with poor heat transfer properties...

For schemes on types of pipes, see: Geothermal Heat Pumps

Heat pumps and insulation

Ground source heat pump efficiency demands a properly insulated house (as in the case of central air source heat pumps): insufficient isolated walls, floors, ceilings or attics and basements may turn the system well less effective.

Heating and cooling distribution

Ground source heat pumps can be combined with radiators, or involve under floor heating and cooling.

Effects of underground loops on landscape

Most horizontal installations require trenches about six inches wide, but temporarily damaged areas are rapidly and easily restored. Vertical loops require little space and usually they do not damage the landscape, even in installation.

Fluids in the polyethylene pipe…

The underground loop is commonly a closed polyethylene pipe. These pipes are filled with an environmentally friendly antifreeze/water solution that acts as a heat exchanger: in cold weather the fluid in the pipes extracts heat from the earth, while in summer the system takes heat from the building and carries it to the ground.

Ductwork and heat pumps

Unless you want a ductless mini split system, heat pumps demand ducts, which usually need to be larger than those of other central heating systems. Typical air flow should be 50 to 60 liters per second per kilowatt-hour (or, in other words, 400-500 cubic foot per minute and ton of cooling capacity).

Installation while home retrofitting and building

If you are going to retrofit or build a new house, so much the better: the installation costs will substantially lower.

Insurance policy

Geothermal heat pumps are usually covered under the homeowner's insurance policy. But it’s better to contact your insurance company to confirm it (and ask them an addition to the policy covering, if it is the case).