Hot water recirc pump

[NaplesX5]

Is anyone familiar with the Laing Inc ACT-303-BTW? This is the under the counter circ pump that ties in at a sink. I've had minimal success with it so far but we are in the middle of a bathroom renovation and all of the plumbing is exposed, so i'm curious it there is a better way to plumb it.

The renovation is being done in the bathroom farthest from the water heater. It looks like the 3/4" feed comes in for the hot and cold lines and is branched off (2) times to 1/2" pipe for the hot line and (3) times to 1/2" pipe for the cold line. I'm assuming these 1/2" feeds go to the sink, toilet, shower, etc.

Is there a way to plumb the circ pump that would produce better results? The manufacturer claims if you plumb the furthest line it should work for the whole house. I'm not buying it, but it would be nice to have it working on the master shower and sinks.

Thanks

 

[Mikey]

I'm not familiar with that pump, but I've got two Chilipepper pumps doing the same job that I'm very happy with in spite of the silly name. It's an on-demand system, makes a little noise while it's running, but seems to me to be a lot more economical than conventional circulation systems.

http://www.chilipepperapp.com/

My WH is in the center, more or less, of both the hot and cold manifolds. The kitchen is at one end, and the master bath is at the other; the two Chilipepper pumps are at those two ends. They work "on the whole house" to a limited extent; intermediate fixtures (like your master shower and sinks, maybe?) benefit somewhat, but still they have to move the hot water from the manifold to the fixture, since the branches are all single pipes. Unless the house was plumbed with full loops, you'll always have this problem. OTOH, if you plumbed for true instant HW at all fixtures, you'd be keeping a lot of water hot all the time. I think the on-demand pumps at the extremes (or at the most-used fixtures, perhaps) are a good compromise. Tankless WHs are another way to solve the problem, but that's another thread.

 

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[Jadnashua]

A dedicated return line works best. Most of the systems will work if you install them between the hot and cold supply lines at the furthest fixture. Consider that there are always some branches where the water is not circulating, so there will be some water to purge there before you get hot, but it is much less than having to drain it from the source.

I chose a RedyTemp system, partly because it was the easiest one to install, but also because it has a user adjustable thermostat and easy connection to a timer or on demand system. I've got mine set up so at the vanity, it provides warm water instantly. Since the tap for my shower is closer to the HW tank, it is nearly instantaneous.

WHenever you are using the cold water supply line as a return for the circulating system, you end up with either hot or warm water when you turn on the cold for at least a moment. WIth the RedyTemp unit the way I have my thermostat set, it is warm, and not for long, since it turns itself off at a low temp. The lower the delta T you have, the less heat you lose through the pipes, and thus it does save as much or little as you choose, since it is easily adjustable. Maybe I should get a commission , but I don't work for them or get a comminssion!

 

[PEW]

You have a hot and cold supply, what was initially feeding the faucet, go to the larger connections. Important that hot and cold are connected as directed.

Then you have a hot and cold feed, the smaller connections, which feed the faucet. Again be sure to also connect as directed.

Paul