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We just moved into a 3 story 2.5 bath brownstone. The hot water takes about 30 seconds to reach the shower and even longer for the smaller faucets (b/c the pipe has to empty of cold water before the heater water gets there). I feel like we’re wasting water every morning and would like to have the convenience of quick hot water for the shower. I’ve looked at “comfort pumps” which use the cold water line as a return line and keep recirculating hot water from the heater, but noticed most are designed for long houses and not high ones. I talked specifically with a person at a plumbing supply store and he said the max “head” for the pump is about 30 feet, close to which the pump can’t handle the water. My question is: has anyone had these installed without getting a specific hot water return line. If so, which model (we heard grundfos is the best). Any recommendations from a plumber would be helpful as to what the options are for a tall house (3 stories) and not wanting to tear apart the walls to put a return line in.

Does everyone else just wait for the hot water? I’m assuming this is common on all the older building with dated plumbing.