instant Hot Water
 

We love our new home in The Villages, but not a big fan of how long it takes the hot water to get from the water heater to the faucets. Does anyone have a recommendation for instant hot water?

There was an article a while ago on installing a recirculation pump at the furthest hot water faucet. I would get in touch with a local plumber unless your very handy. Several articles and videos on the net.

There have been a few threads on this topic, along with a reference to a detailed article on total cost. I am not going to comment, just suggesting that you do some research before installing the recirculating system. Our shower takes exactly 30 seconds to get hot water, and about 2 gallons of water.

We added a recirculation pump about 6 months ago and while the HW is not "instant" it is many times faster to all faucets. I bought the pump at Lowes (around $200) and installed it myself since plastic pipe is easy to work with and there was an electrical outlet near the HWH but there are "handymen" around who will do it or you can pay a plumber. You also need to install a small "mixer" under the furthest sink from the HWH. The only other way is to run another line (return line) from HWH to furthest sink which is pretty much impossible around here. The only downside is when you turn on the COLD water you get a couple seconds of WARM water through the cold side.

This kind of explains how it works: Quicker Hot Water With a Hot Water Recirculating System

Before I added our pump it was about 40 seconds for the water to get WARM and another few to get HOT in our shower. With the recirc pump it's 10-15 seconds until full HOT in same shower. Kitchen is just about instant now but was close to 30 sec before for HOT. Other problem was washer, when set to hot using the "hi efficiency" (minimal water) mode it never got hot since so little water was used. We would have to remember to run water FIRST in a nearby sink which was A PITA. Besides saving a little water it was just so annoying having to always wait for hot water. Never was used to that because we had tankless HWH up north (gas) and HW was virtually instant anywhere.

Thank you for an actual review of a system you actually installed and use. I too am considering adding one to our home, and appreciate a real report rather than speculation and referrals.

Just a thought, I understand the newer homes have "instant/infinite hot water heaters' not the traditional 40 or 50 gallon hot water heater. I think that the recirculating system will work with the instant water heaters. It would be a good idea to check on this before installing.

It doesn't seem to be worth the effort to me, just to save a little time. I turn on the shower while I am brushing my teeth.

I think this is the detailed cost article referred to.

Ask Pablo: Will a "Water-Saving" Hot Water Recirculation Pump Really Save Me Money? | TreeHugger

I installed the Watts pump. It worked great for about 1 1/2 years then just quit. The pump cost me $200 at Lowes. I installed it myself, so no cost there. It was only warrantied for 1 year. I have never replaced it because I feel it costs less to just pay for the water.

If my calculation is correct, after paying the mandatory base cost for water and sewer, you can use a gallon of potable water for about 0.70 cents. That is less than a penny a gallon.

Huh? (I never was good at math...)

If your shower head is legal, it can only put out 2.5 gallons per minute. So, running it for 30 seconds to get hot will only increase your water bill by about a penny.

instant Hot Water
 

It's not always for the few pennies (if any) cost savings of the water, or for saving the environment, for me it's simply for the convenience. We all do things that aren't REALLY necessary just for the "convenience factor" then rationalize it as being for the greater good of our planet. :) Nope, for me it was simply the convenience of not having to wait 40 seconds for hot water. :) :)

Did the pump actually quit? Often (I have read, not yet experienced ) its just the mixer attached to the sink which is $10 on eBay.

instant Hot Water
 

If you are referring to thankless water heaters (sometimes called instant) I doubt they would benefit from an external recirc pump as they (at least mine up north did) have that as part of the system.

0.70 cents (not $0.70) is 7/10ths of a penny per gallon... which is about a penny per gallon.

The rates are actually 0.21 to 0.42 cents per gallon depending on usage at my address. YMMV.

I have the circulating pump and a 40 gallon hot water heater. The pump has a timer and set the pump to come on in the morning and bedtime for a few minutes.
The pump pumps hot water to a return value hocked to the cold water line. The value would be at the sink that is farest from the hot water heater.

I know I am a little anal, but I use a bucket to catch water in the tub until warm. About 2 gallons per bath. I use the water to water my plants each day. Problem solved.

The pump actually quit. I took it apart and the impeller spun freely on the motor shaft. I contacted Watts, but they said it was over a year old and out of warranty. I don't feel that it saved me the $10.00 that it cost.

:coolsmiley:
Dog's water from the day before into the rose bush every morning. Until it died! (the rose, not the dog.)

New homes in the Southern Oaks area have tankless (infinite) water heaters. Nice because they use gas instead of electric and only runs to heat water when you need it rather than maintaining a large tank of hot water at all times. It also creates extra storage space in the utility closet because of not having the big tank taking up space. I'm even starting to see them build those closets out with that space open all the way to the floor for even more extra space. However, there is nothing "instant" about the hot water. I haven't timed it but it takes a little time for the water to run hot in the master bathroom shower. My water bill seems reasonable to me and my assumption is that any extra water I am paying for isn't costing me as much as an electric water heater maintaining a finite tank of hot water until I need it. I usually start the shower and then do the things I might usually do after the shower (brush teeth for example) while I wait for it to get hot.

Wowowowowowowwow! Now THAT is amazing dedication! :)

how about the energy wasted. when all that hot water is recirculating 24/7. the hot water will leave the tank at 100 degrees run through 100 feet of piping and return back to the tank at 80 degrees.

Hello my anal brother :a040:

I just shut off the water when showering when I’m washing my face, shampooing my hair, and washing my body. This takes about 4 to 5 mins with the hot water running maybe 25 to 40 seconds. I am anal about order and time when showering (Which IMO saves a lot more water than bathing in tub in you’re own dirty water.) This saves more water IMO than the wait for hot water. I too sometimes gather water and water my tropical plants with it.

There is a timer on it so if you want to you can set it to run during any specific hours of the day or night and you can save the dollar or 2 a month if that is what it is, but, speaking only for myself, I'm not using to save a buck or 2 but just for the convenience.

We have a watts pump with timer (on at 7am, off at 11pm). It's one of those little things in life that is not a necessity but really nice to have, and a small price to pay for comfort (esp hers...). Nothing like turning on any faucet and -really- one second later, warm/hot water. Have had it for over 3 years with 0 issues. When traveling we simply unplug it.

I don’t understand your comment. Legal? Kindly elaborate.

I always disliked thankless water heaters. :ho:

Federal law mandates that shower heads manufactured in the United States cannot output more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. There are also Federal mandates for faucets and toilets. Believe it or not, there is actually a black market for illegal toilets.

True, but federal law doesn't forbid you from removing the tiny little "water saver" washer in the shower head in fact many even include instructions on how to do just that. Modifying most toilets is just as simple for a "super flush."

That's one of the things I miss most down here since we have electric HW and no gas. The electric versions are terrible I'm told and need multiple electric lines run.

The newer shower heads can be modified to allow more flow, but I think it is a little more difficult than just removing a washer. Usually, you need to drill out the restrictor hole. Not that I would ever do that. But, where there is a will, there is a way.

I was raised and live in the country. We always conserve our delicious well water. I am right there with you.

I can't speak for "all" but the 3 I have handled over the last year all had washers (well, not really a washer but a rubber edged disk with metal in the middle and a tiny hole) that you pop out. The 2 my sister just got which were very expensive "decorator" models were the same. They made a very noticeable difference in water volume/pressure from the shower head.
Sometimes you think you need to drill them out but if you take a small sharp pointed drywall screw and screw it into the restrictor hole 1 turn then yank on it it pops out without needing to drill.

Thanks. But, actually, I'm pretty satisfied with the cheap, legal shower head that the builder installed. And, I shower every week, whether I need to or not. I think that the Federal law has worked because the newer shower heads and toilets seem to be designed to function better than ever, especially when you have good water pressure.

FYI on return mixer valve
 

Just to be aware. I had a recirculating pump installed years ago and eventually the return mixer valve clogged up and the pump kept trying to pump water. Long story short the hot water line burst at an elbow in a closet wall and flooded closet, spare bedroom and garage. Luckily friends happened to check the house that day, as we were away. Shut off water from hot water tank before we had 60 gallons of warm water (tank set to low while away) over whole house. Cut short our Xmas visit with family

:1rotfl: If you showered more than once a week you might think differently :1rotfl:

Yikes, I have read about the mixers clogging but never heard of a pipe explosion because of it! Maybe a poor "glue job" on that elbow contributed to it? Can't imagine that much pressure being present to cause that to burst. I will make sure I turn off pump when we travel regardless.