Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Geothermal’ Category

Air Conditioning Repair Question: My Geothermal System Won’t Cool

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Geothermal systems use a series of pipes buried in the soil to transfer heat between the ground and your house. In the summertime, the system absorbs heat out from your building and discharges it in the soil. In the winter, the process is reversed, as the system absorbs heat from the ground in order to warm your home. In Fairfield, OH, air conditioning specialists like Bartel’s Heating & Cooling have geothermal system experts available to address problems when they arise. If your geothermal system won’t cool for some reason, it’s time to give them a call.

Problems with a geothermal system can stem from a number of sources. Closed-loop systems use a heat exchanger to transfer heat between the antifreeze that circulates underground and the refrigerant in the heat pump, which heat or cools the air that is circulated in your home. A leak of either component could affect the system’s ability to cool your house. A trained professional can recharge the refrigerant or add additional levels of antifreeze, as wells as identifying the source of the leak and sealing it up.

Open loop systems, on the other hand, often use water in the underground loops; if the water flow is disrupted or cut off by damaged components within the system itself, it will impact the system’s ability to generate cool air. Dirty coils and filters in the heat pump could interfere with cool air as well, disrupting the flow of air and possibly affecting the pressure elsewhere in the system. It may also be a problem with the thermostat itself, which usually needs to be set to cool the house in the summer and heat the house in the winter. If it hasn’t been set properly, it may not be circulating cool air like it should.

Regardless of the causes, a non-functioning geothermal system requires trained experts to properly diagnose and repair. Bartel’s Heating & Cooling offers comprehensive geothermal maintenance and repair services. Our professional staff can diagnose your problem quickly, and we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction.

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Geothermal Heating Guide: How Geothermal Works

Monday, March 11th, 2013

As its name suggests, geothermal heating systems use the thermal energy of the ground beneath your property to heat and cool your home. If you’re looking to replace your system with an energy-efficient, year-round, eco-friendly alternative to conventional heating and cooling systems in West Chester, OH, look no further than geothermal installation with Bartels Heating & Cooling. We offer comprehensive services that will not only get you up and running, but will also maintain your system for years to come. In this post, we’d like to introduce you to the basics of geothermal, so that you can make smart decisions when it comes to your home. For more information, call Bartels today!

So how does geothermal work? It is basically a heat pump attached to a set of underground piping. While your system setup will vary according to your home and property, the basic components are the same. Your geothermal system will either be installed using a relatively shallow, horizontal bed of piping, or a set of deep vertical wells, with piping as deep as 100 feet. It all depends on the soil composition of your ground, as well as where your home sits on your land. The underground piping is typically made out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which circulates a water or water-refrigerant mixture. This is known as the “earth loop.”

The geothermal heat pump inside your home pressurizes the refrigerant and circulates it through the underground loop. During the heating season, the piping absorbs the thermal energy of the underground piping and brings it back up to your home, and your heat pump then creates warm air to be dispersed through your ductwork. The great thing about geothermal is that it also works the other way. During the cooling season, it reverses this same circulation process to air condition your home. The whole system relies on the consistently moderate temperature of the earth.

A geothermal system is an excellent way to heat and cool your home. More and more homeowners are making the switch to this simple, innovative, and eco-friendly home comfort solution. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today for more information! 

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