From Geothermal Heat Pumps to Air to Air Heat Pump Systems

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Heat Pump Types

Heat Pump Heating

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal Heat Pump Types

Air to Air Heat Pump Types

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Heat Pump Types

There are different types of heat pumps available on the market today. A heat pump is an air conditioning unit that cools when the temperature is hot and provides heat when the temperature is cold. There are many different types of these heat pump systems available. There is the geothermal heat pump which can either utilize a series of closed loop water pipes buried in the ground or other methods of heat exchange to remove or absorb heat for heating and cooling. There are air to air heat pumps and these types of heat pumps can be configured differently. One type of air to air heat will utilize electric heating for back heat while another may use a gas furnace for back up heating. These types of heat pump systems can also be split heat pump systems or package unit heat pumps. A description of the various types of heat pumps and how they work is below in this article on heat pumps types.

Heat Pump Heating

A heat pump is a large refrigerator which moves heat from one place to another. When the temperature is hot and it is in air conditioning mode it moves the heat from the inside to the outside. When the temperature is cold it absorbs heat from the outside and moves it to the inside. Yes, there is heat in air which is 40° Fahrenheit and the heat pump absorbs this heat and moves it here it can be used for comfort. All air conditioners and heat pumps utilize the process of refrigeration to move heat from place to another. The classic definition of refrigeration is a mechanical process that moves heat from a place where it is not wanted or needed to a place where it doesn’t matter. An air conditioner moves heat in one direction, from the inside to the outside, while a heat pump moves heat in both directions depending on the thermostat setting.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heat pumps utilize the natural heat produce by the earth and there are different types of these geothermal heat pump systems available.  Depending on here you live, whether it you are located in a Northern or the Southern region will depend on the temperature of the earth but the temperature of the earth is warmer than the air is outside in the winter time and cooler than the air is outside in the summer. The geothermal heat pump system takes advantage of this stable temperature of the earth to exchange heat in both directions. Because of these stable temperatures the geothermal heat pump is much more efficient that and air to air heat pump. The difference is installation cost between the two. A geothermal heat pump can cost thousands of dollars more to install than an air to air heat pump but the geothermal system is much cheaper to operate and ill generally give you a pay back for the extra installation costs within five years. Geothermal heat pumps also have a longer life expectancy than air to air heat pumps. There are also some geothermal heat pumps which provide hot water for domestic use so the advantages of having a geothermal heat pump are greater than having an air to air heat pump.

Geothermal Heat Pump Types

Many geothermal heat pump systems use an open loop well system for a geothermal heat pump system. There two wells drilled and one well is used to dump the water from the condenser and the other well is a feeder well to feed the geothermal heat pump system. This system uses a pump to pump the water to the dump well and from the feeder well. Certain conditions must be met for this system to work properly and reliably. Check with you local geothermal HVAC contractor to see if this is the right system for you.

Horizontal closed loop geothermal heat pump systems have piping buried in the ground from 4 to 6 feet in depth in trenches which are dug somewhere near the home or business where the geothermal heat pump is installed. When the geothermal heat pump unit turns on a pump is also turned on and circulates the water through the piping buried under the ground. The heat exchange process takes place between the piping and the ground where the pipes are buried.

The vertical closed loop geothermal heat pump is used for areas where land is limited like in a big city for a building or home that has a little plot. Holes are drilled into the earth more than 100 feet (the depth depends on the size of system and how deep the holes need to be for proper heat exchange) and piping is fed into the holes. The pipes are connected at the bottom with a U-bend. The same thing happens as with the horizontal geothermal heat pump system so when the geothermal heat pump unit kicks on a pump also turns on and pumps water through the piping in the earth for heat exchange.

The closed loop pond or lake system utilizes a pond or lake which meets certain criteria for use in a geothermal loop system. Obviously the piping must be installed deep enough in the lake or pond to prevent freezing of the pipes. This system is cheaper to install than other methods for geothermal heat pump systems described above but it is important that the pond or lake meet the criteria for geothermal heat pump use. Check with your local geothermal HVAC contractor to see if the lake or pond meets the criteria. You must also consider local codes and regulations but the geothermal HVAC contractor will be knowledgeable to all these regulations.

Some commercial systems use a geothermal heat pump but instead of using the earth they use a water tower for heat removal in the summer and a boiler to heat the water for winter use. Depending on how the system is controlled will depend on the energy savings realized from this type of system. Typically the water temperature is maintained between 70 and 80 degrees using the water tower or the boiler depending on the season.

Air to Air Heat Pump System Types

Air to air heat pumps rely on the temperature of the air outside for proper heat exchange. Since the temperature of the air outside can vary greatly these systems are less efficient than geothermal heat pumps. Air to air heat pumps systems also need a defrost cycle and back up heat because hen the temperature outside falls below 38 degrees Fahrenheit the heat pump loses its ability to absorb heat. In this case back up heat is needed and the majority of air to air heat pumps utilize electric heat for back up while some of the other air to air heat pump systems utilize gas or oil for back up heat. The gas or oil back up heat systems are more efficient than the electric back up heat but the installation costs are higher. These air to air heat pump systems are available in both a package unit where all the components are in one package or in a split system here the air handler is inside and the condenser is outside.

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