I'm surprised that Temtrol deltaT's RedyTemp hot water circulator was left
out of the comparison. RedyTemp is a bit more costly but the technology is
far more advanced and efficient then the others in the comparison in my
opinion. Aside from the RedyTemp the systems in the comparison allow for
water consumption from the hot water line during cold water usage, flushing
toilet, watering lawn, etc. This is because the valves are normally open
or rely on exclusively on spring check valves to prevent bleedover. Using
cold water drops the pressure in the cold line to the point that
checkvalves do not prevent the energy loss or crossover. This is just one
of the major inefficiencies of these systems. RedyTemp uses a solenoid
valve which only opens during active pumping and thereby preventing the
wasteful crossover of water from the hot water line into the cold water
line during cold water usage.
My concern with the hot water lobster is that since it depends on warm
water to close the valve to prevent crossover from occuring your home will
be "continuously" day and night bleeding water past the valve into the cold
water line and never giving your water heater a break. I'd have to compare
it to a owner leaving their car idling all throughout the night just so
that it's ready to go in the morning when it's time to go to work.
Hot water circulation technology has made great advances in the past ten
years. There are efficient, inefficient systems. There are systems which
work well and some that just don't work. There are many factors which
affect how well a system works in your home. But, one things for sure.
Install an inefficient system in your home and you'll be paying for the
waste or inefficiency every month.
Efficiency and comfort go hand in hand. The key to comfort and efficiency
is receiving hot water at your expected temperature so that you don't wait
and waste water down the drain. The less you wait the less water enters
your water heater. Without being able to adjust a circulation system to
deliver "your" perfect hot water instantly, you'll never be able to
maximize your comfort or the savings that come with a system that does.
Retro-Fit Recirculating Pump Comparison
Summary: Wondering if one home recirculating pump offers advantages over
another? Before you set up a hot water recirculating system, this
information may help you decide.
Related Articles: Water Heater Recirculating Pumps Video, Hot Water Recirculating Loop, Hot Water Recirculating System - Installation Tips, Hot Water Recirculating System, Gravity Hot Water Recirculating Loops
Retro-fit Recirculating Pump Manufacturers and Tips
Sean Dougherty, an individual who works for The MWW Group, a public relations firm, was kind enough to develop this cool comparison of retrofit hot water recirculating pumps:
www.metlund.com Metlund's product, the D'MAND, requires the pump and valve to operate together under the sink, which creates a secondary requirement for electricity under the sink where there is not usually an outlet. In addition, it requires the user to activate it to call for water - in residential applications this will typically be a pushbutton. Therefore, the system saves the water and energy but doesn't provide instant hot water. At Grundfos, we don't spend a lot of time talking about cost savings with this product because we recognize that with water costs strictly regulated, the dollars returned from the water savings are modest. We do stress the comfort (hence the name) because that is the main sales feature of this type of product
www.lainginc.com/instant.htm Laing's Autocirc product uses a similar concept to the Grundfos Comfort Instant Hot Water System but without the timer - creating a recirculation loop using existing hot and cold water pipes. Instead of using the thermally activated valve, Laing's pump turns on automatically whenever the hot water supply line water cools and replaces that water with hot water. Of course, this 24-hour operation means more electricity use and more heat constantly in the pipes. Absent excellent insulation, this will drive up cost of operation. In addition, the pump is positioned under the sink, not in the boiler room, increasing the odds that electrical work will be necessary in addition to the plumbing.
www.grundfos.com Here is the one. It is Tim Carter, me talking now. The water circulation system that eliminates cold water runoff at the faucet, using a bypass valve and pump with a timer to control water flow. (You can find the nearest distributor at the Grundfos USA web site.) No return line is needed. The bypass valve has a thermostat that senses when hot water has reached the farthest plumbing fixture. The timer on the pump allows you to control when hot water is at the fixtures you need it to be at and when! This is the real deal. I highly urge you to give the Grundfos Comfort Series Pump a serious look.
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Comments:
Richard 03 Apr 2008, 03:07
Gabriel 04 Apr 2008, 08:34
If the hot water circulator returns hot water via the cold supply lines,
then cold water use for drinking would partially be water that came from
your hot water tank. I thought that it was inadvisable to drink water
from the hot water tank. Is this true?
Thanks.
AsktheBuilder 08 Apr 2008, 15:06
Gabriel,
There is a temperature sensing valve that shut off the hot water once it gets to the remote faucet. You can drink hot water in your house. It normally has a bad taste, but it is not unhealthy.
Sandy Green 01 May 2008, 14:02
My house is 21 years old. Just bought it last year. The gas water heater
is 4 years old. Its takes forever for hot water to reach my master bath on
the other side of the house. Lots of water running down the drain as I
wait for the hot stuff to come through to take a shower or wash my face in
the bathroom sink. I've been told a Grundfos recirculation pump would be a
tremendous help. Can you tell me exactly what model would work best?
Thank you!
Katherine 29 May 2008, 10:34
I would be very careful about the positive comments made about the Hot
Water Lobster Instant Hot Water Valve. The same poster, Tony, has entered
basically the same thing on all the websites i've visited about 'instant
hot water' types of equipment. I suspect he either works for the company
or has some other financial interest in this product.
Sandy Green 29 May 2008, 10:41
I ended up purchasing and installing a Grundfos recirculation pump and I
couldnt be more pleased with the product, performance and efficiency.
Brett Gidney 19 Jun 2008, 10:40
Any ideas on the Grundfos Alpha+ versus the Grundfos Comfort for
recirculation?
Randy 27 Jun 2008, 09:48
hello,
i went to the Grundfos website. can any one give me insight on which one to choose? http://www.grundfos.com/web/HomeUs.nsf/Webopslag/PAVA-56TMVA for example do it need one "with Built-In Check Valve" thanks for any insight, if someone can give me the part# that they bought and installed i would appreciate it
Sandy 27 Jun 2008, 10:27
Randy,
I ordered the Grundfos UP15-10SU7PTLC. Check out www.thefaucetconnection.com They are selling it for $187.20 which is the cheapest I've found it selling for anywhere. I shopped around for a plumber as well and found someone to install it for $75. Took him less than an hour. It works great !
Eric G 18 Jul 2008, 16:50
I tried the Grunphos and it shot our gas bill up over $100 more a month.
After doing some research we discovered that the comfort valves that
install under the sinks apparently open up whenever the hot water in the
pipes cool. I didn't like the idea of my hot and cold pipes connected
with a valve that stays open all night. I suspected that might be the
cause for the high gas bills. So I tried a different circulator and our
bills went down $50 dollars a month.
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