Geothermal Borehole

PJ_Farmer_82 · Oct 8, 2018

Has anyone got experience heating a house using a geothermal borehole?
Or would air / ground source heat pump be better? I was shying away from ground source because I don't have 3phase power on site.

Doing it for the kids · Oct 8, 2018

A few on here can help @f0ster

Doing it for the kids · Oct 8, 2018

@akaPABLO01

PJ_Farmer_82 · Oct 8, 2018

Cheers, I tried to call a company I saw called Gcore but they didn't answer. Just after a rough idea on price and how well it works.

Exfarmer · Oct 8, 2018

If you have a good geothermal source it must be the best bet, by far

renewablejohn · Oct 8, 2018

Have you checked whether your in a geothermal hotspot. I know the land I have in Lincolnshire is which gives more options.

Turra farmer · Oct 9, 2018

PJ_Farmer_82 said:
Has anyone got experience heating a house using a geothermal borehole?
Or would air / ground source heat pump be better? I was shying away from ground source because I don't have 3phase power on site.

I've done a few but not for 7 years , they have gone out of fashion compared to air source , because of the cost to install , the ones we have done are still working fine , avoid the geothermal with coils of pipe 1m below ground , it's useless , air source works well , just a bit more moving parts and more maintenance / running costs

Doing it for the kids · Oct 9, 2018

renewablejohn said:
Have you checked whether your in a geothermal hotspot. I know the land I have in Lincolnshire is which gives more options.

that's interesting - i'm starting work on a project to heat several near you - how do you find out how hot your spot is!?

Exfarmer · Oct 9, 2018

Doing it for the kids said:
that's interesting - i'm starting work on a project to heat several near you - how do you find out how hot your spot is!?

I would think the BGS ( British Geological Survey) would help on this. Based in Nottingham, were very helpful to me , but they did want to survey my farm on a 10x 10 metre pattern.
Sadly they never found any gravel

akaPABLO01 · Oct 9, 2018

Ok for starters there ain’t no geothermal unless your in Iceland or tapping into the earths core.

Ground source heat pumps bore about 125m deep and this is classed as solar thermal absorption. We are getting the suns heat from the earth and not core/lava heat.

You only use bore hole as a last resort as cost on project is heavy versus laying slinky pipe which can be done in house and farmers have plenty of land.

If you are forced to bore you are going 125m @ £35/m usual cost. This doesn’t include pipe that’s put in or removing spoil, which is an absolute nightmare. A typical 4 bed house usually needs 3/4 bore 125m+125m= 350m down and up. Anything from 15-20k.

The ground worker needs to understand the geology of the project, rock, mines and soil types. They carry this out first to see if it’s viable.

Bore hole efficiency versus slinky is better meaning efficiencies rely on lengths of pipe and amount of circulation. If you bore then you may need 1400m. If you slinky you may need 2,800m of pipe to get the same w/m return

Putting in a ground source heat pump can vary in cost from £1,300-£1,600 /kW

So you have a heat need of 13kW x £1,350= £17,550 plus vat.

The cheaper the kW the more ground work you adopt.

Wet soils are best and can achieve the desired results, wet sand, wet clay, wet water.

I had a farmer stick drains in me trenches until I exploded saying “you’re taking the heat away” all holes need drains he claimed.

Dry soils mean more pipe, lots more, more digging, piling, pipe and cost.

renewablejohn · Oct 9, 2018

akaPABLO01 said:
Ok for starters there ain’t no geothermal unless your in Iceland or tapping into the earths core.

Ground source heat pumps bore about 125m deep and this is classed as solar thermal absorption. We are getting the suns heat from the earth and not core/lava heat.

You only use bore hole as a last resort as cost on project is heavy versus laying slinky pipe which can be done in house and farmers have plenty of land.

If you are forced to bore you are going 125m @ £35/m usual cost. This doesn’t include pipe that’s put in or removing spoil, which is an absolute nightmare. A typical 4 bed house usually needs 3/4 bore 125m+125m= 350m down and up. Anything from 15-20k.

The ground worker needs to understand the geology of the project, rock, mines and soil types. They carry this out first to see if it’s viable.

Bore hole efficiency versus slinky is better meaning efficiencies rely on lengths of pipe and amount of circulation. If you bore then you may need 1400m. If you slinky you may need 2,800m of pipe to get the same w/m return

Putting in a ground source heat pump can vary in cost from £1,300-£1,600 /kW

So you have a heat need of 13kW x £1,350= £17,550 plus vat.

The cheaper the kW the more ground work you adopt.

Wet soils are best and can achieve the desired results, wet sand, wet clay, wet water.

I had a farmer stick drains in me trenches until I exploded saying “you’re taking the heat away” all holes need drains he claimed.

Dry soils mean more pipe, lots more, more digging, piling, pipe and cost.

There is a map of UK hot spots produced by the BGS which I trust far more than your comments. Fortunately I have actual bore hole temperatures less than 10 miles from my site which disproves your comments. Admitted not upto Icelandic standards but good enough for a new commercial glasshouse.

PJ_Farmer_82 · Oct 9, 2018

Thanks for the replies. I will check with the BGS and report back.

renewablejohn · Oct 9, 2018

BGS map of UK hotspots.

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/highlights/2011/geothermal.html

akaPABLO01 · Oct 9, 2018

renewablejohn said:
There is a map of UK hot spots produced by the BGS which I trust far more than your comments. Fortunately I have actual bore hole temperatures less than 10 miles from my site which disproves your comments. Admitted not upto Icelandic standards but good enough for a new commercial glasshouse.

Lol. You think you have a geothermal site? Ok.

If you go deeper than 125m then you need special equipment. Most 2 bit drillers will descend 125m which keeps drilling rigs small likewise cost.

As for borehole temperatures these are usually standard unless you hit bedrock all round. So you may have 40 metres of shyte before you tap conductivity (from the sun) as you drill deeper samples are checked and this then produces a certificate claiming what ground you have and it’s conducive yield.

Listen, between you and I don’t tell anyone else you have geothermal activity close by, it can be our little secret.

We are an Island on bedrock with coal and clay in between and a water table. We have no geothermal activity. Look up the meaning of geo and thermal. We tap the crust solar thermal absorption.

akaPABLO01 · Oct 9, 2018

PJ_Farmer_82 said:
Thanks for the replies. I will check with the BGS and report back.

Just download an app called

My soil
Or
Soilscapes

Tell me what it says and I’ll tell you your solar thermal conductivity achievable.

Exfarmer · Oct 9, 2018

AKapablo this one you are definitely wrong, there is Geothermal energy in the UK you just have to drill deep enough. This applies literally anywhere in the world. There. Have been attempts to tap into it here in several schemes and currently the Eden project is attempting it in Cornwall. To say that the UK is not a good source due to the depths required for effective returns is correct though.
The BGS recognises ground heat deeper than 15 metres as being geothermal.
To be fair most UK schemes have failed due to low transfer rates in the rock below the country

akaPABLO01 · Oct 9, 2018

Exfarmer said:
AKapablo this one you are definitely wrong, there is Geothermal energy in the UK you just have to drill deep enough. This applies literally anywhere in the world. There. Have been attempts to tap into it here in several schemes and currently the Eden project is attempting it in Cornwall. To say that the UK is not a good source due to the depths required for effective returns is correct though.
The BGS recognises ground heat deeper than 15 metres as being geothermal.
To be fair most UK schemes have failed due to low transfer rates in the rock below the country

The end of the day we ain’t a geothermal country for a domestic or commercial district heating. The cost just doesn’t work out.

Most you can get from rhi is 30k. The project needs to be this much or cheaper and drilling more than 125m is 15k and 2k rads on top of the 17k making the project 4k in the red. And that’s if everything goes to plan.

Savings can be made if slinky is used. Anything up to 15k. Now the project becomes interesting.

Quickest way to check if your property is good for geo thermal is run your fingers through the top soil. If you manage to grab a few Ruby’s or Diamonds then go geo and pay £150k for the drilling rig/ week.

If not, get your pal to dig out a few trenches and save money.

Now, can we drop this bulls**t geothermal. We are an advanced renewble energy sub forum. Those idiots over on navitoron will be laughing their asses off.

renewablejohn · Oct 9, 2018

akaPABLO01 said:
The end of the day we ain’t a geothermal country for a domestic or commercial district heating. The cost just doesn’t work out.

Most you can get from rhi is 30k. The project needs to be this much or cheaper and drilling more than 125m is 15k and 2k rads on top of the 17k making the project 4k in the red. And that’s if everything goes to plan.

Savings can be made if slinky is used. Anything up to 15k. Now the project becomes interesting.

Quickest way to check if your property is good for geo thermal is run your fingers through the top soil. If you manage to grab a few Ruby’s or Diamonds then go geo and pay £150k for the drilling rig/ week.

If not, get your pal to dig out a few trenches and save money.

Now, can we drop this bullpoo geothermal. We are an advanced renewble energy sub forum. Those idiots over on navitoron will be laughing their asses off.

So you totally ignore Southampton district heating scheme which has been in operation for the last 25 years using geothermal.

rogeriko · Oct 9, 2018

The Southampton district heating scheme has a borehole 1800 meters deep, not quite what you'd want at the bottom of your garden.

renewablejohn · Oct 9, 2018

rogeriko said:
The Southampton district heating scheme has a borehole 1800 meters deep, not quite what you'd want at the bottom of your garden.

Why not the borehole could easily be covered over by a paving slab. Many of the nodding donkey oil wells near Lincoln are now capped with a slab and unless you know about them you would never realize there was ever an oil industry there.

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