Hot Water Recirculating
Convenience and conservation are here now. You know what it's like to run the tap and wait for the shower to heat up before stepping in. Waiting for hot water is inconvenient and it wastes time and money. With a hot water recirculation system, the comfort of hot water in an instant and the elimination of water waste are a turn of the knob away.
Hot water recirculation means a continuous flow of hot water in the hot water supply line of your home. Without a "recirc" system, unused hot water in the line cools and must be evacuated before hot water from your hot water heater can reach the desired faucet. As a result, gallons of water are wasted – and so is your time.
New Construction – Return Line
During construction of a new home, a dedicated
return line is installed between the end of the hot
water supply line and the water heater. A circulator
pump is installed at the point where the return line
connects to the hot water tank. The circulator pushes
heated water from the tank through the supply line
and back through the return line.
Retrofit – By-pass
This system uses the cold water supply line as the "return-line" to the water heater. A circulator pump
is used to create a pressure differential that allows
the cold and cool water in the hot water supply line
to by-pass (at low volume) into the cold supply line
through a patented thermostatically controlled valve
that is mounted under the sink furthest from the
water heater.
Homeowners today are constantly seeking improvements to their lifestyle. Dishwashers, garbage disposals, microwave ovens, electric garage door openers – all once considered optional home features are now standard. No wait hot water is destined to become another one of these standard features. Home builders and plumbing contractors are making HWR a feature that not only adds value to the home, but delivers the comfort and convenience of instant hot water that should be expected. Imagine turning on a shower and getting hot water immediately. Why wait while cold water is going down the drain?
How many stop to think what happens to the 2-3 gallons that run down the drain during the wait? Those gallons of water are wasted, and in an average household that takes four showers per day, that can add up to thousands of gallons per year. Multiplied by a subdivision of 300 homes, a community can have millions of gallons of water go down the drain into the sewer system every, single year. Hot water recirculation means hot water in an instant without unnecessary waste. Payback will result from the reduction of water usage, and water waste.
Fresh water is a precious natural resource that is slowly being depleted. In many parts of the world, stringent water conservation is already a part of everyday life. Even in the U.S., rising population and arid climates in some Western states have resulted in higher costs and stronger focus on water conservation. Hot water recirculation is a cost-effective method of controlling any additional waste of water.
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