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GEOTHERMAL
HEATING
AND COOLING
SYSTEMS
Because of their shorter length, horizontal DX
ground loops need only about 500 square feet of
land area per system ton, considerably less than
the 1,500 to 3,000 square feet needed for
conventional horizontal closed-loops.
Vertical DX loops, on the other hand, need at
least the same land area as their conventional
counterparts, or even somewhat more. Vertical
DX boreholes should be spaced at least 20 feet
apart to minimize the possiblity of ground
freezing and buckling in the heating mode or
excessive warming and drying of the soil in the
cooling mode.
Heat from DX ground loops can bake fine-
grained soils, reducing their thermal
conductivity and thus the performance of the
system. DX ground loops perform best in moist
sandy soils or sand bed installations.
Because DX ground loops are copper, they are
subject to corrosion in acidic soils and should
be installed in soils with a pH between 5.5 and
10.
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