A geothermal system installation is actually quite simple. First, the wells get drilled. After they are drilled they need to settle for a while about 1-2 weeks. In our case, we drilled and let them settle for 2 weeks. We drilled a total of 12 wells – all at 250′ depth. Originally we had only planned for 9 wells, but conductivity tests in the area showed that we needed more than that for our Geothermal system to properly function. After that the crew startes what’s called “headering off”. It means connecting all the vertically drilled well loops through a horizontally installed connection loop which then connects to the pump system inside the house. In the first pic you can see how the loops are connected. The other pic shows the section where the piping is run underneath the house to connect to the pump system. These loops will get connected to the pumps shown. These pumps keep the water in the loops moving at a slow pace in the loop system. After everything is connected and pressure tested, the piping gets backfilled. But before the crews start the backfill, they should place tracing paper on top of all horizontal lines. Even though all lines are well below 4′ in the ground, you want to be able to detect where exactly your loop runs in case you ever have to locate it for repairs or you happen to have to run irrigation or plumbing lines in that same area.




