Ground Source Heat Pumps

lovesgshp

dnichcole wrote: »

If anybody is using a Ground Source Heat pump , is there a sort of club or association of GSHP users? For a year and a half, I have been using a solar panel as a sort of turbocharger to the GSHP - gives it a terrific boost when there is a nice day (and stores heat underground all through the summer) - reduced the GSHP consumption by a significant percentage. I'd like to tell others how to do this.

Don't know of a user group, as usualy most conversations are just on forums.
You may find this paper interesting on solar recharging, that my boss wrote for a geothermal conference.
http://www.geotherm.it/Ricerca_scientifica_geotermia_files/P.4.45_maritan.pdf

dnichcole

Geotherm wrote: »

Don't know of a user group, as usualy most conversations are just on forums.
You may find this paper interesting on solar recharging, that my boss wrote for a geothermal conference.
http://www.geotherm.it/Ricerca_scientifica_geotermia_files/P.4.45_maritan.pdf

Hi, many thanks for this link, I am emailing Dr Maritan to ask more about it. His conclusions confirm everything I believe in. Was he your boss? wow.
I have a Borehole and it doesn't need recharging if its deep enough, but I do it anyway. The compact collectors are smaller in catchment and certainly perform more effectively with solar charging, and charging will cause less damage to the micro biological ecosystem by avoiding deep freezing. My deep ground never got lower than 10.0 degs C during last winter, after the coldest December on record.
My own hunch is that a greater number of shallow boreholes (in effect, a 'compact collector' is better than deep boreholes, as it reduces the risk of hitting unpleasant deep layers, like limestone caverns or gravel strata. But they need charging, and it is SO easy and cheap to do.! :beer:

lovesgshp

dnichcole wrote: »

Hi, many thanks for this link, I am emailing Dr Maritan to ask more about it. His conclusions confirm everything I believe in. Was he your boss? wow.
I have a Borehole and it doesn't need recharging if its deep enough, but I do it anyway. The compact collectors are smaller in catchment and certainly perform more effectively with solar charging, and charging will cause less damage to the micro biological ecosystem by avoiding deep freezing. My deep ground never got lower than 10.0 degs C during last winter, after the coldest December on record.
My own hunch is that a greater number of shallow boreholes (in effect, a 'compact collector' is better than deep boreholes, as it reduces the risk of hitting unpleasant deep layers, like limestone caverns or gravel strata. But they need charging, and it is SO easy and cheap to do.! :beer:

He is my boss, as still work with them:)

dnichcole

Dear Geotherm,
I have written a feature about David Maritan's paper on my blog, and I hope he will send me more information soon - I have emailed him.
http://chargingtheearth.blogspot.com/
===dnc

lovesgshp

DHC.
Interesting and informative blog, thanks. Which IVT model do you have? We use the HT+ C11 here.
PM me if Davide does not answer.

dnichcole

Geotherm wrote: »

DHC.
Interesting and informative blog, thanks. Which IVT model do you have? We use the HT+ C11 here.
PM me if Davide does not answer.

Hi, the GSHP is an IVT Greenline C6, the 6 kilowatt model with integrated water tank.
The total annual GSHP consumption is currently running at below 3,200 kWh and our PV roof generates over 3,300 kWh, despite the northern climate of the UK. So.... this is a good balance.
Since the wall-mounted solar collector was installed, the annual consumption figure is still adjusting, and it may take until next year for it to stabilise. At the moment, every weekly summary shows that it is improving. :j

Coresource

I hope you all have good service from your GSHP. I work for a drilling company and we are so passionate about getting these installed in more properties, to hear people are having problems is quite disheartening. I hope you get them resolved soon. If I can help with anything please let me know. Keep warm!

dnichcole

Coresource wrote: »

I hope you all have good service from your GSHP. I work for a drilling company and we are so passionate about getting these installed in more properties, to hear people are having problems is quite disheartening. I hope you get them resolved soon. If I can help with anything please let me know. Keep warm!

Hi, I don't have any problem with the Borehole, its a far far better thing than a horizontal loop (in my humble opinion). But the solar charging of the hole has produced excellent results, reducing the GSHP electric consumption quite significantly. I didn't get comparable quotes.

But can you answer me this?.... if I want to have 80 metres of borehole, what would be the comparative cost of having a single 80 metre hole bored (in dense marl) using a larger drill rig, or having a cluster of 10 boreholes in the same soil, only 9 metres deep using a lighter rig. (no need to advise me not to cluster them, because this would be the intention).
I would be deeply interested in this, as I often advise people that boreholes are better, but I need to know some numbers. cost/m of Bhole, for the different rigs. Budget costing...

this is a serious request, i am due to write a paper for CIBSE, and I would like to add in some paragraphs to my draft about the comparative benefits of using a borehole, deep and single versus shallow and many.
====thanks
====DNC

lovesgshp

What temps are you getting down to in the UK now? We are up to -7 at the moment with the wind-chill factor, -3 without.

Ecokev

Today Went to a green line installed by ice energy, their customer support is awful, they fit and forget literally, biggest issue was customer had rads up stairs and underfloor down, they advised him to take off all the underfloor zone heads and not connect each room sensor, this would of been fine if both floors were underfloor but the hp had been set up to a rad circuit design which meant the hp was aiming for 50c flow to suit the rads ( which I'm sure are too small). So what was happening was downstairs was always open and rads were never getting a chance, plus underfloor was running at 50c which was bloody hot. Changed the weather comp curve from 5.2 to 4.3 and advised he connects all the under floor controls up so he can at least get them turning off once satisfied, only other option would be a mixer valve and thermistor ( if the pump allowed) to set a differant temp for the underfloor flow.