Electric all the way... > GreenBuildingTalk - Green Building Forums on Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF), Structural Insulated Panels (SIP), Radiant Heating, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar Power

Forums

Members

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Page 2 of 2

Author

Messages

PanelCrafters User is Offline

Registered Users

Posts:1330

03/22/2008 3:11 PM
Posted By NRT.Rob on 03/22/2008 1:38 PM Be an expensive experiment though what with ground loops and all.. Yea, I'd have to throw some calcs in there to see if it would work up North. But, the further South that you go, the warmer the Earth temps. Of course you could really spend some bucks by coupling it with an active solar system. The continuous circ idea is a good one. Especially if you can power the circulator mostly with PV panels. Insulate the slab really well, and say having 50° water circulating through it all the time. I gota think that would work! And that would cover every place from NE East to PA, and all states South of there(with 50° min ground temps).

....jc If you're not building with OSB SIPS(or ICF's), why are you building?

NRT.Rob

Registered Users

Posts:386

03/22/2008 3:15 PM
well, it's a little more complicated than that: even geothermal systems don't constantly emit heat drawn from the ground, and they see a temperature differential in the ground over the course of a heating/cooling season. Then in the summer, you'd need to charge it back up. But basically with a 24/7/365 pump circulator, you might make a big enough "thermal battery" to never keep allow the surface to stay frozen or cold. I bet it would have to be a pretty big loop field. If I weren't slammed right now I might even do some calcs....

-=Northeast Radiant Technology=- NRTradiant.com

warmsmeallup User is Offline

Registered Users

Posts:87

03/22/2008 4:13 PM
Sorry for the post...I was on meds this weekend and it left me somewhat ...giddy!

Comfort Radiant Heating

PanelCrafters User is Offline

Registered Users

Posts:1330

03/22/2008 5:28 PM
Posted By NRT.Rob on 03/22/2008 3:15 PM well, it's a little more complicated than that: even geothermal systems don't constantly emit heat drawn from the ground, and they see a temperature differential in the ground over the course of a heating/cooling season. Then in the summer, you'd need to charge it back up. Basically, what you are saying is that you can temporarily change the ground temperature(in this case making it colder), despite the mass and inherent constant temperature. I have heard that, but I wondered if it was true. 'Charging' it back up shouldn't be a problem. Just run the circulator during the summer, and put all that heat from the slab back into the ground.

....jc If you're not building with OSB SIPS(or ICF's), why are you building?

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Page 2 of 2