| What is a recirc pump? It's a circulating pump | | | | A more recent innovation in the residential water |
| normally used in large residential plumbing layouts | | | | distribution arena is the demand system which |
| where it would take much too long to get hot | | | | provides you with quick hot water without running |
| water by just running the faucet. Replacing the | | | | water down the drain. With this type of system |
| recirc with a demand system will save water as | | | | you push a button when you want hot water, a |
| well as energy. | | | | pump comes on pumping the heated water to |
| Traditionally, the hot water piping had a pipe | | | | the fixture at high speed, and when it reaches the |
| connected from the last fixture on the main | | | | fixture it shuts off. |
| water run back to the water heater with a pump | | | | Most recirc systems won't work with most |
| at the far end of the dedicated return line. The | | | | tankless water heaters since they do not produce |
| nice thing about circulating systems are the instant | | | | enough flow to turn on the water heater. Most |
| heated water available at the fixtures, and you | | | | demand systems will turn on tankless water |
| save a lot of water that would otherwise be run | | | | heaters and are compatible with them. This is nice |
| down the drain. | | | | since tankless water heaters typically increase the |
| The downside is that the system is a huge | | | | wait time for hot water by 10 to 20 seconds. |
| waster of energy. Keeping the hot water piping | | | | You have instant hot water when you turn on |
| full of hot water requires both pumping energy, | | | | the tap, you didn't have to wait as long as if you |
| and it requires that the water heater fires more | | | | had run the faucet at full blast, and you didn't run |
| often to keep replacing the heat being lost from | | | | any water down the drain while you waited. |
| the piping system. | | | | If you want your hot water during some time |
| A residential plumbing layout is like a big car | | | | interval, say from 8:00 am to 9:00 am, you can |
| radiator. It continually cools off the heated water | | | | simply tell the demand system to turn on every |
| being re-circulated by the recirc system. | | | | 10 or 15 minutes. If the water has cooled off the |
| The amount of wasted energy can be reduced | | | | demand system will turn on and start pumping |
| by reducing the amount of time the system runs. | | | | again. If the water is still hot the demand system |
| It could be turned off late at night and then back | | | | won't do anything. |
| on early in the morning. Perhaps if no one is home | | | | You always have the option of pressing a button |
| during the day it could be turned off as well. | | | | at any time and thus you never have to waste |
| In these unexpected usages one ends up running | | | | any water. Demand system pumps are very |
| precious potable water down the drain. In large | | | | cheap to operate, typically using less than $1.00 |
| homes with long pipe runs and large pipe | | | | worth of electricity per year. Some models are |
| diameters that can be a whole lot of water and a | | | | available for less than $200. |
| whole lot of time waiting for it. | | | | Be green and convert your recirc system into a |
| Enter the hot water demand system - A greener | | | | hot water demand system and save energy, and |
| way to save water! | | | | money, as well as time and water! |