You must now that there are three types of Geothermal Heat pump systems currently available they are also known as ground loop system. Here also there are two types three of these are closed and the forth one which is available is the closed type loop system. The type of geothermal pump to be used is decided on the local conditions like climate, soil conditions, available land, and local installation costs at the sites. All these approaches are used for the residential and commercial building applications. First let us consider the three types of closed loop systems.

Closed Loop systems:

In closed loop systems there are the following three types namely horizontal, vertical and pond lake systems let us consider them one by one.

Horizontal Closed loop system:

This type of geothermal heat pump is excellent choice for the residential installations this is more applicable for the new buildings which have plenty of space available. Since this system requires trenches which are at least four meters deep. The most common layout uses either two pipes out of which one is buried at six feet and other at four feet. These two pipes are placed side by side at five feet in the ground in a two foot wide trench. Slinky method of looping pipe allows the use of a shorter trench which cuts the cost of installation in the horizontal applications.

Vertical applications:

This application is more popular with the large commercial buildings and schools since they do not have the problem of less availability of land area. Vertical loops are more suitable for the areas where the soil is too shallow for trenching. This type of looping offers minimum disturbance to the landscaping. For the vertical system the holes of approximately four inches in diameter is drilled about twenty meters apart and 100-140 meters deep. Into these holes undergo two pipes which are connected to the bottom with horizontal pipe placed in the trenches and connected to the heat pumps in the buildings.

Pond lake systems:

This system is possible when adequate water body is present on the site. This is the lowest cost option available now. A line is run underground form the building to the water body is called as the supply line. This line is coiled and buried at least under eight feet under the surface to prevent freezing.

Open loop systems:

This type if system uses well water or surface water for heat exchange fluid that circulates throughout the GPS system. Once it has circulated through the system the water returns to the recharge well or the surface discharge. This system is practically feasible in only those areas where the rules and regulations of ground water resources are met. These are the types of Geothermal systems which are in use.