Watervale will work with
you to determine the most appropriate loop system for your home:

Horizontal Loop
Horizontal loops are installed using a backhoe or excavator. Trenches are dug approximately 5 to 6 feet deep by 24" wide. Rolls of pipe are installed in the trench from the beginning of the trench to the end and back. One continuous pipe is used for each circuit. Once all of the pipe is rolled out, the trenches are backfilled with the same soil as excavated. These trenches are typically left in a mounded condition to allow for natural settling. The length and number of these trenches is determined by the total required heating and cooling for the home. Generally speaking, an area of a half acre or more is needed to install this style of loop system.

Vertical Loop
Vertical loops are usually installed on smaller subdivision properties or where future land use requires the loop field to be kept to a smaller area. With vertical installations, a well driller will drill vertical bore holes. The depth of these holes is determined by the required heating and cooling of the home and by the drilling conditions. The holes are placed approx. 15 feet apart from one another.

Pond Loop
Pond loops are used when a pond is either already present or when one needs to be constructed for water retention or backfill of a new home. In order for the pond to be considered, it must have a surface area of 3000 sq. ft. per ton of equipment and have a consistent depth of 8 feet or better at the driest time of the year. Coils of pipe are floated into the pond and filled with the loop solution. The coils then sink to the bottom and come to rest on top of concrete blocks that have been strapped to the coils.

Open Loop
Open loop systems use water from your existing domestic water well. Water is drawn from your well, run through your furnace, and then dumped into a suitable discharge site. These sites may include ponds, streams, wetlands, or any other method that will not negatively impact adjoining properties. Great care must be taken in well pump and pressure tank sizing if an open loop is considered. Water quality should also be tested prior to deciding to use an open loop application. Poor water quality can lead to more frequent maintenance and shortened equipment life.

What is Geothermal Energy?

History

Human beings have used geothermal energy in North America for at least 10,000 years. Specifically in the United States, geothermal energy began to heat structures in the late 1800s (U.S. Department of Energy). In 1948 an Ohio State professor developed the first geothermal heat pump (GHP) for use in a residence. In 1978 the first modern GHP home in Oklahoma was created, and in 1982 the first commercial closed-loop system was created.

Definition

Geothermal energy is simply energy derived from heat in the interior of the earth. Just a few feet underground, the temperature stays around 50° to 70° degrees all year-round. During the winter, a geothermal energy system absorbs this extra heat from the earth and transfers it into your home or office. During the summer, the system takes heat from the indoors and moves it back underground.

How It Works

Geothermal systems get most of their energy from the consistent temperature of the earth. In our northern climate, the earth remains a constant 50 to 60 degrees year round.
In the winter time, this heat is absorbed by the loop system and carried into the geothermal furnace where it is compressed to a higher temperature. The result is a warm and comfortable home.
In the summer time, the process is reversed. The warmth of the air in the home is absorbed by the geothermal furnace and deposited into the cooler earth through the loop system. The result is a cool, dehumidified, comfortable home.
While heating and cooling the home, some geothermal furnaces can capture excess heat and use it to heat hot water for your domestic use.
Geothermal systems includes three principal components:

Geothermal earth connection
Geothermal heat pump
Geothermal heat distribution

Geothermal Earth Connection

A series of pipes, commonly called a “loop,” are buried in the ground near your home, either vertically or horizontally. This loop circulates fluid (water, or a mixture of water and antifreeze) that absorbs heat from, or exudes heat to, the soil, depending on whether the immediately surrounding air is colder or warmer than the soil.

Geothermal Heat Pump

In heating mode, heat is extracted from the fluid in the earth connection by the geothermal heat pump and distributed to the home – typically through a system of air ducts. Cooler air from the building is returned to the geothermal heat pump, where it cools the fluid flowing to the earth connection. The fluid is then re-warmed as it flows through the earth connection.
In cooling mode, the process is reversed. The relatively cool fluid from the earth connection absorbs heat from the building and transfers it to the ground.

Geothermal Heat Distribution

Most residential geothermal systems use conventional ductwork to distribute hot or cold air and to provide humidity control.

Watervale installs geothermal systems
in the following counties:

Anne Arundel
Baltimore
Carrol
Cecil
Harford
Howard
York

Watervale will work withyou to determine the most appropriate loop system for your home: