SK Services
The Countries Leaders in UFH
& Geothermal Heating Systems
16, Dublin Rd
Kilkenny.
TEL 056~7723324
FAX 056~7723809
These are the questions most often asked by our customers. We hope the answers help you. Simply left click the question to get the answer.
A ground-source heat pump is an electrically-powered motor driven refrigeration device that uses the natural heat storage ability of the earth and/or the earth's ground water to heat and/or cool your home or business.
By alternatively de-compressing & compressing a refrigerant gas as it passes between plate heat exchangers a heat pump can take low level heat from the Earth (Geothermal) or the air & convert it to higher temperature heat for space heating. because the energy supplied to the unit is used to collect heat rather than create heat directly, Heat Pumps are extremely efficient.
Back to TopThe earth has the ability to absorb and store heat energy. Heat is extracted from the earth through a liquid medium (ground water or an anti-freeze solution) and is pumped through an heat exchanger inside the heat pump. There, the heat is elevated by a cycle of compression and evaporation of a refrigerant to heat your home.
Back to TopNo you will not need any other heat source. The Heat Pump we specify for your house or premises will fully heat the entire area. It does not matter what the weather is like or how cold it is outside, the collector is getting the earth's stored heat. 1 metre down this is available no matter how low surface temperature falls.
Back to TopNot unless you either run your Heat Pump at a temperature to high to be efficient or use special High Output/ low Temperature Aluminium Radiators.
Heat Pumps are extremely good at producing abundan,t relatively low temperature, warm water, (at about 40°c). This is perfect for systems such as Underfloor Heating but at this temperature conventional radiators cannot convect (move air by warming it). Worse still conventional cast iron radiators may suffer damage from condensation at these temperatures.
We can supply dedicated low temperature Aluminium Radiators which are specially designed for use with modern low temperature environmentally friendly heat sources like Geothermal Heat Pumps and Solar Panels. These are the ideal solution where Underfloor heating is not being considered.
Back to TopSince a heat pump will be return 4 times more energy as heat than energy used in electricity it wont use enormous amounts of power to heat your home.
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The term "closed-loop" is used to describe a ground-source heat pump system that uses a continuous loop of special buried plastic pipe as a heat exchanger. The pipe is connected to the indoor heat pump to form a sealed, underground loop through which an antifreeze solution is circulated. Unlike an open-loop system that consumes water from a well, a closed-loop system recirculates it's heat transferring solution in pressurized pipe.
Location on land availability and terrain. Most closed-loops are trenched horizontally in gardens adjacent to the home. But any area near a home or business with appropriate soil conditions and adequate area will work.
3/4" Normal gauge hydrodare is used to collect the heat. This pipe material is inert to chemicals normally found in soil and has good heat conducting properties.
Research has proven that loops have no adverse affect on grass, trees or shrubs. Most horizontal loop installations use trenches about 3 feet wide. This, of course, will leave temporary bare areas that can be restored with grass seed or sod.
Back to TopThe term "open-loop" is commonly used to describe ground-source heat pump system that uses ground water from conventional well as a heat source. The ground water is pumped into the heat pump unit where heat is extracted, then the water is disposed of in an appropriate manner
there are a number of ways to dispose of water after it has passed through the heat pump. The open discharge method is the easiest and least expensive. Open discharge simply involves releasing the water into a stream, river, lake, pond, ditch or drainage tile. Obviously one of these alternatives must be readily available and must possess the capacity to accept the amount of water used by the heat pump before open discharge is feasible. A second means of water discharge is the return well. A return well is a second well that returns the water to the ground aquifer. A return well must have enough capacity to dispose of the water passed through the heat pump. The heat pump merely removes heat from the water. No pollutants are added whatsoever. The only change in the water returned to the environment is as light increase or decrease in temperature.
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