Bob Heist
New Member
We had a hot water recirculation loop installed during a remodel. Sometimes we get warm water from the cold line at kitchen sinks when no water has been used for awhile. When replacing the Grundfos pump, I looked at the installation. The pump is in the return of the loop and is "T"ed into the cold water inlet. The cold line has a swing check valve installed before the T. When the pump is running and no water being used, the cold water line is hot back to where it enters the wall. Not being a plumber, I am not surprised about the results. It seems to me that the pressure on both sides of the swing valve would be very close together and when the valve is in my hand the gate is slightly opened by gravity. Any suggestions? Would a spring valve work better? The swing valve is mounted horizontally. I wondered if installing it verticaly with the hot water on the top might allow gravity of the gate to seal better and restrict the leaching of hot water into the cold inlet. All of this plumbing is on top of the water heater, close to the ceiling. In a previous house our pump was mounted close to the drain outlet on the HWH and used that as a return to the tank. Would that be a good idea and according to code? BTW, there is also a swing check close to where the return loop enters the pump and the Grundfos has what looks like a plastic ball actuated check valve in the fitting. As I said, not being a plumber, I hope my language is understandable to one who plumbs.