Hot water for sinks/shower
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…
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.
Run the shower while you’re pooping.
I keep 2 gallon jugs in the bathroom & fill about 1 & a half each day while waiting for the hot water. I use the collected water to water plants or even fill the reservoir on the toilet after a flush. Minimal conservation but it makes me feel good.
Justinm,
“Head” just means resistance to flow and the height of the building has nothing to do with it.
The weight of the water the pump needs to lift is effectively countered by the weight of the water the pump returns to the water heater in a closed system.
If the pump can overcome 30 feet of head (that’s a lot) then that little Grundfos can certainly supply you with the 0.5 gallons per minute needed to deliver hot water efficiently to your farthest fixtures.
This is not a guess. This is me:
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com
Had I thought about this prior to renovating the top floor master bath, I would have looked into the smallest electric point of use heater I could find. I would have plumbed the hot water from the basement into it on its way to the shower. Instant hot water and once the hot water made it to the unit the point of use unit would cut off. Probably never break even financially, but instant hot water is a luxury — the same as my heated mirrors!
Yeah… I really see it as a tradeoff between wasting water and wasting heat in the pipes/pump. The pipes can be insulated and the pump uses hardly any electricity.
But it also is a question of convenience. On the top floor the faucet takes much longer because lower throughput. It’s just the shower that takes 30 seconds. What’s so wrong with wanting hot water shortly after I turn the hot water faucet on?
The wastage of water should be far less of a concern money wise than the wastage in energy for immediate heating. If your water bill is anything more than a mere fraction of your heating bill then something’s very wrong.
Dave – I’m sure that it’s not the inconvenience so much as the feeling that a lot of water is being wasted while waiting for the hot water to make it up three flights for each shower (not to mention the double digit rate increase on water use).
Is waiting 30 seconds for hot water that much of an inconvenience???? God, I pity your spouse or significant other.
All the other options you mentioned are going to waste energy.
So assuming the on-demand thing doesn’t work (no space for the unit) and I don’t want to take cold showers in the middle of the winter…
Point is that newer houses have the option of putting in a hot water return line so that convection can just keep the hot water flowing in the pipes. I’d have to tear up some walls to install new piping…