| Geothermal Heat Pumps are usually associated | | | | cooler than many radiant heat systems. A |
| with hot air heating and air conditioning. In climates | | | | maximum temperature design should be 130 |
| that very seldom need air conditioning you need | | | | degrees F. To get this kind of design to work |
| to concentrate more on heating. There is a very | | | | correctly you will have to use good quality heat |
| good way to use geothermal technology for very | | | | plates and insulated under the heat plates. By |
| efficient and comfortable heating. Radiant floor | | | | following these guidelines I have designed systems |
| heating can very easily be combined with a | | | | that have heated houses very comfortably at |
| geothermal heat pump to give both comfort and | | | | temperatures well below zero. |
| efficiency. | | | | If you decide to install this type of system make |
| Radiant floor heating has been the comfort and | | | | sure that the installer knows exactly what they |
| efficiency standard for many years. The feeling | | | | are doing. This type of system requires many |
| of a warm floor under your feet is priceless. | | | | things to be done exactly right so that the water |
| Romping on the floor while playing with the | | | | flows will allow the system to work correctly. The |
| children is great when the snow is blowing and the | | | | piping on the well side is very critical that it uses |
| floor is pleasantly warm. | | | | all the wells equally. On the house side the piping |
| Geothermal heating has also been known for it's | | | | must be primary/secondary. Pumps and pipe sizes |
| efficiency also. The drawback to hot air | | | | must be able to give very high flow rates so that |
| geothermal heating has been the air temperatures | | | | temperature drop is kept to ten degrees or less. |
| that are cooler than normal hot air heating | | | | When working with such low temperature the |
| systems. By combining the two types of | | | | piping and pumping becomes so much more |
| systems you can have very comfortable heat | | | | critical. |
| and efficiency at the same time. | | | | By using these principles to combine two very |
| There are something's that you do have to take | | | | great heating types you can have a very good |
| into consideration before deciding on a system like | | | | heating system that perform very well for many |
| this. | | | | years. The only other factor with this type of |
| You will have to drill a few wells to extract the | | | | system is that you don not have the ability to |
| heat from the ground. The piping must be installing | | | | get cooling from the system. That is probably the |
| in the wells correctly for the system to work | | | | only drawback of this type of system. It would |
| properly. The heat pump needs to be designed | | | | be great if there was a geothermal unit made |
| for hot water heating. You can not use a heat | | | | that was heating only. The elimination of the |
| pump designed for hot air use and make it work | | | | reversing valve would be a cost savings and a |
| for radiant heating. The radiant heat design must | | | | plus overall. This system is best suited for cooler |
| be figured to use water temperatures that are | | | | climates that require little or no air conditioning. |