How far down do you need to drill for geothermal?

Trenches are normally four to six feet deep and up to 400 feet long, depending on how many pipes are in a trench. One of the advantages of a horizontal loop system is being able to lay the trenches according to the shape of the land. As a rule of thumb, 500-600 feet of pipe is required per ton of system capacity.

How much land is needed for geothermal heat?

The length of these buried coils will depend on your house size. A useful benchmark: about 400 to 600 feet of horizontal loops are needed for each ton of energy required to heat or cool.

How far down do geothermal pipes go?

It requires trenches at least four feet deep. The most common layouts either use two pipes, one buried at six feet, and the other at four feet, or two pipes placed side-by-side at five feet in the ground in a two-foot wide trench.

How big of a pond do I need for geothermal?

The lake or pond should be at least 1 acre (40,000 square feet) in surface area for each 50,000 Btu per hour of heat pump capacity. Another way to measure is to have a volume of water available that is the same volume as the structure being cooled or heated.

How long does it take for geothermal to pay for itself?

2 to 10 years
It takes 2 to 10 years for a geothermal setup to pay for itself. Current utility rates and how energy efficient your home is are some of the factors that affect the payback time.

What type of soil is best for geothermal?

Dense clay soils work best for geothermal heating and cooling systems. Dry, sandy soils transfer heat poorly. Wet, sandy soils are superb! The buried loop in the soil can be done one of two ways.

Can you plant trees over geothermal loops?

We would not recommend planting trees over where ground loops are installed for 2 primary reasons: Tree root systems can grow into the loops. It may be difficult to repair or add to the piping system without damaging the tree. Freezing pipes.

Can you install your own geothermal system?

There are many tax benefits to installing a geothermal heating and cooling system and these benefits apply to DIY geothermal projects as well. The feds offer a one-time tax credit of 30\% of the total investment for all residential ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pump installations.

What are disadvantages to geothermal heating?

Disadvantages of geothermal heat pumps The initial investment is high since it implies the equipment and the excavation. However, if there is a good proportion, the costs are quickly outweighed by the energy savings they allow; Not suitable on rocky soils; For horizontal heat exchangers, the surface where they are installed must be free

Do geothermal heating systems help save energy in the winter?

In the summer, a geothermal system collects heat from your home and moves it to the much cooler earth. During the winter, it draws from much warmer underground temps , making it that much more efficient. When temperatures drop outside, a furnace or boiler has to consume more fossil fuels to compensate for the temperature difference.

How does geothermal heat and cool homes?

Ground Source Heat Pumps. A ground source heat pump takes advantage of the naturally occurring difference between the above-ground air temperature and the subsurface soil temperature to move heat in

How deep does a geothermal well have to be?

At present, geothermal wells are rarely more than 3 km (1.9 mi) deep. Upper estimates of geothermal resources assume wells as deep as 10 km (6.2 mi). Drilling near this depth is now possible in the petroleum industry, although it is an expensive process.