| Do you have to stand naked and shivering waiting | | | | In the winter it will take longer than in the |
| for the shower to get hot? Why does it | | | | summer, since the ambient temperature will be |
| take so darned long to get hot water to the | | | | lower. The colder the ambient |
| fixture? | | | | temperature the more heat the pipe will suck out |
| There are a number of variables involved in | | | | of the water and so the longer it will |
| getting the hot water from your water heater to | | | | take. Insulating the pipes does help a little. |
| your fixtures. Obviously the distance | | | |  In the old days you could get shower |
| from the water heater to the fixtures is a major | | | | heads that would permit flows of over 7 gallons |
| factor in how long it takes to get hot water. | | | | per minute…but now days |
| Another important factor is what kind of pipe is | | | | everything is low flow. Most showers |
| used in your plumbing system? Is it | | | | now are limited to 2 gallons per minute and many |
| galvanized iron pipe, copper pipe, copper tubing, | | | | faucets are below 1 gallon per minute. |
| plastic pipe or maybe some kind of plastic | | | | This adds significantly to the time it takes to get |
| tubing? | | | | hot water. |
| Since the material that the pipe is made out of | | | | There are ways to speed up the delivery of hot |
| can absorb heat from the water it is important as | | | | water to your fixtures. Use a |
| well. Other factors include whether or not | | | | pump. A number of manufacturers offer |
| the pipes are insulated, the ambient temperature | | | | various types of hot water pumping systems |
| around the piping, and the speed of the water | | | | designed to provide speedy hot water to your |
| through the pipe. | | | | fixtures. |
| One last thing to consider is what type of water | | | | The oldest style system just uses a pump to |
| heater you have. If you have a storage | | | | circulate hot water in a loop, through the hot |
| type water heater where there is a big tank full | | | | water piping and back to the water |
| of hot water just waiting to fill the pipes, you will | | | | heater. With that type of system you |
| get it much faster than if you have a tankless | | | | have nearly instant hot water. However, |
| water heater. The tankless heater has to | | | | the circulating hot water loses a lot of heat |
| first heat the water, before it can send it to you, | | | | energy so it's expensive to run. Another |
| increasing how long it takes. | | | | problem is that usually running a pipe from the last |
| A gallon of water will fill 63 feet of  | | | | fixture back to the water heater is very |
| ½ inch galvanized iron pipe, 36 feet | | | | expensive. |
| of  ¾ inch galvanized pipe, | | | | Another option is a demand type hot water |
| or 20 feet of 1 inch galvanized | | | | system. With a demand type system the |
| pipe. In the case of type K copper pipe, a | | | | cold water piping is used as the return line back to |
| gallon of water will fill 88 feet of ½ | | | | the water heater. When you want hot |
| inch pipe, and 44 feet of ¾ inch | | | | water you "demand" it by pressing a |
| pipe. | | | | button. The pump turns on and circulates |
| This means that if you run your faucet at 2 | | | | the water through the piping until hot water |
| gallons per minute, and you have 1 inch galvanized | | | | reaches the pump. When the hot water |
| pipe, the water will travel 41 feet per | | | | reaches the pump it shuts off to prevent filling |
| minute. However, if you have | | | | the cold water lines with hot water. Now |
| ½ inch type K copper pipe, the | | | | you have instant hot water when you turn on the |
| water will travel 176 feet per minute, quite a | | | | tap or shower, and you did not wastefully run |
| difference. | | | | water down the drain while you waited. |
| So the smaller the diameter of the pipe, the | | | | With the right pump, the hot water can get to |
| faster the hot water will reach the fixture, given | | | | the fixture twice as fast as normal too. |
| the same flow rate. Since galvanized pipe | | | | If you have to wait for lengthy periods to get |
| has a much thicker wall than the copper pipe and | | | | your hot water, then by using a hot water |
| is much heavier, it will absorb more heat energy | | | | pumping system you will save time, water and |
| from the hot water as the water flows through it. | | | | energy. Some such systems claim water |
| So if you have galvanized pipe it will take longer | | | | saving of up to 10,000 gallons a year for a family |
| for you to get hot water than if you had copper | | | | of four. |
| pipe of the same length. | | | | |