The System

• The internal components of a geothermal system are the compressor, the control unit and system monitoring device and, optionally, a resistance-heat grid and desuperheater. The most important part of the system is the compressor. Compressors have been a serious drawback for geothermal systems up until recently, because they only operated at a single speed. Because of this, they were largely inefficient. However, new compressor technology allows for two speed compressors and scroll compressors, which use a 30-percent more efficient orbiting coil rather than pistons. In most geothermal installations you will also need a resistance-heat grid and a desuperheater. The resistance-heat grid is an electric-resistance heater that gives the compressor an added boost on especially cold days when it is being worked heavily. A desuperheater is essentially a second compressor located within the compressor cabinet that is connected to an electric hot-water heater and is capable of providing up to 60-percent of a home's hot water heating. The control unit that is used to set the temperature and the system monitoring device also are mounted on the compressor cabinet.
  
  The external part of the system is the loop configuration. Loop configurations are usually constructed out of high-density polyethylene piping and are configured whether in an open loop or a closed loop. Open loop systems allow water to be constantly cycled in and out of a system from a well, whereas closed loop systems do not cycle the water. The primary advantage of closed loop systems is that they can be installed horizontally, which means the pipes are buried about five feet underground and enter the house through the foundation.
  
  

Do-It-Yourself

• Geothermal systems require expensive pieces of equipment and quite a lot of work to install. Although the system itself is theoretically simple, installing the system requires a strong knowledge of electrical work, carpentry and plumbing. Installation is further complicated by the fact that each installation must be customized to the site and any building codes that may apply.
  
  The components of the system can be purchased separately if you want to design a completely custom system or kits can be purchased. In order to gain the knowledge to do the installation yourself, you need to take a certification class. Otherwise you could be running some serious risks trying to install the system yourself. The best approach is to research the possibilities for geothermal available to you and to then either obtain your own certification and do the installation alone or hire a contractor to work with you.