Geothermal System Design

We design geothermal heat pump systems for new or existing homes. This process includes a site analysis, a manual J heat load calculation, selection of appropriate equipment, and design of the ground loop heat exchanger.

Site analysis:

How much land is available? Is a horizontal ground loop viable? Is there a septic system and leaching field, and if so, where? Does an in-ground pool or potential for one exist? Can the drilling rig reach its destination? These are a few of several very important questions that must be considered to determine whether geothermal is a viable option.

Manual J Heat Load Calculation:

This is perhaps the most critical design step. It takes into account the building components of the home and its physical orientation. Each home is different and using rules of thumb for this step can lead to improperly sized systems. Undersized systems cannot meet the demand on cold winter days, while oversized systems are budget breakers.

Selection of appropriate equipment:

Heat pumps must be selected in order to accommodate the home’s heating and cooling loads. Circulation pumps must be properly sized in order to meet the pumping requirements of the system.

Design of the ground loop heat exchanger:

This includes the length and diameter of the pipe needed, the type of circulation fluid, grout specifications, configuration, flow rates required to achieve turbulence and more. Care must be taken to properly design the ground heat exchanger, as it is the most expensive part of the system.