Water Heater Recirculating Pumps Video

Tim, I installed a hot water recirc pump and we have been totally satisfied! An aquaintance told me about their long wait for hot water and I reccomended the same DIY system we put in. He paid a plumber to do the job but called to say it didn't work. I looked at his installation and discovered the PRO installed the bypass valve backward. A call to the plumber solved his problem and they are thrilled with the results! Thanks for the great tip!

I like the idea of a timer, but our weekend use (like most working households) is very different from our weekday use. Would it be more flexible to just buy a pump and plug it into a digital timer control at the power outlet?

Doesn't having a recirculation pump erase the benefit of a tankless water heater (the energy savings)? I can see maybe having a programmable pump for the morning when most of the family takes a shower.

#2: Can a switch be added to the pump so it can be manually turned on whenever you want the water?

Thanks,

Jim

I had a recirc pump put on my hot water heater which is in my garage. It seems to work sometimes but at ;other times I wait for the hot water just like I usede to before installation. My plumber has no comment.
Should I run it all day?

We have a recirculation pump and we were not getting hot water quicky in the house. The plumber came out and replaced the pump, but it still takes 1 1/2 minutes to over 2 minutes to get hot water to specific places in our home. What could some of the other problems be since we did just have the pump replaced?

Tim, We have a hot water pump in the house we just bought. The previous owner installed the bypass valve in the master bathroom and not at the furthest sink away from the hot water tank. We still have to wait for 1-2 minutes for the hot water to get to the master shower and 2-3 minutes for the guest bath (furthest from tank)Is it because the return valve was not placed at the furthest sink away, should I move it there? In our old house we installed a pump and DID NOT install the return valve, nothing put inside the house, just the pump on the tank and it worked great. What, if any is the problem with not installing a return vavle? We have our pump hooked up to a switch in the kitchen we turn on a few minutes before we shower, so there is no waste. Thanks for your help

Tim,
I bought a 25 year old house last year that had a hot water recirculation system and I thought it was a great feature. However, I'm beginning to think it's a potential disaster. I've had two instances of pipe bursts in the hot water line over the last year. In both instances the pipe itself had pin hole leaks that turned into ruptures. Both were in 3/4" copper supply lines. The pressure reduction valve is set to 40 Lbs and functioning properly so I don't have excess pressure issues. The pipes are wrapped with foam insulation to retain the heat so I never saw their condition when I bought the house. They all show signs of green oxidization and pitting on the exterior while the cold water lines are pristine. Based on this, I have to conclude this is related to the pump and the insulation. Have you ever heard of this situation before? While instant hot water is a major plus, having the potential of needing to replace all copper hot water plumbing in your house after a period of time (maybe 20 years) is a huge expense and highly disruptive. Fortunately the first rupture over the dinette area was caught quickly and the only damage was replacement of the entire ceiling in that area. Consider the impact if no one was home. Any thoughts or experiences in this area would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

I have a recirculationg system on my house and I love it. I've noticed lately though that at night or when the hot water is not used for a long period of time that the water is warm not hot, like cold water has gone into the hot water tank and cooled down the entire tank. The circulating pump is probably 17 years old so I am wondering if the pump is going bad or is it something else?

I would like to know how many hours can I run grundfus system in 24hrs. and how many hrs at a time?Thanks
Mark.

Have you ever used the Hot Water Lobster? It's just the control valve with a thermostat that uses the natural convection of the hot water heater i.e. hot always flows to cold.

I would like to know.

Thanks

Tim -

I am doing an addition on the opposite side of the house away from the water heater. If a person didn't want warm water coming out of their cold supply lines in the morning, could they use this Grundfos timed pump (either below the sink or above the water heater) and loop it back to either the gate valve at the base of the hw heater (with modifications to include an additional valve) or cold water supply at the top of the hw heater with a one way flow regulator on either. The reason for doing it below my sink in the addition is that there isn't a 3-prong anywhere near my hw heater and would integrate an outlet below the sink in my addition.

Thanks for all the articles!

we just bought a new home, but it seams to take a while for the hot water to reach whatever faucet is in use. there is a small (looks to be a 1/2 line) cooper line above the water heater in our garage near ther other lines running to the house. does this line connect with a recirc pump? if so, then what is the purpose of the 1/2 line. and how does it connect with the existing hot water line. i am a very handy person when it comes to the house. but i have never installed a pump before. any edvice would be great. thank you

Will the recirculation pump cause copper pipes to burst over a few years? I noticed Steve Mayer (above comments) said it did in his house. What do YOU say? We had a plumber install one in our home a few years ago but have had no problems so far.

Seems that using the cold water line for the return in a hot water recirculation sytem would put Hot water in the cold line. Then must wait for cold water?

I have a Grandfos recalculating pump installed on my hot water line and it has increased my gas bill substantially because it pumps my hot water through my home and when it returns it has naturally decreased the temperature of the water causing my water heater to run continually. I need a in-house switch so that I will be able to turn this pump on or off manually to control the time when I will need hot water to be circulated through my homes hot water loop. Here is the problem I need a switch that can be used around my home that can do this wirelessly. Do you have a solution?

Process of recirculation in residential high rise building.

Hi Tim,
I saw your video and read the email comments. I would like to have hot water in my shower when needed, however, some of the people stated that they are still waiting for 2 minutes for hot water in the shower.

I already have that without a pump.
Is there a pump brand that you recommend that will give us hot water on demand.
Thanks,
Jack

I LIKE THE GRUNDFOS PUMP THE BEST
IF YOU DONT SEE A PYPASS IT MAY WELL BE BECAUSE YOU HAVE A TRUE FULL REC SYST INSTALLED THE BEST WAY BUT MOST EXPENCIVE WAY, THE PUMP CAN BE RUN 24/7 I HAVE REC SYST INSTALLED 15 YRS AGO STILL GOING STRONG, I DO TELL MY CUSTOMERS TO JUST GET A TIMER THAT PLUGS IN TO THE WALL,I HAVE ALSO AN A CUST HAD BOUGHT A REMOTE TIMER FROM RADIO SHACK WHEN SHE GET UP IN THE AM SHE TURNS IT ON . ONE THING TO REMEMBER THAT WILL SAVE YOU SOME MONEY, WHEN EVER YOU TURN OFF THE WATER TO THE HOUSE UNPLUG YOUR PUMP

I am considering a hot water recirculation pump and have the same issue at two locations in my home, long delays at two far corners of the house with plumbing. Should I use two bypass valves?