Takes long time for hot water to reach back of villa

[starflyte1]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

[retiredguy123]

There are several other threads on this topic. Do a search. But, the only real fix is to hire a plumber to install a recirculating system that will continually circulate hot water through your piping system. Mike Scott Plumbing can do it. It will cost several hundred dollars to install. However, you will use more electricity for the water heater and the recirculating pump. You will use less water, but water is pretty cheap. I think most people do it for the convenience, not to save money. Good luck.

[rjm1cc]

Do some research on Amazon for recirculating pump to get an idea of what it does.
Be sure you get one with a timer or plug it into a timer. You do not want to run it when you do not need it.
The pump is located on top of the hot water tank and pumps hot water into the home. A value in the master bath will direct the hot water to the cold water pipe and back to the hot water tank. Thus the cold water side is also warm or hot if the pump runs for a couple of minutes.
A smart plug will let you turn the pump on and off with a computer or your smart phone could be use to turn the pump on a minute or two before you wanted hot water.
You will need an electrical outlet by the hot water tank.
Just a guess. You could be in the $500 range. A handyman should be able to install as far as skill level goes.

[Dana1963]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

Available thru Lowe’s, Home Depot and Amazon. INSTALL: Watts Hot Water Recirculation Pump - Instant Hot Water - YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JXTuYuQjTSk)

[Stu from NYC]

It can take a minute or so for the water to get hot in the front bathroom.

We live with it.

[vintageogauge]

If you have two sinks put both of them on and it will get thee quickly using the same amount of water.

[CWGUY]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

:shocked: Nearly 13 years on TOTV and over 1600 posts..... and you never read about this? Subject comes up several times a year. :icon_wink:

[JoelJohnson]

Saw a couple of YouTubes on this. One was from This Old House, it was a pump that connects the hot water to the cold under the sink. It needs power, so you need to have a plug installed, but it has a button that starts the process and a a sensor in the unit stops it when it gets to right temp.

[starflyte1]

:shocked: Nearly 13 years on TOTV and over 1600 posts..... and you never read about this? Subject comes up several times a year. :icon_wink:
Sorry I bothered you.

[camaguey48]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.
Recirculating pump. $200.00 at Home Depot. I get hot water in twenty seconds or less. Saved lots of $$ because I installed it. Took me thirty.minutes. Sorry, Mike Scott plumbing.

[tophcfa]

Sorry I bothered you.

It's OK, don't take it personal, poster is bothered very easily, happens all the time.

We have the same problem with the hot water to our guest bathroom. The solution will cost way more than the ultimate savings in your water and water heating bill, so we just turn on the hot water and wait a couple of minutes for it to reach the longer run in the hot water line. :)

[EdFNJ]

:1rotfl:Recirculating pump. $200.00 at Home Depot. I get hot water in twenty seconds or less. Saved lots of $$ because I installed it. Took me thirty.minutes. Sorry, Mike Scott plumbing. Yup. Plastic pipe is a pleasure to work with and cheap. I even lucked out with electric because there was an outlet within cords length of the pump. Took me about an hour and a half because my glue was all dried out and I had to run to Lowes to get new. Didn't do it for cost savings but simply for the convenience and because I can do it myself. I don't smoke so all the money I have saved on cigarettes over my life covered the cost. :1rotfl:

[CWGUY]

Sorry I bothered you.

:) You didn't bother me at all. Maybe the other way around. I simply asked a question...... I think that may have bothered you. If you do a simple search on this site you will get all your answers. :ho:

[camaguey48]

:1rotfl: Yup. Plastic pipe is a pleasure to work with and cheap. I even lucked out with electric because there was an outlet within cords length of the pump. Took me about an hour and a half because my glue was all dried out and I had to run to Lowes to get new. Didn't do it for cost savings but simply for the convenience and because I can do it myself. I don't smoke so all the money I have saved on cigarettes over my life covered the cost. :1rotfl:
I'm glad you agree. I mention the recirculation pump and the benefits and convenience it provides and folks don't know anything about it. If the glue had not dried, thirty minutes tops. All new construction should have it. I suggest that folks get estimates. If they get the pump and a plumber installs it, it shouldn't take more than an hour. I'm glad I have one.

[HeleneGB]

We all do.

[DaleDivine]

Kiley & Sons does it for less than $500.
:coolsmiley::a040:

[Just jimmy]

For the shower or tub. Fill a bucket with the water before it gets hot and use it to water your flowers. No waste.

[McIntosh Apple]

We collect the cold water in a pail until the water is warm. We then use the cold water to flush the toilet or water the flowers. It is a waste to let it go down the drain - water is a precious commodity. What we have on earth is all we have - there is not any more being made.

[KayKay100]

We thought about the water heaters but the expense was prohibitive so we fill our plastic jugs with the cold shower water and use it to water our plants on our lanai. Hope this helps.
K

[angelscelebrate]

I take a 2 gal garden sprinkler pot and collect the sadly wasted water for my garden when showering.

[davem4616]

It can take a minute or so for the water to get hot in the front bathroom.

We live with it.

We have a stretch Gardenia model...took forever to get hot water at the kitchen sink and guest bathroom.

We installed the circulating pump, set the timer for it to work from 6am to 8pm and have had no issues for years now

[Proveone]

Don't put a circulating pump on the water heater unless you manually turn it on and off when you take a shower. Even with a timer it cost too much to circulate. Try running the hot water in the guest bath first or the kitchen sink. They make circulating mechanisms for the master bath sink that might help.

[lawgolfer]

Buy the Watts brand pump for approx. $200 at Lowe's, Home Depot, or Amazon. It is made by the same company which sells its branded pump for double the price.

If you are at all handy with tools, you can install it yourself. The hardest part is that you will be lying on your back and inside the cabinet under the sink to install the diversion valve.

Four points:

1. You will need an electric outlet near the water heater for the pump.

2. buy new washers for the connections of the pump to the outlet tube and the flex line on the water heater and use lots of teflon tape dope.

3. While you're at it and are working on the water heater, replace the anode on the water heater. This is the $30 part which prevents your tank from rusting. No one ever thinks to replace these, which last a maximum of 5 years. Also drain and flush the tank.

4. In a Villa home, I expect you will only need one diversion valve placed at the sink furthest from the water heater. On other models, you may need two diversion valves as the hot water line is branched or split, with one branch running to the guest bath and the other to the master bath. I just learned this as I had a Watts system installed in our Gardenia model. When finished I had instant hot water in the guest bath, but not in the master. I bought a second diversion valve for $60 from HD. The remodeling contractor had installed the pump and first diversion valve. I crawled under the sink in the master and installed the second diversion valve myself. It's not complicated, but very tiring to lie on your back and work overhead making connections between water lines.

[jimbo2012]

Take a bucket see how much water it takes to get warm, usually only 2-3 gallons

It seems like more but it's not worth the investment in a pump,

How much does a gallon actually cost vs pump etc?

[Jimgrirrin]

Go to Home Depot and get a circulating pump for water heater, about $250.00

[meridian5850]

We collect the cold water in a pail until the water is warm. We then use the cold water to flush the toilet or water the flowers. It is a waste to let it go down the drain - water is a precious commodity. What we have on earth is all we have - there is not any more being made.


Um, more gets "made" every time it rains. Or snow melts. :ohdear:

[NY2TV]

:shocked: Nearly 13 years on TOTV and over 1600 posts..... and you never read about this? Subject comes up several times a year. :icon_wink:

Not everyone reads this every day and I doubt most read every thread. I did a search and the last thread I didn't find anything recent about this. So I appreciated the question and the informative answers given here (but not the snarky ones).

[Bill Torres]

Sorry I bothered you.
I don't think you needed to apologize, some people just live with a chip on their shoulder.
Un real!

[retiredguy123]

Take a bucket see how much water it takes to get warm, usually only 2-3 gallons

It seems like more but it's not worth the investment in a pump,

How much does a gallon actually cost vs pump etc?
A gallon of potable water costs about 0.7 cents. So, you can run your 2.5 GPM shower for a minute for less than 2 cents, which should be enough time to get it hot. If you are impatient, turn on the sink faucet and shower, and you should have hot water in less than 30 seconds. For 2 showers per day, that is about 15 dollars per year. If you install a recirculating pump, you will be paying for electricity to operate the pump. And, your water heater will use more electricity to maintain hot water in the pipes. In terms of cost, it is a losing investment, especially when you factor in the initial cost for the recirculating hot water system.

[DeanFL]

.
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yes recirc pump is the way to go. We had Mike Scott Plumbing install ours 6 years ago. For us - it's a "Quality of Life" thing. Small price to pay for convenience of almost instant hot water. Ours - every faucet/shower etc. 2 seconds and viola' hot water. We have the timer on the pump go on from 7am-11:30pm.
.
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[JanetMM]

Um, more gets "made" every time it rains. Or snow melts. :ohdear:

Sorry but the water that exists now is the same water that existed before. It is just “recycled”. No new water is created. That is why we are taught in school (or should be) about the water cycle. That is why it is so important not to taint our water supply.

[retiredguy123]

Don't put a circulating pump on the water heater unless you manually turn it on and off when you take a shower. Even with a timer it cost too much to circulate. Try running the hot water in the guest bath first or the kitchen sink. They make circulating mechanisms for the master bath sink that might help.
If you turn the recirculating pump on and off when you take a shower, you will defeat the purpose of having the pump.

[Mohawksin]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

Before you do anything, check at the water heater that the temp setting is as high as federal, state, and local laws and common sense allow. Set the temp as high as as you can. Wait 30 minutes. Go to the to 'offending' hot water outlet. Turn only the hot on and see if that helps the situation. Also, turn on a nearby hot water outlet for more improvement.

[oemsp1]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

Had the same issue with a CV in McClure. Moved to a Veranda in Hawkins and problem solved. Almost instant hot water in the shower.

[daveac83]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

Check out the Watts recirculating pump system at Home Depot. Plumber can install it.

[croughwell]

I have a circulating pump attached the my water heater that send the hot water to my sink which is forward of the shower. Always have immediate hot water.

[Pamelah]

:shocked: Nearly 13 years on TOTV and over 1600 posts..... and you never read about this? Subject comes up several times a year. :icon_wink:
Did it occur to you the OP has not been here 13 years?
Even if they’ve been here that long your comment was rude.

[emb2458]

Don't know where water is cheap. Highest water bills here than anywhere I have ever lived in. Especially irrigation. Never thought recycled water could be so expensive.

[retiredguy123]

Don't know where water is cheap. Highest water bills here than anywhere I have ever lived in. Especially irrigation. Never thought recycled water could be so expensive.
Potable water costs 0.7 cents per gallon. You won't save money with a recirculating pump. See Post No. 28.

[Curtisbwp]

Of course when the water heater is on the otherside on the house it will take longer.

[Stu from NYC]

We have a stretch Gardenia model...took forever to get hot water at the kitchen sink and guest bathroom.

We installed the circulating pump, set the timer for it to work from 6am to 8pm and have had no issues for years now

Dave you got me thinking so timed the faucet in the guest bathroom.

45 seconds for lukewarm water and about 65 seconds for hot water. Works for us and thanks for the info.

[HiHoSteveO]

I post this link every few months.
Ask Pablo: Will a "Water-Saving" Hot Water Recirculation Pump Really Save Me Money? (https://www.treehugger.com/ask-pablo-will-a-water-saving-hot-water-recirculation-pump-really-save-me-money-4858682)

[DAVES]

Sorry I bothered you.

Living in the villages is never having to say you are sorry Oops that was a different movie.

My view, with so many people I do not care what offensive people think. People who post offensive things are themselves weak and have a need to assure themselves, on a regular basis that they are superior to what they truly are.

[DAVES]

I have a Baja floorplan courtyard villa. It takes a long time to get hot water in master bath. Really wastes a lot.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Is there a fix?

Who do I call?

Thanks. I appreciate any serious replies.

Like most things it is cost, vs how big a problem is it. Yes, there is a cost to having the water run till it hits your shower. Others have suggested one of those calculator systems. They cost you for the install. They cost you to run. They cost you to repair as necessary. Perhaps, not thought of that hot water in the pipes will heat your living space. You will pay more to air condition your home.

Is it worth it? Freedom to chose. Another option is an electric powered heater close to where you are using the hot water. Again cost to install, maintain. run. About as minimal heating of your home that your ac will bill to pump out.

[DAVES]

Potable water costs 0.7 cents per gallon. You won't save money with a recirculating pump. See Post No. 28.

Interesting. I've not looked at our water bill in a while. I expect it is different in other parts of the villages. I believe we pay by the cubic yard not by the gallon. It is of course easy to discover how to covert cubic yards to gallons.

Where we are as you use more the price per ????? actually goes up.

[coffeebean]

We have a Watts recirculating pump connected to our hot water heater. The installation was a couple hundred, I think, not much more than that. We have it "connected" to our kitchen faucet which is midway on the plumbing line and to the hall bathroom which is the furthest from the hot water heater. The pump has a timer so I have it set to run starting at 6:00 am and turn off at 10:00pm.

I could not live without this Watts pump and I know I'm spoiled!!! I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the convenience of hot water right away in these locations that are further from the hot water heater. My other two water locations in our home are close to the hot water heater so no need in the laundry room or our master bathroom.

The one drawback of the pump is that it takes a couple of minutes to clear the line of the hot water so if you need cold water on a regular basis, this may not be the device for you.

This is the pump we have........
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-Hot-Water-Recirculating-System-with-Built-In-Timer-0955800/100426993

This is the calculations for cost of the pump useage......
Calculate cost of running recirculation system (http://waterheatertimer.org/Cost-of-running-recirculation-system.html)

Good luck with what ever you decide.

[coffeebean]

Sorry but the water that exists now is the same water that existed before. It is just “recycled”. No new water is created. That is why we are taught in school (or should be) about the water cycle. That is why it is so important not to taint our water supply.

The Water Cycle | Precipitation Education (https://gpm.nasa.gov/education/water-cycle)

[coffeebean]

If you turn the recirculating pump on and off when you take a shower, you will defeat the purpose of having the pump.

Hot/warm water for me is just not for taking showers. It is for washing hands too. I will not wash my hands in cold water in my own home. I'm so damn spoiled and I know it.

[Altavia]

Adding a recirculating pump may reduce/void the warranty on tankless hot water heaters.

http://pdf.lowes.com/warrantyguides/766156008528_warranty.pdf

"The warranty period is reduced to 3 years from date of purchase when the water heater is used as a circulating water heater within a hot water circulation"

[Bertram00]

.
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yes recirc pump is the way to go. We had Mike Scott Plumbing install ours 6 years ago. For us - it's a "Quality of Life" thing. Small price to pay for convenience of almost instant hot water. Ours - every faucet/shower etc. 2 seconds and viola' hot water. We have the timer on the pump go on from 7am-11:30pm.
.
.

I find it interesting that you play the viola in the shower - wouldn't the wood get waterlogged? 😆😆😆

[Stan P]

Siding see this in the first page so maybe someone replied in the other pages. If you have an on demand gas fired water heater it’s going to take some time. That’s the short coming of that type of heater. But once it starts coming it isn’t going to run out like a tank heater. A recirc pump isn’t going to do you much good except burn a lot of gas. Agree it does seem to waste a lot of water.

[Bertram00]

If you turn the recirculating pump on and off when you take a shower, you will defeat the purpose of having the pump.

Yes, in that it would save water but not time or power.

[Garywt]

We wait at both bathrooms and the kitchen sink. Stayed at a friends designer house and had the same issue. We just turn the shower on first while getting ready and all is fine.

[EdFNJ]

Don't put a circulating pump on the water heater unless you manually turn it on and off when you take a shower. Even with a timer it cost too much to circulate. Try running the hot water in the guest bath first or the kitchen sink. They make circulating mechanisms for the master bath sink that might help.
Really? How much is "too much?" If it (just guessing) costs $5 month for the water and electric is that REALLY too much? Probably cost less than a hot dog and soda at Sam's club (which is $1.50). Maybe the cost of 1 less beer if you drink or 2 or 3 less soda's. Really how much could it cost? Bottom line is what is convenience worth to one who wants one?

[EdFNJ]

We wait at both bathrooms and the kitchen sink. Stayed at a friends designer house and had the same issue. We just turn the shower on first while getting ready and all is fine. Yea, and Lake Sumter drops an each every time!:jester:

[EdFNJ]

Adding a recirculating pump may reduce/void the warranty on tankless hot water heaters.

http://pdf.lowes.com/warrantyguides/766156008528_warranty.pdf

"The warranty period is reduced to 3 years from date of purchase when the water heater is used as a circulating water heater within a hot water circulation"


Interesting because our former Navien (gas) tankless WH's actually have plumbing connections and settings on their "computer" specifically for a recirc line and have built in pump if the line is connected. You wouldn't be using an external pump as it is built in. We had one up north (sadly we have electric here) and a recirc line was needed to our bedrooms.

[gpkk_2000]

I use a recirculating pump, made no difference in electric bill. I love not having to wait for hot water. And CW - you are just plain rude.

[coffeebean]

Reading all the replies in this thread, I realize that the OP may be speaking of a tankless water heater. The information I posted about the Watts recirculation pump that we have is not for a tankless water heater but for the standard 40 gallon tank water heater.

[collie1228]

I saw a "This Old House" show several years ago where Richard Trethewey, the master plumber, installed a circulating pump to fix this problem, but he added a doorbell button on the vanity to turn the pump on. It had a timer to shut itself off, but it seemed to me that the ability to turn the system on when you need the hot water would be smart, if wasting water was your concern.

[retiredguy123]

I saw a "This Old House" show several years ago where Richard Trethewey, the master plumber, installed a circulating pump to fix this problem, but he added a doorbell button on the vanity to turn the pump on. It had a timer to shut itself off, but it seemed to me that the ability to turn the system on when you need the hot water would be smart, if wasting water was your concern.
Interesting, and it would save water. But, I don't think it would be very practical. You would need to go into the bathroom to push the button long before you wanted to take a shower, because the recirculating pump would not deliver hot water to the bathroom nearly as fast as just turning on the shower.

If you don't have a recirculating pump, the fastest way to get hot water is to turn on the sink faucet and the shower at the same time. You should get hot water in less than 30 seconds.

[dzine]

Lived in St. Thomas where water costed a lot. Drives me crazy, the water waste. I keep a plastic container in the bathroom to put under the faucet to at least catch some of the cold water and use it for watering plants. The shower is even worse and at times use a bucket. But have found running the kitchen faucet first just a short time does makes for quicker hot water to the bathroom.
BTW, regardless the price, water is a precious commodity that needs conserving.

[jerseyvillager]

Look on Amazon for - Watts Premier Instant Hot Water Recirculating Pump System with Built-In Timer
Watts Premier - Price $188. Easy install. About $125 for plumber to install. Works great. Gives hot water immediately. Installed about seven years ago never a problem. Can't imagine how much water we have saved.

[snbrafford]

There are several other threads on this topic. Do a search. But, the only real fix is to hire a plumber to install a recirculating system that will continually circulate hot water through your piping system. Mike Scott Plumbing can do it. It will cost several hundred dollars to install. However, you will use more electricity for the water heater and the recirculating pump. You will use less water, but water is pretty cheap. I think most people do it for the convenience, not to save money. Good luck.

I would suggest Meeks plumbing. Of course everyone has a favorite. I have used Meeks on some toilet repairs and for a water softener install. In both instances, the estimate I received from Meeks was considerable less than Mike Scott Plumbing. I too have thought about the recirculating system and have done a little research. I would suggest getting one where you can program the on/off times (say on from 7am to 10pm) to help mitigate the electrical costs. Meeks told me that a large part of the install cost is getting the electricity to the pump that is located with your hot water tank.

[bpascani]

I wonder if you could have the water heater moved. It does seem odd (IMHO), that the water heater would be so far away from where hot water would be used the most.

[tophcfa]

Yea, and Lake Sumter drops an each every time!:jester:

Hmmm, hope the water coming from our shower isn’t coming from Lake Sumter!

[EdFNJ]

I wonder if you could have the water heater moved. It does seem odd (IMHO), that the water heater would be so far away from where hot water would be used the most. I think it would look add next to the bed in the master b/r by the master bath :D That is USUALLY where the HW takes the longest to arrive. :D

[coffeebean]

Interesting, and it would save water. But, I don't think it would be very practical. You would need to go into the bathroom to push the button long before you wanted to take a shower, because the recirculating pump would not deliver hot water to the bathroom nearly as fast as just turning on the shower.

If you don't have a recirculating pump, the fastest way to get hot water is to turn on the sink faucet and the shower at the same time. You should get hot water in less than 30 seconds.

That doesn't happen with the Watts recirculation pump. I can hear it come on sometimes if I'm in the hall bathroom. As soon as it turns on which is 6:00 am, the water is hot. No wait time at all.

[PugMom]

It can take a minute or so for the water to get hot in the front bathroom.

We live with it.

same here. i just turn on the tap for a bit to let it warm up, because as stated above, we would spend more in electric just to keep it going.

[retiredguy123]

That doesn't happen with the Watts recirculation pump. I can hear it come on sometimes if I'm in the hall bathroom. As soon as it turns on which is 6:00 am, the water is hot. No wait time at all.
Interesting. If the recirculating pump has been off overnight, the piping system is full of cold water, about 3 gallons. If you turn on the shower, it may take about a minute or so at 2.5 GPM to get hot water. I don't know how much of a flow rate the pump generates, but I think, for most pumps, it would be less than 2.5 GPM. I have found that by turning on the sink faucet at full hot water, and then the shower, I get hot water in about 15 seconds, with no recirculating pump.