The Project

Geothermal Heat Pump Installation in the Cold of Winter Geothermal Heat Pump Installation - Drilling the Geothermal Wells

It was late fall and clear that we'd need to replace our furnace or make costly repairs. Our air conditioner wasn't in such great shape either. After much research we decided to have a geothermal heat pump installed in our home.

Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the fact that the ground below the frost line (about 4 feet down or so) stays about the same temperature year round. This constant temperature can be used by a heat pump to cool or heat your home. However, to do so you have to get the heat from the ground into your home.

You can read all about the process but the end result is drilling or digging. Since our house is on a small lot it was necessary to drill straight down – about 300 feet for each of the two geothermal wells. It's an amazing process and in a few months our yard returned to normal with no signs of the wells.

Drilling in the Cold
When we finally decided to have a geothermal system installed we were surprised it could be done in early January. The heat pump itself made sense since all that work is done indoors. But drilling the geothermal wells in freezing temperatures seemed a bit odd to us.

Overall it doesn't make much difference to the drillers since their equipment is designed to go through rock. Frozen dirt doesn't present a problem to the powerful rock drills. In many respects well drillers would rather work in the cold of winter than on really hot summer days. Geothermal Drilling Drill Bits

 

So Why Drill in Winter?
There are a few advantages to having a geothermal heat pump installed in the winter.

  • You'll start saving money on your heating bills during one of the most expensive times of the year.
  • With the ground frozen it's easier to move equipment around without damaging the lawn.
  • Drillers aren’t as busy in the winter and scheduling is simpler.

One disadvantage is that grass won’t grow back over the area where the wells were drilled until spring. Still, spring is one of the best times to establish a lawn since it is cool and wet.

Water Truck for Geothermal Drilling In Conclusion ...
The time of year really doesn't matter when to have your geothermal heat pump system installed. Either way you'll lower your energy costs, enjoy comfortable heating and cooling, and have a reliable system.

Return to www.TheGeoExchange.org or Take the Tour and see the entire installation process.