A hot water recirculating pump is a small device that is installed under your sink. It keeps hot water circulating through your plumbing so that you always have hot water when you need it. The pump has a small tank that stores hot water, and a sensor that tells the pump when to turn on and off.
How to Get Hot Water with a Recirculating Pump | Ask This Old House
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If you’ve ever been in a situation where you turned on your hot water only to find that it takes forever for the water to get warm, you may have wished for a hot water recirculating pump. These pumps are designed to help move hot water through your plumbing system so that it’s available whenever you need it. But how do they work?
Hot water recirculating pumps are installed near your water heater. A small loop of pipe is connected from the cold water inlet on the pump to the hot water outlet on the water heater. As the pump runs, it circulates cool water from the line back through the heater, warming it up.
This warmed water then circulated back through the pump and into your home’s plumbing system.
There are two types of hot water recirculating pumps – those with a dedicated return line and those without. Pumps with a dedicated return line have a second loop of piping that goes from the pump back to your home’s cold water supply line.
This allows for a continuous circulation of warmwater even when no faucets or fixtures are in use. Pumps without a dedicated return line only circulate when a faucet or fixture is turned on and stop circulating once it’s turned off again.
Installing a hot water recirculating pump can be a great way to save both money and energy by making sure that you always have hot water readily available when you need it.
How to Tell If Hot Water Recirculating Pump is Working
If your home has a hot water recirculating pump, you may be wondering how to tell if it’s working properly. Here are a few things to look for:
1. Check the circulation loop.
The first thing you’ll want to do is check the circulation loop that the recirculating pump is installed in. Make sure there are no leaks and that all connections are tight.
2. Listen for noise.
If your recirculating pump is working properly, you should hear a slight humming noise coming from it when it’s running. If you don’t hear any noise at all, or if the noise is very loud, then something may be wrong with your pump.
3. Feel for warmth.
Another way to tell if your recirculating pump is working properly is to feel for warmth coming from the pipes in your home. If you can feel heat emanating from the pipes, then chances are good that the recirculating pump is doing its job.
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Do Hot Water Recirculating Pumps Run Continuously?
The short answer is that yes, recirculating pumps typically run continuously. However, there are some newer models that have features that allow them to run only when needed.
Hot water recirculating pumps are designed to move hot water from the water heater to the fixtures quickly and efficiently.
By circulating hot water through the piping system, these pumps ensure that hot water is always available at the fixtures, eliminating the need to wait for hot water. This can save a significant amount of time and energy, particularly if you have a large family or entertain often.
Most recirculating pumps are installed under the sink nearest the furthest fixture from the water heater.
The pump is connected to both the cold and hotwater lines. A valve on the pump allows you to control how much mixing of cold and hotwater occurs. As hotwater moves throughthe piping system towardthe fixtures, some of it cools offand is sent backto the waterheater via the cold-water line connectionon the pump.
Many homes with tankless water heaters also use a recirculating pump because it provides instant access to near-boiling temperatures without having to wait for long periods of time for heating elements in an electric model or gas burner in a gas model to do their job heating up stored gallons ofhot water.
Are Hot Water Recirculation Pumps Worth It?
There are many factors to consider when trying to determine if a hot water recirculation pump is worth the investment. The upfront cost of the pump and installation can be expensive, but the long-term savings on your energy bill may make it worth the initial investment. Additionally, the convenience of always having hot water at your fingertips whenever you need it can be invaluable.
If you have a large family or frequently entertain guests, a hot water recirculation pump can save you a lot of time and money. Instead of waiting for the hot water to travel all the way from the water heater to your faucet, you can have instant access to steaming hot water. This can be a huge time saver, especially in the morning when everyone is trying to get ready for work or school at the same time.
In addition to saving time, a hot water recirculation pump can also save you money on your energy bill. By circulatinghot water through your pipes instead of letting it sit idle in them, you can reduce heat loss and lower your overall energy usage. Over time, this could lead to significant savings on your monthly utility bills.
So, are hot water recirculation pumps worth it? That depends on your individual needs and budget. If you think you could benefit from having instant access to hot water and want to reduce your energy costs, then it might be worth investing in a pump.
However, if neither of those things are concerns for you, then you may want to stick with traditional heating methods.
How Do You Plumb a Recirculating Hot Water System?
A recirculating hot water system is a plumbing system that moves hot water from the water heater to the fixtures in your home. This type of system is beneficial because it can save you money on your energy bill and provide you with instant hot water. In order to plumb a recirculating hot water system, you will need to install a pump near your water heater.
The pump will circulate the hot water through the pipes in your home and back to the water heater. You will also need to install a check valve in the piping system so that the hot water does not flow back into the cold water line.
How Long Should a Recirculating Pump Run?
A recirculating pump should generally run for around 15-20 minutes at a time. This will ensure that the water in your system is circulating properly and not sitting stagnant. If you have a larger system, you may need to run the pump for longer periods of time.
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Conclusion
A hot water recirculating pump is a device that helps to circulate hot water throughout your home. This can be beneficial in a number of ways, including reducing the amount of time it takes to get hot water from your taps and helping to conserve energy by keeping the water at a consistent temperature. There are a few different types of recirculating pumps on the market, but they all work in essentially the same way.
