Many property owners believe that geothermal home heating is almost a science fiction concept and it is relevant only for those regions where there are hot springs and high volcanic activity. But such natural phenomena are a real rarity, so the prospects for using this alternative energy in our conditions look very vague. But you can get acquainted with the technology of creating such a system and see if it suits you.
Clarifying the situation
In fact, a geothermal heating pump is able to generate heat even at low temperatures, so it can be used efficiently in temperate climates. The principle of operation of the described heating can be compared with the principle of operation of a refrigerator or air conditioner. As one ofThe main elements are a heat pump, which is included in two circuits. Internal is a traditional heating system of radiators and pipes. The external circuit is a heat exchanger, which is large and is located under the water column or in the ground. A special liquid with antifreeze or water can circulate inside.
What is geothermal heating
In order to equip geothermal heating with your own hands, you must familiarize yourself with the concept of this expression and the basic principles of operation. So, the heat carrier takes the temperature of the environment and enters the heat pump in a heated form. The accumulated heat enters through the internal circuit. This contributes to the heating of water in radiators and pipes. The heat pump is the key element. This unit is small and takes up no more space than a washing machine.
How much heat energy to expect
If you are interested in performance, then for every kilowatt of electricity consumed, the pump will produce about 4 kW of thermal energy. An ordinary air conditioner, which works according to a similar principle, will produce 1 kW of heat per 1 kW of electricity. The device of this type of heating is the most expensive and time-consuming today. Its cost is determined by the purchase of equipment and earthworks. A thrifty owner wonders if it is possible to save money. You can do this by equipping the system with your own hands.
About horizontal heat exchanger
If you want to equip geothermal heating with your own hands, you should know that quite often a horizontal circuit is used. In this case, the pipes are located in the trench at a greater depth than the level of soil freezing. The disadvantage here may be the territory that will be occupied by the contour. It should be larger than the area of the house. If this parameter is 250 m2, then approximately 600 m2 will go under the pipes. Not every owner of private land is able to afford such a luxury. There may also be some inconvenience if the site is fenced. It is important, for example, to keep a distance from trees.
When to choose a vertical heat exchanger
Do-it-yourself geothermal heating can also be equipped by installing a vertical heat exchanger. This does not require such an impressive area, but you will have to use special drilling equipment, equipping the system with your own hands. Geothermal heating from a well is also possible. The depth of the well will depend on the technology and varies from 50 to 200 m, but the life of the well reaches 100 years. This method is especially relevant when heating is arranged in a house with an adjacent territory on which the landscape will be preserved.
Should I use a water-based heat exchanger
If you decide to arrange geothermal heating with your own hands, it is worth consideringwater-based heat exchanger. This setup is the most economical. It is recommended if the distance to the nearest body of water is less than 100 m. In this case, the contour of the pipes is laid on the bottom, and the depth should be approximately 2.5 m, which is below the freezing line.
The area of the pond should be 200 m2 or more. The main feature is that labor-intensive earthworks will not have to be performed, but permission from the relevant services will have to be obtained. Of all the listed types, perhaps only the last option is quite simple to implement with your own hands.
Work order
To heat the house, it will not be possible to find specialists who would agree to drill a well for 1.5 km. But if you live in an area where hot water comes out of the ground, then heating costs will be minimal. The first task will be to determine the depth and location of the nearest hot reservoir. At the second stage, it will be necessary to drill a well or two. One by one, hot water will enter the house through the pump, and the other will return back. In the latter case, it will be cold.
At the next stage, when installing a geothermal heating system at home, it will be necessary to install and debug the heat pump. The same applies to pipes through which water will be extracted and pumped from the source. In the house, heating equipment will be standard. These can be batteries or hidden thermal communications, or rather, warmgender.
Sealed springs do not always contain distilled water. Due to impurities and s alts, water may not be suitable for direct supply to radiators and steam heating pipes. The temperature of several springs is so high that it will destroy the main. In order to avoid this, water from a source is heated with water from a water supply system using a radiator, which is then collected in batteries. This method is called indirect. It allows you to warm up and wash, because the heat of some sources is enough for two tasks at once.
Expert advice
Waste cooled water can serve as the returned liquid. You can also collect it using a pump from a nearby reservoir. The energy efficiency of such a design will be higher than the energy costs for the operation of the pump. Taking into account environmental friendliness, absolute safety and full occupancy of the energy carrier, the use of geothermal energy can be recommended to everyone who has access to it.
Do-it-yourself pump
If you are familiar with the scheme of action and the device of a heat pump, then it will not be difficult to assemble it yourself. Before work, you should calculate the parameters of the future system. If you decide to equip geothermal air heating with your own hands, then you can use the simplest option - an air-to-water system. The work will not be accompanied by manipulations on the device of the external circuit, which is present in soil and water types of pumps.
For mountingtwo channels are required, air will be supplied through one of them, and the waste mass will be discharged through the second. In addition to the fan, you should take care of the availability of a compressor of the required power. For such a unit, a compressor that is in a split system is suitable. It is not necessary to purchase a new unit, you can borrow it from old equipment. It is better if this knot has a spiral variety. These compressors are efficient and pressurized to help raise temperatures.
Geothermal heating can be created by yourself if you arrange a condenser. It will need a copper pipe and a container. From the first, a coil is made. For this, a cylindrical body of the required diameter is used. A copper pipe is wound on it. The finished coil is installed in a container, which is cut in half.
For containers it is better to use materials that will show resistance to corrosion processes during operation. After being placed inside the coil, the half of the tank must be welded. Before you make geothermal heating at home with your own hands, you must determine the area of \u200b\u200bthe coil using the following formula: MT / 0.8 RT. In it, MT is the power of thermal energy that will be produced by the system. The figure is the coefficient of thermal conductivity when water interacts with the coil material. At the inlet and outlet, the water will have a different temperature, this difference is indicated by the last two letters in the formula.
Geothermaldo-it-yourself garage heating can be arranged according to the same principle. At the same time, when choosing a pipe, you should pay attention to how thick the walls are. This parameter should be 1 mm or more. Otherwise, the pipe will be deformed at the time of winding. At the top of the tank, a pipe should be placed through which the refrigerant will flow. The system provides for a heat pump evaporator. It can be made in two versions. The first is a container with a coil, the second is a pipe in a pipe. The temperature of the liquid in the evaporator will be small, so the container can be made from a plastic barrel. A circuit is placed there, which is made of a copper pipe.
The evaporator coil, unlike the condenser, must match the height of the container and its diameter. When making a geothermal pump for heating, you can make an evaporator in the form of a pipe-in-pipe system. In this version, the refrigerant tube is placed in a plastic pipe of a larger diameter. Water will circulate through it. The pipe must have a length that will depend on the power of the pump. This parameter can vary from 25 to 40 m. This pipe must be coiled.
The shut-off and control pipeline fittings will include a thermostatic valve. A needle is used as a locking element. Its position is determined by the temperature in the evaporator. This element has a complex structure, in its composition:
- aperture;
- bulb;
- capillary tube;
- thermoelement.
Thesecomponents can fail when exposed to high temperatures. During soldering work, the valve must be insulated with asbestos cloth. The control valve must match the capacity of the evaporator. Equipping geothermal heating at home with your own hands, at the next stage after the manufacture of the main parts, you will need to assemble the structure into one block. The most critical stage is the injection of refrigerant or coolant. To carry out such an operation on your own is unlikely to succeed. You need to contact professionals who are engaged in the maintenance and repair of climate equipment. The specialists in this field have the necessary equipment. They can charge refrigerant and test the operation of the system. Self-injection can cause structural failure and lead to serious injury.
You will need special equipment to run the system. At this stage, the starting load should be 40 A. You cannot do without a starting relay. After this step, the pressure of the refrigerant and the valve should be adjusted. The choice of refrigerant should be taken seriously. This substance is the main carrier of thermal energy. Of the refrigerants known today, freons are the most popular. These are hydrocarbon derivatives of compounds in which carbon atoms are replaced by other elements.
Heating from the refrigerator. Tools and materials
If you want to equip your own hands with geothermal heating from the refrigerator, then the system will be based on a compressor, which should beserviceable. It is unprofitable to repair this part, in addition, the performance of the homemade product will remain in question. To assemble the structure, you will need a thermostatic valve. It is better if all the components are from the same system, then it will be quite easy to combine them. To mount the heat pump, you should use brackets, the length of which is 30 cm. You will also have to purchase copper pipes, a sealed container, a plastic tank and polymer pipes.
The compressor should be installed on the wall with brackets, after that, you can start making the capacitor. The metal tank is cut with a grinder; a copper coil will need to be installed in one part of it. The container is welded, after which threaded holes should be prepared in it. A copper pipe is wound on a steel tank. The tank capacity should be 120 liters. The ends of the turns must be fixed with rails. Plumbing transitions must be connected to the conclusions. A coil should be fixed to the plastic tank. It will be used as an evaporator. It does not overheat, so it is not necessary to take a metal container. The finished evaporator is attached to the wall.
The locking device and connection features will depend on the type of circuit. It can be water-land, water-air or water-water. In the first case, the collector is installed below the soil freezing line, and the pipes must be at the same depth. If you have chosen a water-air system, then it will be quite simple to mount it, since earthwork is not required. A place near the house or on the roof is suitable for mounting the collector. designthe collector is to be assembled from polymer pipes if you choose a water-water system. After that, the assembled circuit is lowered to the center of the reservoir.
Reviews
Reviews about geothermal heating are good and bad. Among the positives, it should be noted that such a scheme excludes fuel combustion. Consumers like the acoustic comfort as the pump runs silently. In addition, it is impossible not to highlight the economic benefit and the environmental factor.
Systems of this kind, as emphasized by users, are compact and multifunctional. But there are also disadvantages, one of them is the costs that will have to be incurred when installing the system and preparing it for work.
