Definition
A ground loop is the buried piping of a geothermal heat pump that circulates water or an antifreeze solution to exchange heat with the earth. Closed loops are laid horizontally in trenches, vertically in drilled boreholes or submerged in a pond; open loops instead draw well water through the system and return or discharge it.
Also called: Geothermal loop, Loop field
Why it matters to you.
The loop is the most site-dependent part of a geothermal system and usually outlasts the indoor heat pump. In Central Kentucky, lot size, soil depth and, in some areas, karst limestone bedrock decide whether horizontal trenches, vertical boreholes or a pond loop is practical.
Practical guidance.
Keep a site map of where the loop is buried and avoid digging, driving heavy equipment or planting trees over it. Loop pressure, flow and antifreeze checks, and any excavation or drilling, are contractor work.
About this definition
Written by the Feistritzer Heating & Air Conditioning team — family owned and operated in Danville since 1976, Kentucky HVAC license M02584. Definitions inform; a whole-system diagnosis in your home decides.