What are the summer cooling concerns? How hot is that soil in July.
While free heat energy from pipeline sounds attractive it could kill cooling EER, it also could be contrary to code or easement agreements.
Sounds worth exploring.....
Good Luck,
Joe

Typical easements for pipelines is 50 to 100' its on your plat which is available at the county code enforcement office or if you have had a recent survey it will show up on the survey. Do not infringe on the easement as they can rip it out without warning.
I would imagine if you stay outside of the easement I doubt you would gain much. What are your hours of heating vs cooling in your area? I personally I think you would be better off in the mud. When working in deep trenches be very careful everybody says it won't happen to them until until its to late. You are never more vulnerable than when bent over or kneeling down in a trench. Sorry to preach but I've been in industrial piping for 25 years.....Eric

I really appreate the replys. I am checking further into the easement and I think I can loop within it, but it can be ripped out at anytime and I will assume that risk if I can get close enough to gather the extra temp differential. I can replace it pretty easily if needed and the GHP is being used just to heat the home in the winter. During the summer we do not spend enough time here to try and cool with the GHP. We just open the windows and go on the lake when its hot and use a couple window AC's a couple nights in a typical year.

Reminding me of the cooling was very helpful though since we never know if we might not be the only owner/user of the home. So I'll put the one GHP ( non split/which is complete and require no ductwork to the entire home/ home has open floor plan) with 2 simple supplies and return and the split system into the propane furnace exiting dustwook system. That way at least the 2 ton might be somewhat adaptable to cooling using the mud wet loop.

Your right the non split ghp will loose it efficiency and would be better off in the summer on a different loop than the pipeline, I did'nt think about that!

Thanks again for reminding all of us about the importance of trench safety. No one should ever, under any circumstance contemplate working within a trench without following osha standards and proper shoring. If I need to enter any trench, or work in close proximities we all need to be aware of these dangers and follow the guidelines.

Your advise has been extreamly helpful and you have know idea about how much help it truely is! I'll try to pay it forward somehow.

Again, Thanks more than I can say.

Sincerely,
Tim Dawson

My very limited understanding of natural gas pipelines is that the gas has to be heated at stations along the way because it cools off as it flows through the pipe. I doubt they would want anyone along the route siphoning off that heat. Please check very carefully into this before you start extracting heat from a pipeline.

Can you pull waterfrom the lake or put an exchanger in the lake?

The coarse dry sand near the pipe will impede heat transfer to and from pipe. The fact that snow melts in a stripe only 3' wide is a testament to the relatively poor heat transfer of the soil.

I'd stay well out of the way of the pipe. Imagine trying to explain that you have loops in a gas pipeline easement to a potential buyer of your house!

Thanks again for all the great responses. They are all great things we need to consider. I don't think the pumping station heats this gas because it is extracted from a 55 billion cu ft resevior under the michigan stray formation. I'll have to research the thermal conductivity thing a little more. When I said it melted snow 3' wide it was at 0 degree farenheight burried about 1 ' below grade. I do not know the conversion from snow to water for btu's per degree per gallon, must be about 1/10th if we get about 10 times depth in snow vs rain. Maybe that is not a very effecient heat transfer. Seems hard to calulate since depth of snowfall does not take into account the density of snow (or the relative weight of snow with respect to water) so it can be from 1 to 18% of the waters weight. I guess this is not a practical way to determine its thermal transfer quality avalible because thats a range of 1-18? I'll do a little more research and see if I can find more information.

144 btu melts a pound of snow at 32F to a pound of water at 32F. Dry snow is actually a pretty good thermal insulator