Chapter 17 — GEOTHERMAL ENERGY SYSTEMS AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE LOOPS
1707.7 Ground-Heat Exchanger Installation Prac-tices — 2025 California Mechanical Code
California Mechanical Code (Title 24, Part 4) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-09-25 · California
CBSC: official editions, supplements and errata
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
Cite as: 2025 California Mechanical Code (Title 24, Part 4) § 1707.7 · Effective January 1, 2026 · Official source: Building Standards Commission
tices. A ground-heat exchanger system shall be installed as follows:
(1) Outside piping or tubing located within 5 feet (1524 mm) of any wall or structure shall be continuously insulated with insulation that has a minimum R-5 value. Such pipe or tubing installed under the slab or basement floors shall be insulated within 5 feet (1524 mm) from the structure to the exterior point of exit from the slab.
(2) Freeze protection shall be provided where the design of the ground-heat exchanger system would permit the heattransfer medium to freeze.
(3) Horizontal piping shall be installed not less than 12 inches (305 mm) below the frost line.
(4) Submerged heat exchangers shall be protected from damage and shall be securely fastened to the bottom of the lake or pond, or other approved submerged structure.
(5) A minimum separation distance shall be maintained between the potable water intake and the submerged heat exchanger system in accordance with the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
TABLE 1706.1
HEAT PUMPS
350 2025 CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL CODE
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY SYSTEMS AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE LOOPS
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
«
Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.
Ask AI about this code