Pages

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Hot water recirculation pump

It's been a chilly night. You wake up in the morning go into the bathroom turn on the faucet, so that the water gets hot while you do your other "business", then come back to the faucet 5 minutes later and wash your face and brush your teeth. How many people do this every day? Well while you are waiting for hot water to emerge as much as 20 gallons of water (4 gallons per minute) has flowed down the drain. This is especially true if you have kids.

A great solution to this waste is a hot water recirculation pump. The hot water recirculation pump takes water from your hot water line and pumps it back into the cold line until a desired temperature is reached, then the pump shuts off and when you open your faucet hot water comes out instantly. Installing such a pump can save as much as 17000 gallons of water per year. Here is a diagram.
I installed a recirculation pump made by Laing at my house over a year ago and have had not problems with it so far.



Depending on the water heater system you have (Tank vs. Tankless) there are 2 different types of pumps available (tankless system requires at least 1 gallon/minute water flow to trigger the heater).

I also recommend you get a pump that has a built in thermostat, so that it shuts off automatically when the hot water is ready to dispense. This will reduce the load on your water heater and not increase your gas/electrical bill too much. It will take as much gas or electricity as needed to heat ~20 gallons of water from ambient temperature of the pipes to 120 F for each time the pump runs. Insulation would definitely help, but it won't keep the temp for long. The pump itself uses 60 Watts of power when it runs (verified with Kill-A-Watt).

The pumps with a thermostat also come with a timer and you can specify the time period in which the pump should operate, the time you need hot water the most (mornings and when you come back from work/school).

The first thing you need to do before installing the system is to pick the location of where the pump is going to be installed at. These are things to consider for the location:

  • has an electrical outlet
  • is used the most in the house
  • is furthest away from the water heater (either check your plumbing plans or time each faucet for how long it takes for the hot water to appear, this you need to do on different days for each faucet)
In my house all three of these happen to be my kitchen sink.


The actual installation is fairly simple. Turn off the water, connect the faucet hoses to the outflow connections on the pump and install new hoses from the water line to the inflow connections on the pump. Plug it in and you are all set. Turn on the water (both hot and cold) at the faucet to let the air out of the system.

I wanted to further reduce the load on my tankless water heater and plugged in the pump into a wifi (WeMo Switch)  enabled power outlet, so that I can control when the pump runs from my phone, and to turn off the system when nobody is home and we forgot to turn it off.

32 comments:

  1. Installing such a pump can save as much as 17000 gallons of water per year. Here is a diagram. Plumbing Judge

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are likewise occasions when we screen that the radiator begins setting aside a more extended opportunity to give boiling water. plumber Birkenhead

    ReplyDelete
  3. Finally, you need to comprehend the brilliant lead with regards to procuring a handyman or a circuit repairman.!
    www.drainblasters.co.nz

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am impressed by the quality of information on this website. There are a lot of good resources here. I am sure I will visit this place again soon. iron castings

    ReplyDelete

  5. This is very informative article. Thank you so much..! harneymfg

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am looking for and I love to post a comment that "The content of your post is awesome" Great work KP-LOK

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am unquestionably making the most of your site. You unquestionably have some extraordinary knowledge and incredible stories.  Tankless Lab

    ReplyDelete
  8. Extremely intriguing online journal. A lot of web journals I see nowadays don't generally give anything that I'm keen on, however I'm most definitely inspired by this one. Recently felt that I would post and let you know. gas transfer hose

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm constantly searching on the internet for posts that will help me. Too much is clearly to learn about this. I believe you created good quality items in Functions also. Keep working, congrats! fuel delivery hose

    ReplyDelete
  10. I personally like your post; you have shared good insights and experiences. Keep it up. Eccotemp-L5

    ReplyDelete
  11. One more strategy, which has for sure made individuals resort to it, is the water-channel method empowered by utilization of sump siphons. Obviously that the cost you bring about varies relying on the sorts of sump siphons utilized.
    sump pump installation

    ReplyDelete
  12. When you use a genuine service, you will be able to provide instructions, share materials and choose the formatting style. Warmtepompen

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good composed article. It will be steady to any individual who uses it, including me. Continue doing what you are doing – can'r hold up to peruse more posts. Seamless Gutters Raleigh NC

    ReplyDelete
  14. Extraordinary things you've generally imparted to us. Simply continue written work this sort of posts.The time which was squandered in going for educational cost now it can be utilized for studies.Thanks Seamless gutter contractors

    ReplyDelete
  15. Continuously remember quality and toughness. Warmtepomp

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love to read it,Waiting For More new Update and I Already Read your Recent Post its Great Thanks. Warmtepompen

    ReplyDelete
  17. You will likewise get 21 pence per kWh of power that you produce.Warmtepomp

    ReplyDelete
  18. The next seems to be such as undoubtedly wonderful. Each one of these small factors are made by utilizing quantity of basis attention. I like all of them substantially. click here

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is really nice to hear. thank you for the update and good luck. reliable tank line reviews

    ReplyDelete
  20. While picking an air conditioning for your home, you have to remember the amount you would need to spend and the amount you can bear to spend.Airco

    ReplyDelete
  21. Heat pumps can gather heat from air, water or ground and can use the equivalent to heat or cool your home. crompton greaves water heater

    ReplyDelete
  22. Along these lines on the off chance that you get the correct size you won't need to stress over your water warmer workaholic behavior itself, so it won't wear out to soon. Warmtepompen

    ReplyDelete
  23. The award relies upon your present fuel for heating, in the event that you don't have mains gas you can apply for an award of £850 towards your framework. lucht warmtepomp

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is very educational. There's this water recirculation pump at home which can be installed in simple steps. You might want to check WaterQuick Pro https://waterquickpro.com.

    ReplyDelete
  25. While your normal electric gadget will commonly never surpass 100%.Warmtepomp

    ReplyDelete
  26. In the correct conditions and atmosphere, evaporative coolers, can give cost powerful cooling. manutenção de ar condicionado

    ReplyDelete
  27. By keeping your air conditioner channel line clear you will lessen the requirement for air conditioning administration and flood issues which can bring about water harm. Airco

    ReplyDelete
  28. Nice to be visiting your blog again, it has been months for me. Well this article that i've been waited for so long. I need this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has same topic with your article. Thanks, great share. hot showers open up your airways

    ReplyDelete
  29. In winter, when we get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and find cold water instead of hot water, we find it no less than a torment. I do not want my children to face this kind of situation, so I have decided to follow your advice. Assignment Writing Service

    ReplyDelete
  30. Most of us take for granted the contemporary comfort of having hot water. You might be curious to learn more about hot water recirculating pumps, though, if you've ever had to wait a few minutes for the water flowing from the faucet to warm up. These kinds of systems make sure that there is always a consistent flow of hot water available to come out of the tap right immediately, rather than just supplying hot water to your faucet when you call for it.

    bankstown electric hot water system

    ReplyDelete