1) Question: How does a modular heat pump system work?

    Answer: Usually there are two kinds of heat pump systems to transfer heat: air to water and water to water. With water to water, the heat pump connects to a pipe in the storage tank from which the building will draw its processing water. This tank should hold between 8,000 to 20,000 gallons, smaller if the building is of lesser commercial/residential size. The water in this tank is also known as a the secondary loop water and goes through the heat pump to be heated and cooled. To return the water, the primary loop circulates the groundwater through the heat pump and gives it back to the ground. The Primary system water and the secondary loop water are completely isolated. When cooling, the heat is absorbed from the storage tank water and sent over to the ground water.

During the heating mode, the heat is absorbed from the ground water and sent to the storage tank. Here, the ground water is cooler than the air while in the cooler time of the year and warmer than the air in the hotter time of the year. This allows the water to be heated and coolled efficiently and economically. The most economical method of cooling is water to water.

2) Question: Where I live, I don't have ground water- is this a problem?

   Answer: Absolutely not! Vendors supply air to water heat pumps that exchange heat with the air.While not as effcient or economical, they do prove to be better to use that currently utilzied fossil fuels.

3) Question: How big of a system do I need?

  Answer: This answer is hard to give without knowing your specifics. Several factors include the number of yards of concrete you need to cool and heat each day, the water temp in your are, ambient temperatures as well, etc. Please refer and visit the vendors listed on this website to determine whether their applications fit your size and needs.

4) Question: How fast or slow does the system recover?

    Answer: Each system is setup to recover during the night time hours. Assume you need a 500 yard system. The system would be designed to produce 12,500 gallons of heated or chilled water in a 12 hour period, or 1200 gallons per hour. In 24 hours, the system would produce 25,000 gallons. To  increase capacity, add more water storage, adding more modules or allowing more time for recovery.

5) Question: There are so many manufacturers to choose from...which one is right for me?

   Answer: Some vendors specialize in doing residential/commercial sites and others just do commercial. Your best bet is to look around this site, find a vendor that fits your needs and send them an email outlining what you need or whether it is something you need to get started. Preparing a geothermal heating and cooling solution is really hard to do it yourself when you have no background in these kind of systems. It is best to "leave it to the professionals" as they say.