Advanced Services provides service & installation of Geothermal systems.

      A geothermal heat pump system is a central heating and/or air conditioning system that actively pumps heat to or from the shallow ground. It uses the earth as either a source of heat in the winter, or as a coolant in the summer. This design takes advantage of moderate temperatures in the shallow ground to boost efficiency and reduce operational costs.

      Geothermal heat pumps are also known by a variety of other names, including geoexchange, earth-coupled, earth energy, ground-source or water-source heat pump. The engineering and scientific community tend to prefer the terms "geoexchange" or "ground-source heat pumps" because very little of the heat originates from true geological sources. Instead, these pumps draw energy from shallow ground heated by the sun in the summer. Genuine geothermal energy from the core of Earth is available only in places where volcanic activity comes close to the surface, and can usually be extracted without the help of a heat pump.

      Like a refrigerator or air conditioner, these systems use a heat pump to force the transfer of heat. Heat pumps can capture heat from a cool area and transfer it to a warm area, against the natural direction of flow, or they can enhance the natural flow of heat from a warm area to a cool one. The core of the heat pump is a loop of refrigerant pumped through a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle that moves heat. Heat pumps are always more efficient than pure electric heating, even when extracting heat from air.

      A Geothermal Heat Pump circulates water (also antifreeze) through high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. The water picks up the warm or cold temperature of the ground depending on the season and is pumped through the plumbing by a water pump that carries the heated or cooled liquid to the geothermal unit. Here the temperature of the water is picked up by the regrigerant system of the geothermal unit by a tube-in-tube coil that has refrigerant lines located inside of the coil that water that is passing through.

A Geothermal Units efficiency depends on the temperature of the outside ambient air. A Geothermal Units can absorb heat from the outside ambient air down to a temperature of absolute zero, -460 degrees Fahrenheit. Geothermal Units are really efficient based on the fact that the Heat Pump uses the mechanical refrigeration system to absorb warmth and coldness from the ground or a pond. Electric resistive heaters use a vast amount of electricity compared to a Geothermal Unit in order to heat a home. Gas Units are efficient but the recent rise of gas and fuel prices make these units much more expensive to operate than a Geothermal Unit. A Note About Efficiencies: When you're getting ready to replace an older heating or cooling system, it's very important for you to get a Load Calculation done by your dealer/contractor. The greater the difference between the efficiency of your old system to the new system, the more likelihood that the dealer will recommend a smaller sized unit. This should not cause alarm, as the dealer, by running a Load Calculation, will be able to accurately size the system to the load in your home. It can be quite detrimental to equipment if the units are too large for the load in your home - they can start to "short cycle" (they run often but for very short periods of time, because they are pumping out too much heat/cooling and reach the thermostat's setting too quickly), which can shorten the life of the unit dramatically.

     The Geothermal Unit operates normally in Cooling Mode as a normal air-conditioner. The Heat Pump uses the indoor coil as an evaporator and the outdoor coil as a condenser in the Cooling Mode. The reversing valve is energized or de-energized based on the manufacturers specification to direct the flow of refrigerant to the appropriate coils.

      The Geothermal Unit operates in a reverse cycle in the Heating Mode. The Heat Pump uses the indoor coil as an condenser and the outdoor coil as an evaporator in the Heating Mode. The reversing valve is energized or de-energized based on the manufacturers specification to direct the flow of refrigerant to the appropriate coils. Whenever the outdoor coil, or evaporator section in the Heating Mode, detects ice formed on the coil, blockage of air through the coil, or senses a temperature usually around 42 degrees Fahrenheit or below - the Heat Pump will switch into Defrost Mode every 30, 60, or 90 minutes based on the settings on the Defrost Board. In the Defrost Mode - the Geothermal Unit will reverse cycle which will allow hot gas to enter the outdoor coil and defrost the coil. This will also make the indoor coil become cold and in turn to offset this temperature - the electric heat strips or auxiliary heat will come on. Also, the outdoor fan motor will stop during the Defrost Mode.

      Geothermal systems can utilize many different types of loops. They are defined as closed-loop or open-loop. Closed loops are loops that circulate water in closed and pressurized piping. These loops can be laid horizontally or vertically. These loops can also exist in ponds or other water sources. Open loop systems are loops that circulate water in open and nonpressurized piping. The most utilized technique of open loop systems is a loop that pumps from and back into a well. Both systems utilize water pump flow centers, but each one respectively are made differently than the other.

The following are pictures of different style loops: