I helped one of my relatives install a water to air heat pump in his shop out in the country, he has a 3 acre pond that we use to circulate
fluid through a loop in the pond to provide the water side of the heat pump. We also have it plumbed into a water well that can pump water
through the heat pump and dumps the water into the pond or to his orchard irrigation system. These systems provide heating and cooling
throughout the year and operate very efficiently. The only maintenance required is running a descaling solution through the heat pump if
you run a lot of hard water through the system.
A pump and dump system is cost effective if you have a demand for the water going through the heat pump, raising animals, gardens, orchards
irrigation systems etc. I worked with one contractor who builds dairy parlors and installs heat pumps on these operations that use
the water for the operation to heat and cool with before the water goes to the cows. Another contractor builds poultry facilities that use a lot of water,
they run the water through a heat pump first to extract heating or cooling and then the water goes to the chickens or turkeys.
A poor mans "heat pump" is basically a coil that has cold water circulated through the coil and air is forced through the coil to cool the room.
Similar to a swamp cooler but the water stays inside the coil and no humidity is added to the room. This would be used on a pump and dump
system where you pump fresh cold water from a well and circulate the cold water through a coil in a forced air fan coil unit with a supply air and
return air duct. The water is then used elsewhere on the property. This only makes sense if you have a purpose for the water being pumped.