My friend has to let the faucet run awhile to get warm water. I told her that our hot-water tank has a device that keeps circulating the water in the pipes so it’s always hot. (It also keeps some of the floor tiles nice and warm.)
She never knew that such a thing exists, and I don’t know what it’s really called; I just kept referring to it as “the recirc device.”
Can you tell me what the recirc thing is really called, and is it very expensive? Does it use a lot of electricity?
Thanks,
Janet
Replies
Re-circulation pump is what you are thinking of. To retro-fit one to an existing system can be very expensive. Too many questions, is the hot water line exposed near the faucet?, how far is the water heater from that point?, what faucet are we talking about?. If we are talking about a vanity a point of use heater would be a lot cheaper. Its hard to give you a straight answer without being there. Costs are local. I think that you should get someone from the area to look at the situation. Sorry I can't help more. Luck.
Having lived in Germany, my friend is familiar with point-of-use heaters. I had looked into those a few years ago, and talk about expensive retrofitting! Anyway, the lack of a recirculation pump affects her entire house. She's the first one to shower in the morning, and the water never gets warm enough until she's almost finished. Makes me wonder if the dishwasher has to use water that is too cool.Last year I hired a plumber to replace the water heater in my house. To save time, I drained the water before they arrived--but didn't think of turning off the recirculation pump. The plumbers warned me that running it dry could have fried the pump, and a new one would have cost around $200! But that was a plumber's price, and I figured my friend could install one on her heater for a lot less.Thank you for the information.Janet
Shacko is right - a recirc scheme can be expensive to retrofit. The hard part is snaking a return from the point of use to the water heater. If an attic or crawlsapce run is possible, then it becomes more feasible.
Another approach (which doesn't save any energy only time), is to install a timer and valve so that the required few gallons are dumped to the drain piping before she gets up in the morning. Then the hot water is ready and waiting.
Another variety moves the hot water to the cold side. So you don't waste the gallons, only the BTUs (which, however, cost more). In that way, you don't have to wait for hot to wash your face. You would have to wait for cold to brush your teeth.