Pro/Forums - View Single Post - Anyone here using or considered "Geo-Thermal cooling"?

Nanotech9 · 08-28-2001, 10:08 AM

Just an FYI to those that thought that Geo-thermal heat pumps were still "expiremental"...

well, they are quite common in Oklahoma (where i am). In fact, my parents built a house a couple of years ago, and we put a geo-thermal unit in it.

Also the "drop a big-assed tank in the ground" is NOT the best way to do it. In fact, its abbout ans inefficient as you can get. You see, there isnt mush surface area in the big tank like that for the water to cool down.

They way they really do it, is to buys several hundred (500 or so) feet of 1" plastic pipe (black PVC), looped, in the ground in trenches at least 3' under. This avoids the freezline. May be lower or higher depending where you are.

It looks like this in the ground (from the side):

Code:

                     ,=== <--- Pipe
____________________/____ <--- Surface
% % % % % % % % % %/% % % <--- Ground
__(`)_(`)_(`)_(`)_/       <--- Loops

Another way to do it is where they dig a spiral down DEEP into the ground, and then run spiral pipe town in two colums.

This is enough to cool an entire house, costs less, and is much quieter that a damn A/C unid sitting outside your garage.

08-28-2001, 10:08 AM	#20
Nanotech9 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1	Just an FYI to those that thought that Geo-thermal heat pumps were still "expiremental"... well, they are quite common in Oklahoma (where i am). In fact, my parents built a house a couple of years ago, and we put a geo-thermal unit in it. Also the "drop a big-assed tank in the ground" is NOT the best way to do it. In fact, its abbout ans inefficient as you can get. You see, there isnt mush surface area in the big tank like that for the water to cool down. They way they really do it, is to buys several hundred (500 or so) feet of 1" plastic pipe (black PVC), looped, in the ground in trenches at least 3' under. This avoids the freezline. May be lower or higher depending where you are. It looks like this in the ground (from the side): Code: ,=== <--- Pipe ____________________/____ <--- Surface % % % % % % % % % %/% % % <--- Ground __(`)_(`)_(`)_(`)_/ <--- Loops Another way to do it is where they dig a spiral down DEEP into the ground, and then run spiral pipe town in two colums. This is enough to cool an entire house, costs less, and is much quieter that a damn A/C unid sitting outside your garage.