Geothermal Cooling

GoToSleep · 09/05/2008, 08:48 PM

I'm interested to hear from anyone with experience using ground temperature to cool tank water.

Also can anyone help me calculate how much cooling would be required for a 380g display plus 90g sump. 4x 400 watt MH plus T5 actinics. Summer room temp 80deg and target tank temp 78deg?

Anyone have access to how to calculate temperature draw-down for ground loops of a given length and given flow rate? Ground temperature in my area (Richmond, VA) )is approx 57 deg.

sikpupy · 09/05/2008, 09:31 PM

I would think you would need one heck of a pump for that!?

widmer · 09/05/2008, 09:52 PM

I have no first second or thirdhand experience. But my "intuition" tells me a pretty small loop would be fine. I could picture if you just picked up a few of the 10-ft 3/4" PVC tubes and connected them into a zigzag loop that would be totally fine. I figure this because there's an endless supply of heat-sinking capacity in the ground, and your limiting factor then would be the ability for heat to transfer across the PVC.

GoToSleep · 09/08/2008, 04:23 PM

Bump... I see lots of the build threads aloud to geothermal cooling. Has anyone actually done this?

09/05/2008, 08:48 PM	#1
GoToSleep Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central Virginia Posts: 211	Geothermal Cooling I'm interested to hear from anyone with experience using ground temperature to cool tank water. Also can anyone help me calculate how much cooling would be required for a 380g display plus 90g sump. 4x 400 watt MH plus T5 actinics. Summer room temp 80deg and target tank temp 78deg? Anyone have access to how to calculate temperature draw-down for ground loops of a given length and given flow rate? Ground temperature in my area (Richmond, VA) )is approx 57 deg.

09/05/2008, 09:31 PM	#2
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	I would think you would need one heck of a pump for that!?

09/05/2008, 09:52 PM	#3
widmer Drug Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 2,958	I have no first second or thirdhand experience. But my "intuition" tells me a pretty small loop would be fine. I could picture if you just picked up a few of the 10-ft 3/4" PVC tubes and connected them into a zigzag loop that would be totally fine. I figure this because there's an endless supply of heat-sinking capacity in the ground, and your limiting factor then would be the ability for heat to transfer across the PVC.

09/08/2008, 04:23 PM	#4
GoToSleep Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central Virginia Posts: 211	Bump... I see lots of the build threads aloud to geothermal cooling. Has anyone actually done this?