HOW DO HEAT PUMPS AND GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS WORK?
There are two main components to a geothermal system: loop of buried piping and a heat pump. The system works by extracting the warmth that is stored in the earth. This is done by installing a loop of piping a minimum of 7 feet underground where the temperature is approximately 50 degrees year round. An antifreeze solution is then pumped through the piping and brought inside your home where it circulates through a heat pump. As the antifreeze solution, from the in-ground loop, passes through the heat pump heat is transferred to a refrigerant in a heat exchanger. The solution, now several degrees cooler, is circulated back to the ground where it is re-heated and then re-circulated to the heat pump. The process of heating takes place in the heat pump. The refrigerant is pressurized increasing it to about 160 degrees. That superheated refrigerant then flows through another heat exchanger. If you have a forced air system, a blower fan forces air through the exchanger and into your home. If
