Inside a Geothermal Heat Pump

Recently, many inquisitive Manhattan residents have asked Carlson Heating & AC, LLC about geothermal. Sure, geothermal heat pumps use the earth to condition your home... but how do they do it?

This marvelous system works thanks to one simple principle: Given the opportunity, heat seeks out and moves towards cooler temperatures. That's why an ice cube melts and it's how a geothermal heat pump is able to deliver heat. Here's how geothermal works :

In the absence of a combustible material, geothermal systems obtain heat differently. It simply collects and moves it using the principle stated above. In order to carry heat energy from one major component of the system to another, a special liquid called refrigerant is used. The refrigerant is moved throughout the system by a powerful centrifugal pump called a compressor.

During the winter, heat from the earth is absorbed into the loop water and carried up to the coaxial coil. The inner tube of the coil contains water from the loop while the outer tube contains cold refrigerant. The loop water passes its warmth through the walls of the coil and heats the refrigerant. The refrigerant carries that heat into the compressor where it’s put under an immense degree of pressure - making it very hot.

Next, the hot refrigerant is pumped through the metal pipes and thin fins of the air coil. Air is forced across the hot air coil, which releases its heat into the air. A blower circulates the heated air throughout your duct system and the heat that began in the earth is conveyed throughout your home. At the same time, the refrigerant in the air coil is pumped through an area of low pressure called the expansion valve - making it very cold. The cold refrigerant is now ready to be circulated back to the coaxial coil to absorb heat from the loop and the process can begin again.

To cool your home, the system literally reverses the entire process using a reversing valve. Refrigerant flows in the opposite direction and order of components.

Carlson Heating & AC, LLC hopes this information has been helpful in your decision to install an energy-saving geothermal system. We install one of the most efficient geothermal heat pumps on the market. We serve all of Manhattan and the surrounding areas. Contact us today.