Minimum yard size for horizontal loops?
Last Post 27 Dec 2009 07:16 PM by geodean. 7 Replies.
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juddspaintballsUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 01:15 AM
I have a very old house (yes, it's leaky but I'm working on resolving that) that sits on 3/4 of an acre.  The setpic sits right near the house and the leech field is just in front of the house and to the side.  I have a long skinny yard with the house pretty close to the road, leaving my back yard almost entirely empty.  I'd say I have anywhere from 1/3-1/2 of an acre I could dig up for a horizontal loop system.  My HVAC father-in-law estimates my house to require a 4 ton conventional heating system (I have an ancient oil burner forced air system currently with no AC).  Do you think I have enough room to install enough piping for a horizontal geothermal system in MD?




I'm also trying to figure out if I can do a return well injection open loop system too, but if that doesn't work out, I'd prefer to a horizontal system rather than vertical for the cost factor if possible.  I can dig trenches my self and let someone else do the install
Palace GeothermalUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 09:33 AM
My lot is 1/4 acre.  I have a 4.5 ton heat pump with slinkies that stand up in the trench.

 The system has been in for 4 years.  It works great.

You can see pictures and performance data here
Dewayne Dean

<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system
jonrUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 10:27 AM
Nice data and looks to be working very well - EWT doesn't show the short term changes that some systems have.
Based on the data, do you feel that you could have gotten by with a somewhat smaller heat pump? It looks like on a 22F day it is running about 1/3 of the time.

Palace GeothermalUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 10:54 AM
Hey John,

good to hear from you.  My system ( both heat pump and ground loop) is over sized.

This is the first system I installed and the distributor sized it for me.

A smaller system would certainly work fine for us.

Having the data has helped me both in designing and selling systems.
Dewayne Dean

<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system
jonrUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 11:02 AM
Understandable that he would be a little conservative. What model heat pump and electric rate do you have (would enable a COP comparison).
Palace GeothermalUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 11:06 AM
I have a FHP GT054 . We pay $.075 / kwh.
Dewayne Dean

<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system
juddspaintballsUser is Offline
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27 Dec 2009 12:27 PM
So I therefore would have enough room to do a 4 ton setup in the space I have. Excellent. Thanks
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27 Dec 2009 07:16 PM
Posted By juddspaintballs on 12/27/2009 12:27 PM
So I therefore would have enough room to do a 4 ton setup in the space I have. Excellent. Thanks

A pretty big leap of faith here.   I would say maybe.  Can you dig trenches at least 5' deep and have suitable material for back fill?

There are a few more details that need to ironed out before you can say for sure.

Good luck with your project.
Dewayne Dean

<br>www.PalaceGeothermal.com<br>Why settle for 90% when you can have 400%<br>We heat and cool with dirt!<br>visit- http://welserver.com/WEL0114/- to see my system
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