Pictured is an open loop geothermal system, notice the piping in front of the unit bringing water to the unit and carrying the water away.

Open loop systems require a very good well capacity and a way to dispose of the water used by the geothermal unit.

Typically, the water is discharged in to a ditch, field tile, pond or stream.

Annual maintenance is important for open loop geothermal units because of the chemical reaction caused by removing heat or adding heat to the water during the heating and cooling process causes mineral deposits to build within the heat exchanger and those deposits must be removed to maintain an efficient heating/cooling system.