Debunking 3 Myths About Geothermal HVAC Systems

With the extraordinary advantages that geothermal HVAC systems provide over more traditional alternatives in the areas of efficiency and longevity, you might think that everyone would be all over them. However, a few misconceptions keep homeowners in Galveston, TX, from giving them a chance. Let’s debunk three old myths about geothermal HVAC systems so you can decide whether this heating and cooling solution is right for you.

They Require Lots of Land

All geothermal HVAC systems use something called a ground loop to accomplish their primary work. This is a network of pipes that sit underground and use the naturally cool and consistent temperatures that prevail there to more easily keep your home cool.

You may think that, in order to situate such a pipe network, you’d need to have a reasonably large chunk of land. This isn’t necessarily true, though.

There are four basic types of ground loop arrangements: horizontal, vertical, pond/lake and open-loop. If you don’t have a wide enough parcel of land under which to arrange the pipes horizontally, you can orient them vertically. You don’t need much land to enjoy the benefits of a geothermal heating and cooling system.

They Might Contaminate the Ground With Refrigerant

Refrigerant is both toxic and essential to the functioning of all heat pumps, including geothermal models. This might lead you to worry about what might happen if refrigerant passes through a geothermal HVAC system’s ground loop and leaks out.

Fortunately, this can’t happen because refrigerant never moves through the pipes in the ground loop at all. Only a solution of water and coolant flows through those pipes, so there’s no risk of environmental contamination after a leak.

They’re Difficult to Maintain

Since geothermal HVAC systems have so many complex moving parts, you may suppose that they’re difficult to maintain. But the ground loop’s location protects its pipes from the risk of corrosion. This actually makes it easier to perform maintenance on a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Misinformation shouldn’t keep you from giving geothermal HVAC a look. If geothermal heating and cooling systems interest you, call Roberts Air, LLC to learn more about our HVAC services that we offer to homeowners in Galveston, TX.

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