What is geothermal heating and cooling?
As stated by the United States Energy Department, every year more than 60,000 US citizens prefer eco-friendly systems like geothermal heating and cooling to the conventional ones. Actually, it is 5-6 times more than in the beginning of the 21st century. And today every person who is concerned with the ecological problems can install a new geothermal cooling system that will be absolutely safe for the environment.
Geothermal HVAC is an incomparably efficient and “green” geothermal cooling and geothermal heating system. It works utilizing the earth warmth. Actually, the usual temperature at the 1-kilometer depth is about 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit. The hidden part of the complex consists of the pipes which are the basic component of geothermal heating and cooling structure. The warmth is conveyed to the house using water or refrigerant that circulates inside the pipes network. The system works in the reversed mode in summer and the hot indoor air is cooled based on the same principle.
Installing geothermal heating system
The part of the system located indoors closely resembles the heat pumps which are more common for the residential sector. However, the second part of the system which is located outdoors is totally different. The pipes are rather hard to install underground as far as the procedure requires elaborate preparations such as the geophysical study of the area, drilling, and other related work. In this way, only the highly-skilled and trained technicians are able to cope with this task. The usual service life of geothermal heating and cooling system is about 55-65 years. So this investment will enable you to save you some money under the condition that the system is properly maintained. The miscalculations and technical blunders during the installation and capacity estimation made by the untrained workers can cause the breakdown in future. This will later entail the sizable money loss because geothermal systems are rather difficult to repair as far as the underground parts are hard to access.
The projected geothermal heating cost will range depending on the specific type of the installed system. HVAC contractors distinguish two basic types of the geothermal heating and cooling systems: the closed loop and the open loop. The first type of systems is subdivided into the horizontal and the vertical ones. Although this installation project is rather expensive, it will pay you off fully in 6-11 years as well as save you money in future due to the lower energy consumption. Do not worry if selecting the appropriate system seems somewhat difficult. Contact our HVAC contractors to receive all the necessary info. You can also schedule a meeting with the technician to get the free price quotes. This is an essential step in this project as your housing area, location, and other important factors will be taken into account to choose the best geothermal HVAC solution.
Maintenance of geothermal cooling systems
The most outstanding thing about geothermal systems is that they can be serviced more rarely compared to other HVAC devices. The upper part of the complex is installed indoors so it will be more prone to adverse environmental factors or mechanical damage. The underground part is not influenced by the weather extremes or mechanical damage at all because it is protected by the soil layers. It will operate for decades if it is installed and maintained properly.
Although these systems are very sustainable in operation, the following performance parameters are to be checked from time to time:
- The refrigerant or water level. Low fluid level can be indicative of the leakage which has to be handled asap.
- Clogged filters. Just like the other heating and cooling units geothermal HVAC is not 100% dust and dirt resistant.
Geothermal cooling systems repair
As said above, geothermal HVAC, including both geothermal heating system and cooling equipment usually does not require the continuous servicing. The most widespread problem is the pipe leakage. Still, it is not very frequent as the used piping material is highly durable. In most cases, this happens because of the wrong system installation. In this way finding the experienced HVAC contractor is very important.
Geothermal heating system is one of the most environment-friendly and energy-saving ways to warm or cool your flat and house. Some people state that the incurred geothermal heating costs are too high. But most proponents of green energy fend it stating that it is a big but very cost-effective investment!