Information on Geothermal Heat Pumps - Drilling

[mnowaczyk]

I'm looking for information on vertical drilling for closed-loop geothermal heat pumps. I understand my town is on a lot of rock with a lot of water. A geothermal driller was out here this week saying he could do drilling in the driveway next to my house. Now he says he doesn't want to do it because it's too close to the house (~ 10-15 feet).

Is there a site like Hearth.com, but for Geothermal?

(Hearth.com is full of great info. Thank you everyone.)

 

[yknotcarpentry]

not sure of any forums or site on geo thermal myself. I'm not really surprised that he has reservations on doing it that close though. I imagine he has to drill 2 100" wells; one to supply water and one to return it, if I understand it correctly from a friend that had one put in a ear ago. I imagine the drilling through all that rock is going to be intence and it may cause it to crack etc as he's drilling. That would or could be bad as the water in the well is going to look for a place to go and will follow those paths possibly causing unstable conditions close to the foundation of your house and possibly nieghboring houses??? For instance right now a foundation is being dug for an addition on house I'm working on. The house sits on a ton of legde and is surrounded by ocean(front) and a tidal inlet(back); we have found an old well that was buried under part of the house in which we ripped off. The well is now going to have to filled so that no water can possibly come to the surface that would possibly crack the ledge or foundations we are pouring. Water can do the nastiest of damage even when it unseen.....

 

[pgmr]

Try http://forum.geoexchange.org/.

 

[Highbeam]

These wells are not open systems. The wells will have a loop of pipe dropped into them that does not inject or draw actual water from the well it only draws or dumps heat. The driller just doesn't want to get his equipment so close to your house, these are big machines that blow mud out and you need room around the drill rig.

 

[oldmilwaukee]

My first geothermal well is about 25 or 30 feet from the house, then they're spaced about 12 feet apart, in a line leading away from the house. He might be concerned about the liability associated with your foundation. Someone tried to sue my geothermal installer to get a new basement, claiming his activities cracked it. I've read it is possible to freeze the soil within a few feet of the well, but it would have to be within 5 feet of your foundation I would think to actually disturb it. I'm no expert though.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

It has been a long time, over 15 years, since my geothermal was installed. We have two 250' deep vertical loops. I'd estimate the holes are about 20' from the foundation.

I'm sold on geothermal, I'm sure mine has paid for itself over air-to-air, and maybe even over oil, given the high cost of oil heat the last couple of years.