Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
(OP)
Has anyone run into a situation where the installed wells (or ground loop) was insufficient for the heat add for a ground source heat pump system? (northern climate)
What was done to rectify?
I'm looking at a small building that has been installed for over ten years but just does not heat well on very cold days.
The owner is not going to install any additional wells and does not want to use any electric heat if at all possible.
What was done to rectify?
I'm looking at a small building that has been installed for over ten years but just does not heat well on very cold days.
The owner is not going to install any additional wells and does not want to use any electric heat if at all possible.





RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
add the boiler.
the other option is to dig new well or to recondition soil all around loops, and small house owner will never ever have payback on investment.
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
Here in the Pacific NW in a fairly mild climate, it's still heating dominated, and a peaking boiler/hot water generator is still needed.
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
When you add a boiler, do you work it out so you are raising the temperature of the water as it comes back from the wells up to the design temperature?
For example if the design temperature is say 35 deg and it is coming back at say 30, add heat via heat exchanger to get the design temperature corrected?
BTW it is currently set up with control valves on the branches to the heat pumps (there are 6 heat pumps 1-1/2 - 3 tons). The pump does not run unless there is a call for heat (or cooling). So the water can sit in the ground loops. I can't decide if this is good or bad.
The problems with the system I am looking at include no record of the wells and no supply and return temperature records (no sensors).
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
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RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
To do this right, a load calculation needs to be run. Determine the required loads and temperatures needed, and verify if the existing equipment is correct.
If you don't run calculations, add the boilers and pray that it is enough.
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?
The owner is not going to install any additional wells and does not want to use any electric heat if at all possible. "
What else does the owner want - a car that does 1000 miles to the gallon?
The owner either needs to wrap up warmer, install a wood burning stove or just accept that you can't get something (heat) from nothing (no heat available in the ground because it is "very cold").
Depends on the details of your system as to where the most feasible place is to add heat - a diagram or two would help.
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Add heat for ground souce heat pumps?