pond loop vs. drilling

[blaineisabob]

a customer of mine is thinking about a geo-thermal heat pump system and he would like to use his pond for the loop. It is a huge pond and at least 20 or 30 ft deep. It is located in east-central kansas. The pond is also well above the house and he already has pipes ran. My question is does anyone have experience using a pond for the geo loop and how well does it work as opposed to drilling.

[SkyHeating]

A pond is great, you just need to consider factors like how large the pond is but if its 20-30 feet deep I don't see how it would not be large enough. I personally would use the pond instead of drilling because the pond loop should be easier to implement/cost less.

How many tons will the system be. Does this lake ever freeze over? What min/max temp does the lake water at 10' deep become. Are there any regulations digging across the shore(many area have two separate regulatory commissions for ponds that make this difficult if any part of the pond is not on the homeowners property.)
Lastly does the pond ever get drained for cleaning or is it always filled with water?

[welling service]

I have installed Climate Master heat pumps with pond loops in marinas. They work great. There is no digging on marinas, just drop the loop in the water to about 10' deep and connect to the heat pump. We weighted the loop assembly down with concrete blocks to hold them steady. The water around the loop assembly is continually moving through convection currents. As the water gets colder during heating mode it sinks and warmer water moves in and the reverse happens during cooling mode.

[Oldsolarguy]

The pond loops I have installed work great. A few things to remember, size the loop amount bigger then you would doing a vertical bore. When you build the piping, put spacers in the coil to open them up to allow for the most amount surface area exposed. Also 2 concrete blocks per coil. It will help sink the loops evenly, plus it gives the loops something to sit on so they don't just submerge themselves in the pond bottom. Float out with either ropes or a small boat to keep the loops in place untill you sink them. Have done several, they are work great. The last one I did fed 3-6 ton water to water geo units in a pond 15-20 foot deep. The great thing about that one it was dry when I installed them. Made it a piece of cake