Geothermal: cheap way to experiment???

[Flatheadyoungin]

I've spent about the last 6+ months reading about Geothermal heating and cooling. I have taken some HVAC courses and like to "play" with this stuff. A good friend of mine, my neighbor, showed me a complete geothermal system he has- it was taken out of a house that burned but this section sustained no damage. He has it all........and said I could play with it in my garage.

He has it all, but the holes in the ground! Well, from all of my research this is the only part that you can't DIY. I don't have much room, here, where I'm am currently located, I really don't have the room to coil, I can't use an open loop, I don't have a pond/etc. Even getting a well drilling rig in to the areas of my lot without being cramped for space.....

Any creative ideas? I know it's a long shot.

I'd just like to experiement with it and see what I think. Then, in a few years, when we build, I'll know a little more about it when the time comes to plop down the cash for a new system.

I had the specs of the unit in my head, but somehow they got "misplaced"......

 

[Tig]

How about using some of the passive solar ideas to create a heat source for your pump. Heat up a reservoir of fluid through solar collectors and then draw that fluid as required into the heat pump. Geothermal units are usually tuned to a certain ground source temp. Your fluid temp would fluctuate so efficiency issues may arise.
BTW I have a geothermal unit that I will be relocating to my country place and I am going through the same thought process.

 

[schmism]

Geothermal units are usually tuned to a certain ground source temp. Your fluid temp would fluctuate so efficiency issues may arise.
BTW I have a geothermal unit that I will be relocating to my country place and I am going through the same thought process.

that works for extracting the heat, but it has no effective way to radiate the heat in the summer ie when its running as an AC unit.

with the limitations you provided, i dont see much options.

air to air with wood boiler backup.

 

[tommu56]

Got a pool instant pool heater off the condenser water r some put coils in a pond

tommu

 

[dooleysm]

I don't understand what experimenting you plan on doing? I've owned or rented homes with geothermal heat pump, traditional heat pump, and a traditional A/C / natural gas furnace. The only difference (other than operating and installation costs) between any of them is that the gas furnace blows out hotter air from the ducts.

I think the only thing you'll learn is that it's a major pain to slap together a used geothermal system in your garage.

 

[Paddy]

Flathead...,

Nice find. You could always do a "pump and dump". The COP is good because the temp is always cool and constant. The bad part is the power needed for a deep well pump to run or worce, city water. But in any case, you play with it with a garden hose as your "loop".

We are trying to deside if we will go with Geo-thermal. Big investment. Super insulation is much cheeper.

Patrick T

 

[Tig]

that works for extracting the heat, but it has no effective way to radiate the heat in the summer ie when its running as an AC unit.

You are right. I was thinking out loud about my own unit and situation. Getting heat is the big issue for me.

 

[Tom_H]

I consider myself a "pragmatic environmentalist". Even though it's a national park, if I had my way, I'd drill wells in every square hectometer of the big island of Hawaii (active lava underneath: Kilauea) and mine geothermal energy. (It's all just going to get covered by lava again someday anyway, or erode away.) I'd then step the voltage way up and lay the mother of all monster cables from there to the mainland.

Am I the only one who wonders why they don't do geothermal in a place like that?

 

[Bill Barrett]

I've spent about the last 6+ months reading about Geothermal heating and cooling. I have taken some HVAC courses and like to "play" with this stuff. A good friend of mine, my neighbor, showed me a complete geothermal system he has- it was taken out of a house that burned but this section sustained no damage. He has it all........and said I could play with it in my garage.

He has it all, but the holes in the ground! Well, from all of my research this is the only part that you can't DIY. I don't have much room, here, where I'm am currently located, I really don't have the room to coil, I can't use an open loop, I don't have a pond/etc. Even getting a well drilling rig in to the areas of my lot without being cramped for space.....

Any creative ideas? I know it's a long shot.

I'd just like to experiement with it and see what I think. Then, in a few years, when we build, I'll know a little more about it when the time comes to plop down the cash for a new system.

I had the specs of the unit in my head, but somehow they got "misplaced"......

Might think about a direct expansion loop. 1/4" copper 6' deep 10' x 10' hole

 

[dooleysm]

I consider myself a "pragmatic environmentalist". Even though it's a national park, if I had my way, I'd drill wells in every square hectometer of the big island of Hawaii (active lava underneath: Kilauea) and mine geothermal energy. (It's all just going to get covered by lava again someday anyway, or erode away.) I'd then step the voltage way up and lay the mother of all monster cables from there to the mainland.

Am I the only one who wonders why they don't do geothermal in a place like that?

I'm not sure if they have invented a number big enough to describe the cost of an electric cable from Hawaii to California.

Are we sure they are not using geothermal to produce electricity in Hawaii? I have no idea how their energy is produced.

 

[jinman]

Are we sure they are not using geothermal to produce electricity in Hawaii? I have no idea how their energy is produced.

They produce enough power to heat every home in Hawaii in the winter.

 

[schmism]

I consider myself a "pragmatic environmentalist". Even though it's a national park, if I had my way, I'd drill wells in every square hectometer of the big island of Hawaii (active lava underneath: Kilauea) and mine geothermal energy. (It's all just going to get covered by lava again someday anyway, or erode away.) I'd then step the voltage way up and lay the mother of all monster cables from there to the mainland.

Am I the only one who wonders why they don't do geothermal in a place like that?

na, just put some thin film solar panels in space for the same 5700 mile extension cord puts you in a decent orbit. then you just let the cord dangle.
for bonus points make your extension cord a space elevator lift ribbon. (double your pleasure double your fun!)

 

[sodamo]

Actually, we do have a geothermal plant here producing energy. Need to change the antiquated, union job protecting laws that means they pay the oil avoidance cost for that energy - meaning it still isn't cheap. Capacity is limited, with the utility company blaming it on insufficient transmission capability. I think we have the highest cost utility produced electricity in the US, maybe the world. I'm thankful I'm totally off-grid.

Now, about that solar extension cord...

David

I consider myself a "pragmatic environmentalist". Even though it's a national park, if I had my way, I'd drill wells in every square hectometer of the big island of Hawaii (active lava underneath: Kilauea) and mine geothermal energy. (It's all just going to get covered by lava again someday anyway, or erode away.) I'd then step the voltage way up and lay the mother of all monster cables from there to the mainland.

Am I the only one who wonders why they don't do geothermal in a place like that?

 

[marks]

Have you considered using a walk-behind trencher, and using multiple trenches?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

yeah, with my septic, i don't really have the room.....

for all of the typical ways i think i'm outta luck but it seems like folks on here have some creative ideas or something different....

Have you considered using a walk-behind trencher, and using multiple trenches?

 

[Taylortractornut]

A frind of mine at his house he just bought found a 100 foot roll of 6 inch pipe the previos owner had it from an auction and gave up trying to drill all the holes in it for a drain pipe. I was out there with my excavator and he was having trouble with his central unit. He asked about how cool it was underground I told him about 55 degree. He had me dig 100 foot trench 7 feet deep with one end otf the pipe up. and the other capped off above ground. he put an ac electronics fan on the far side and let it push air through the pipe. In the summer he has a wooden plate to fit his open window with anouther pipethat runs to the capped pipe. it supplies most of his cool air in the summer. and warm air in ther winter. We have to put a moisture sump in it though about evey sixmonths it gets a little ocket of water in it.

 

[heehaw]

the drilling rig i have seen that was used for geothermal wells, was considerably smaller than any well drilling setup i have ever seen: you might check with someone local that installs geothermal and see what they use: they could have a small enough rig to get into a tight spot.
heehaw