What You Need To Know Before Buying A Ground Loop Heat Pump





When installing a heat pump to heat pool water, the technician will be installing an open or closed loop in order for the pump to operate correctly. Ground loop heat pump installation requirements differ a bit from open loop heat pump requirements, but both the ground loop heat pump and the open loop heat pump work equally well in heating pool waters. Let's take a moment to examine what a ground loop heat pump and open loop heat pump are and how they differ in terms of installation.

Both a ground loop heat pump and an open loop heat pump have unique systems for heating a pool efficiently via the use of very little electricity. These types of pumps only use electricity in order to power the compressors and ventilation systems within the pumps themselves while the pump draws heat from the natural/ambient air or the ground/well water which is used to heat up the temperature of pool waters. Some homeowners used similar systems to heat up their homes and their tap/well water as well as to air condition their home environments.

Both a ground loop heat pump and an open loop also draw heat from the ground which has naturally absorbed heat from the sun; it is the ground loop that actually collects this natural heat. A regular ground loop is a looping of pipe which is installed beneath the ground; water is pushed through this closed loop and given the opportunity to draw heat from the earth; this is water that flows into the heat pump which is connected to the buried pipes. Typically, ground loop pipes are buried within dug-up trenches which are roughly one to two meters in depth, however, some ground looping systems are established in ninety meter deep boreholes. The technician will determine how to best bury the ground loop based upon spatial offerings and location.

With a ground loop heat pump system, a single length of water pipe is installed deep within the ground beneath the earth's frost layer in most instances. In contrast, an open loop heat pump system operates off of two separate wells. Each will have a specific function in the open loop heat pump system: one well serves as a primary source in the secondary well serves as a sink. Basically, an open loop heat pump system depends upon the use of a well from where it draws its heat. Groundwaters generally remain at a constant in terms of temperature and because of this fact an open loop heat pump system readily heats water via natural resources with ease.

Consumers considering an investment in an open loop heat pump system should have their water tested because waters that are high in iron, highly acidic, or waters that are hard place considerable wear and tear on the pump in question. Minerals within hard water can prove corrosive on the integrated heat exchanger installed within the pump and this can also prove to be a hassle. Pool owners and homeowners with hard water or with waters of high mineral content may need to take more time to maintain the pump they have invested in through more frequent periodic cleanings of the pump.