How to Use Two Pumps for a Water Source Heat Pump

A heat pump is a device that uses compression and expansion to heat a building. Due to a limitation of the principle used by heat pumps, they can increase the temperature by only about 30 degrees Fahrenheit above the heat source, which is typically the outside air. This makes standard heat pumps impractical for colder climates. Using ground water as the heat source, which stays 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit year around in most areas, a heat pump can be effectively used in colder climates.

2 ground water wells
Ground water pump
Liquid-liquid heat exchanger
High-pressure tubing
Expansion port
Refrigerant filling port
Compressor
Radiant heat exchanger
Refrigerant

Instructions

- 1
  Connect the water pump to one of two ground water wells. If the wells are of different depths, the pump should be connected to the deeper well to draw water from as far below the surface as possible.
- 2
  Connect the water pump to the input of the larger-diameter side of the liquid-liquid heat exchanger using high-pressure tubing. Connect the output of this same side to the other ground well, creating a loop for the ground water to flow through.
- 3
  Screw the expansion port to the input of the small side of the heat exchanger and run a piece of tubing from the expansion port and the heat exchanger's output to the ventilation system.
- 4
  Screw the refrigerant filling port onto the tubing that runs to the output of the heat exchanger and screw the filling port into the compressor's input. Use a short piece of tubing to connect the output of the compressor to the input of the radiant heat exchanger.
- 5
  Install the radiant heat exchanger in front of the fan in the ventilation system. The connection between the fan's frame and the heat exchanger's frame must be airtight. This is also true for the duct working to heat exchanger connection.
- 6
  Connect the piece of tubing going to the expansion port to the output of the radiant heat exchanger. This will complete the refrigerant loop.
- 7
  Fill the refrigerant loop with refrigerant at the filling port. Turn the compressor on briefly to circulate the refrigerant fully through the system.

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