bikeythekid
New Member
Hello all-
I have just finished (well almost finished) a renovation of a 6 story single family townhouse. The house is 16feet by 62 feet. Two recirculation loops were installed for the front and rear of the house controlled by a Grundfos timer. The plumber installed the hot cold and recirc. lines very close to each other and as a result the cold line warms up overnight (or anytime the water is not in use for 4-6 hours). I have cut open the walls and insulated the pipes but that didn't do much. I have not set the timer so the recirculator is currently on full time.
If I don't know the future owner of the building (single family), what is a safe way to set the timer so as to reduce the warming and save energy? I was thinking of shutting it down from 12-5 am when instant hot water demand would be minimal. The top three floors are the bedrooms so the only hot water demand at that point is showers, baths and faucets. Do you think it is okay to shut the recirculation system off in the middle of the day when people are at work and school and the demand for hot water would be shifted to the kitchen and laundry (both are close to boiler room)? would intermittent on/off cycles help with the warming? Obviously, whoever moves in could change the settings. currently the house is unoccupied so there is a zero demand for hot or cold water. With 5-8 people living there with their water demands, am I right to assume that the warming won't be as much as a problem? If anyone can offer me a sample of how they have set recirculation system timers, that would be a great help.
Secondly, How important is having cold water first thing in the morning vs tepid water? (3-4 min of warm water if no water has run or toilet been flushed through the night). The way I see it, you can brush your teeth with warm water (although the branch line gives 20secs of cold) but showering with cold is no fun. would you rather wait for hot water or cold water?
I'm not against installing another cold line away from hot water lines but most people I speak with tell me that immediate hot water is worth a little tepid water in the morning (my wife and sister even claim to prefer it for morning face washing but I think they are just sick and tired of hearing me talk about it).
I am interested in anyone's opinion on the matter and any advice on timer settings as well.
Thank you,
Bikey The Kid
I have just finished (well almost finished) a renovation of a 6 story single family townhouse. The house is 16feet by 62 feet. Two recirculation loops were installed for the front and rear of the house controlled by a Grundfos timer. The plumber installed the hot cold and recirc. lines very close to each other and as a result the cold line warms up overnight (or anytime the water is not in use for 4-6 hours). I have cut open the walls and insulated the pipes but that didn't do much. I have not set the timer so the recirculator is currently on full time.
If I don't know the future owner of the building (single family), what is a safe way to set the timer so as to reduce the warming and save energy? I was thinking of shutting it down from 12-5 am when instant hot water demand would be minimal. The top three floors are the bedrooms so the only hot water demand at that point is showers, baths and faucets. Do you think it is okay to shut the recirculation system off in the middle of the day when people are at work and school and the demand for hot water would be shifted to the kitchen and laundry (both are close to boiler room)? would intermittent on/off cycles help with the warming? Obviously, whoever moves in could change the settings. currently the house is unoccupied so there is a zero demand for hot or cold water. With 5-8 people living there with their water demands, am I right to assume that the warming won't be as much as a problem? If anyone can offer me a sample of how they have set recirculation system timers, that would be a great help.
Secondly, How important is having cold water first thing in the morning vs tepid water? (3-4 min of warm water if no water has run or toilet been flushed through the night). The way I see it, you can brush your teeth with warm water (although the branch line gives 20secs of cold) but showering with cold is no fun. would you rather wait for hot water or cold water?
I'm not against installing another cold line away from hot water lines but most people I speak with tell me that immediate hot water is worth a little tepid water in the morning (my wife and sister even claim to prefer it for morning face washing but I think they are just sick and tired of hearing me talk about it).
I am interested in anyone's opinion on the matter and any advice on timer settings as well.
Thank you,
Bikey The Kid