Larry at Mike Scott Plumbing put a recirculater in for us $200 or $300. It's on a timer and delivers hot water very quickly. Happy we did it.

To those who have the Watts system, how long does it take to get cold water from your faucet?

Can't really tell you. Not long. We have no reason to wait, we get our cold water from the refrigerator. Actually, we don't have a whole lot of need for a great amount of cold water. Do you?

Xavier

yes.

Then I would guess that your wait (measured in seconds) for cold water would be significantly shorter than your wait for hot water without the re-circulation pump. With the re-circulation pump the cold water coming from the tap would not be hot. It would be just a little tepid. You'll have to remember that in Florida cold water isn't really cold like it is up north!

Just curious, what would your need for large amounts of cold water be? We're talking seconds here.

Xavier

Our home in Mallory had the Watts circulating pump installed on the hot water heater when we bought the home. It works like a charm and the cost is very minimal. My plumber said the circulating pump uses about the same amount of energy as running a 5 Watt night light bulb every hour the pump is on. We have the pump on from 5 am to 10 pm. We had the pump "gizmo" placed on the faucet at the furthest end of the plumbing line in our house which is the hall bathroom and also at the midpoint of the plumbing line which is the kitchen faucet. I highly recommend this unit. No more waiting for hot water and it is not only a pleasure but is saving water consumption.

Very important to either turn off the pump or unplug it if you are going away and turn off the main water in the house. The water running through the pump keeps the motor lubricated. With the main water off, the pump motor will burn out. We found this out the hard way and that is when I realized just how wonderful the circulating pump is. No more wasting water.

I wondered about this...... Do you turn off your main water to the house when you are on your extended vacations? Just turning off the pump at the timer will keep the proper time but not damage the pump motor when the main water if off. Is that correct?

Very good question. It takes the same amount of time to clear the hot water from the line when you want cold water as it would take to clear the cold water from the line when you want hot water.

The question you have to ask yourself and your family is....do we want hot water right away most of the time from this faucet/shower or do we want cold water most of the time from this faucet/shower? My answer is HOT water (kitchen and hall bathroom).

Hubby has a problem at night sometimes when he takes his night time medication which he keeps in the hall bathroom medicine cabinet. If he takes the medication after 10 pm, however, he gets his cold water right away because the Watts timer is set to go off at 10 pm.

Yes we turn off the water in the house, even on weekends away. We had the Nova Filter System (TOTV advertiser) installed some time ago and he also put a very convenient, large, shut-off value just ahead of the filters. EZZZ-PZZZ.

Shutting the pump off at the timer allows for the timer to maintain the correct time and it doesn't run while we are gone.

Xavier

While on the subject of hot water, how many have wrapped their water heaters with a insulating blanket.

I rarely use hot water except to shower. I would have thought the water in the cold line would be virtually the same temp as the water in the hot line. But, you indicate that the water in the cold line is just tepid. Is that the way it is in the hot line, too?

That's what I was thinking. Just wasn't sure. Thanks.