[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Yes. In our previous house we had an instant hot water thing (which was already installed when we bought the place) that I liked but hubby hated so we never used it. In this house it also takes a full minute or two for the shower water to get hot. Yes, it is a waste of water. Others can tell you more about the instant hot water systems (where to buy, cost to install, etc.)

Welcome!

kathy

I don’t own one of the instant water heaters but know people that do & one of them loved it & used it all the time until he got his electric bill. He said it was almost like getting a bill every month & a half, very expensive! Yes the water heaters waste a lot of water before it gets hot. Florida is so concerned about having a shortage of fresh water. I think think the builders should start thinking about how to get water heaters more to the center of the house.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

Simple physics. The farther the hot water has to travel from the hot water heater the longer it will take to get there..

BINGO, you hit the nail on the head. A good contractor would of thought of that! Wonder how many 10’s of thousands of gal. of water is wasted every day. Good comment Kenswing!

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by champion6

Let's be clear. The pipes are not in the concrete. They are in the soil below the concrete.

Are you sure? I too thought they were buried in the concrete slab.

[gatorbill1]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Are you sure? I too thought they were buried in the concrete slab.

Look in your attic and you will see the pipes

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by New Englander

Are you sure? I too thought they were buried in the concrete slab.

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

Look in your attic and you will see the pipes

Water pipes in the attic? Huh? Why would they do that ? Look at any new construction before the frame is up ... they come UP from the ground/slab even before the attic is even a thought. You are likely thinking of the vent pipes that go through the attic.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by champion6

Let's be clear. The pipes are not in the concrete. They are in the soil below the concrete.

Originally Posted by New Englander

Are you sure? I too thought they were buried in the concrete slab.

Pictures don't lie.

The first two show potable water supply lines and waste water drain lines installed and coming up from below the surface of the soil. The third and fourth show the slab poured over the soil and the lines still coming up.

All of the supply lines and drain lines are projecting upward through the concrete from below the surface of the soil.

So, the horizontal runs are in the soil below the slab, not in the slab. The vertical runs to faucets come from the soil, upward through the slab and into the walls.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

Look in your attic and you will see the pipes

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

Water pipes in the attic? Huh? Why would they do that ? Look at any new construction before the frame is up ... they come UP from the ground/slab even before the attic is even a thought. You are likely thinking of the vent pipes that go through the attic.

The pipes in the attic could be for natural gas.

[DeanFL]

3 pics worth 3K words. Our house being built in Gilchrist in Dec 2013>

BTW we have a Watts recirc pump with timer for 4 years - would not live without it...quality of life thing...

[ckcapaul]

Originally Posted by Win1894

I'd rather waste a minute of water than spend $500 (plus recurring electricity costs) for a hot water circulator.

And the additional cost of keeping that recirculating water hot

[Juliebythesea]

Thanks for all the comments! Don't think I will buy the $500 circulator but I know it's not just my house :-)
Merry Christmas to all!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Juliebythesea

Thanks for all the comments! Don't think I will buy the $500 circulator but I know it's not just my house :-)
Merry Christmas to all!

Good decision.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by Juliebythesea

I have been in the Villages since September, loving every minute! We purchased a home, 6 years old, and I have a question: Does anyone else have a problem with the hot water taking several very long minutes of running at full force to get hot water to the master bath and kitchen? The guest bath is closer to the garage and does not seem to have this problem. Seems like a big waste of water

EVERY DAY! i think its the gas. it takes awhile to heat up

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by toeser

The real waste is running many feet of pipe through concrete without being insulated. If I shut off my water to lather up, three minutes later my water is already cold again. Had they installed some simple insulation around the pipes, a lot less energy would have been wasted. Hardly anything drains heat away faster than concrete.

I am a snowbird with a basement up north. Even in our basement, all of the hot water pipes are insulated to conserve energy.

We are fortunate to have the hot water heater very close to our master bathroom. The hot water is nearly instantaneous in that bathroom. However, we do have the Watts circulation pump keep hot water ready for the kitchen and the hall bathroom which is furthest from the hot water heater. The convenience of nearly instant hot water is quite nice.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Win1894

I'd rather waste a minute of water than spend $500 (plus recurring electricity costs) for a hot water circulator.

The convenience is worth it.....really it is.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

I don’t own one of the instant water heaters but know people that do & one of them loved it & used it all the time until he got his electric bill. He said it was almost like getting a bill every month & a half, very expensive! Yes the water heaters waste a lot of water before it gets hot. Florida is so concerned about having a shortage of fresh water. I think think the builders should start thinking about how to get water heaters more to the center of the house.

Not that we have experienced. It's mere pennies a day. We have our Watts circulation pump on a time so it is not circulation water during the night while we sleep. I have it set to come on at 6am and go off at 11pm. We have not noticed an increase in electric consumption.