The whole idea of a geothermal system is to use the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool your home. A good site for understanding this concept is this: http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/geothermal.htm
In order for this to work, they either drill wells or dig trenches in the ground in which they insert tubing that is filled with water. The water circulates and picks heat from your home and disperses it into the ground. The opposite happens in the winter time. (Honestly, I don't understand the "heating the house in the wintertime" part, but I've been assured that it works.)
Apparently, drilling is more expensive than trenching. Fortunately, we have a large enough area out in front of the house that we were able to go the trenching route. Air-O is the contractor we selected for our geothermal system. They have a big, honking Ditch Witch trencher they brought out to do the trenching. Here is a picture of it in action.
Once the trenches were dug, tubing was laid in them. Notice below there are 2 in each trench, one going in and one coming out. They form a closed loop that is filled with a mixture of water and anti-freeze. One tube brings the water mixture from the house out to the ground where the heat exchange takes place and the other returns the water to the units inside the house. Also, notice the water in the bottom of the hole. It has been a very wet year!
That's about all I have time for tonight. I'll finish up with pictures of the finished excavation and of the inside units later this week. Stay tuned!
Do you have a lawn left?
ReplyDeleteAngela