Can You Install A Water Softener Without A Loop

Are You in the Loop? Closed Loop Systems in Geothermal All homes vary in one way or another, whether it is in size, location, insulation type, or a number of other factors.v Therefore, need to be customized in order to operate efficiently. One decision homeowners must make is whether to install an open or closed loop system. Grey El James Pdf Ebook Free Download.

High Quality Water Softener Loop Installation When we think of soft water the immediate thought is often, “oh yeah you mean water that won't leave stains on. 3E Technology, Inc. Part Number & Description List: (Partial List, More than 400kb) Please note that some of the lists are quite long! Please select company.

Both types of loop fields effectively link to the geothermal heat pump, however there are some distinct differences in how they function. Closed Loop System A closed loop system consists of underground continuous piping loops that are filled with an anti-freeze-like liquid that helps transfer the ground temperature to the geothermal heat pump. Cost Estimation Handbook Australian Mining Association. A closed ground loop system can be installed either vertically or horizontally depending on your yard size (To learn more about vertical and horizontal loops ). A vertical ground loop is the most common installation for a geothermal heat pump system because it requires minimal space. A drilling contractor (often a well-driller) will drill the necessary boreholes which run about 5″ in diameter in order to fit the necessary piping.

However, if a homeowner has enough property a horizontal ground loop can be more cost efficient (but not always), since it does not require a drilling rig, only a backhoe or ditch witch. Open Loop System The primary difference between open and closed looped systems is the use of ground water.

An open loop system is less common, you need to have an ample source of ground water. An open loop system is connected directly to a ground water source such as a well or pond and directly pumps the water into a building to the heat pump unit where it is used for heating and cooling. Where does the used water go?

There are several ways that open loop geothermal heat systems can dispose of water. One is through surface drainage, where the water is deposited to a low area, such as a pond or river. Another method of ridding of water is re-injection.

In this process, water is pumped back into the water source through a separate discharge well. In returning the water back to the earth, it is important to note that there is no pollution generated. The only difference in the water once processed through the geothermal heat pump is a slight change in temperature. Before installing an open loop system, it is critical to know whether the well contains enough water to power your geothermal heat pump. Although a well may contain the necessary amount of water for your geothermal heat pump, it could also deplete a neighbor’s well source. Make sure to check with your local contractor on whether there is enough water to install an open loop geothermal heating system. Other concerns about open wells are expressed in the post below.

Everything mentioned about open loop systems above is true. I designed and engineered my open loop geothermal system over thirty years ago. I bought a 230 year old farmhouse on over 8 acres, that had 3 wells. The first well was the main well used for supplying the house, it’s over 300 feet deep, the other two wells were hand dug wells both at 25 feet deep.

After conducting tests on all wells, results showed that all wells were producing tons of water 20-25 gpm! The water quality was good, except for being very hard. I brought down the hardness of the water with a good water softener and also installed a heavy duty water filter for sediment from the wells. Because the two 25 foot wells produced an abundant amount of water, I chose to use them as my supply and dump for my system.

The one well was at the top of my property (supply) and had a root cellar for easy access, the other (dump) was located on the lower side of my property in a big open field. After the proper excavation and running the pipes to the wells, it was easy to finish the inside work. I live in a rural neighborhood, every house has at least 1-2 acres, while others have 80 acres or more. Most of the major farms are preserved. My land is preserved through a conservation easement I set up, and my neighbors 80 acre farm is also preserved. I didn’t have to worry about more wells being drilled, that might take away from my wells. I have never had any problems with my open loop system.

Some more maintenance of the these systems are required 1. I get the well water tested every 5 years, check hardness, pH, Iron etc. I used to have to buy salt for the water softener, but replaced that with a simple scale inhibitor system, a lot cheaper than salt and works just as good.

I have to replace my sediment filter every 8 months, could probably get away with once a year, but it gives me piece of mind. The above in maintenance costs plus general maintenance on the heat pump, have cost $3500 in 32 years. My system cost $5000 to build. My point is, a properly designed and maintained open loop system is every bit as good as a closed loop system and can be a lot less expensive to install.

My neighbor recently had an 8 ton closed loop system installed and after all the incentives, it still cost $45,000! If the right circumstances are present for an open loop system, ie.

You have multiple wells on your property, or a lake or pond, and they are big/ deep enough to produce the water you need, then an open loop system might be a VERY cost effective solution for geothermal, instead of a closed loop system. Also, I estimated my heating payback to be 5 years, based on oil prices in the 1980s, I did it in 3.5 years. My neighbors estimated payback on his closed loop system is 8 years. I also have had and open loop geothermal Waterfurnace and it ran consistently for 25 years without any maintenance except one blower motor. We live in a slide zone where any trenching or shallow wells are not permitted.

So we had a choice of geothermal and electric. With a COP of 3.9 and electricity at $.14 per KWH it was an obvious choice. In 25 years we never used the aux electric heat so I finally use that circuit for an RV barn. Sometimes you have to go with open loop and with the cost of horizontal drilling and the amount of pipe needed it takes a long time to payback. Also a deep well produces water at the same temp year around. In my case it is 53 degrees. Closed loop systems do affect the surrounding ground temperatures and under heavy loads your efficiency goes down.

Research research research then do more research.