A leading and long-established well drilling firm in northern New Jersey found that working with a completely new ground loop heat exchanger called “Twister,” an innovative option for use in heat pump systems, required significantly less time and effort to get the job done and resulted in savings of up to about 25 percent in cost.
The geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry prides itself on offering an efficient, environmentally friendly technology for satisfying the thermal loads of buildings. To do so, a GHP system relies on circulating water through pipes placed underground (either vertically or horizontally) to tap the natural heat retained by the earth.
As discussed in last month’s article “Proper Grouting Protects Your Loop, Safeguards Groundwater,” grouting a geothermal borehole serves three vital purposes: to seal the hole/protect the ground loop, to protect groundwater from possible contamination and to improve thermal conductivity.
Grouting the borehole for many first-time installers is a steep learning curve. At best, it is time consuming; at worst, the borehole can be ruined! Drilling contractors typically spend the majority of their research time on the drilling and assume the grouting will be simple compared to drilling the borehole. While this premise is generally correct, grouting still requires the correct setup with the right equipment, mix and training.
Architect Eric Corey Freed specializes in green designs and makes extensive use of geothermal heating and cooling in his projects. That experience led the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association to invite him to deliver the keynote at this year’s Technical Conference and Expo, held Oct. 9-10 in Las Vegas.
I can’t tell my readers anything about geothermal heating and cooling. Those who work in that segment of drilling and contracting know how to get installations done. They know geothermal works off the Earth’s constant, natural temperature. They know their systems have a long lifespan. They know ground source heat pumps win on efficiency.
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