Hot water recirc full port bridge?

[Alan Waterman]

My dedicated hot water return line is 89 feet away from my water heater under my kitchen sink. The hot water and return line are both 1/2" copper 5/8 O.D.

Currently there are 5/8" O.D inlet compression quarter turn valves with 3/8" outlets. The hot water valve goes into a T with a 1/4" braided line going from hot out of one of the tees to the recirc return valve.

There is a ton of restriction. The I.D .569" gets choked down to about 1/8" which is the I.D of the 1/4" compression screw type braided cable connecting the hot water to the recirc.

I'd like to plumb this so it maintains full port from the hot water side into the recirc but can't find any combinations of valves and fittings that will do the job?

There doesn't appear to be any such thing as a 5/8" O.D inlet quarter turn valve with a 5/8" outlet and even the ones I can find with 1/2" outlet still choke down to 1/4" internally.

What should I do?

 

[Reach4]

There doesn't appear to be any such thing as a 5/8" O.D inlet quarter turn valve with a 5/8" outlet and even the ones I can find with 1/2" outlet still choke down to 1/4" internally.

5/8 OD pipe is normally referred to as 1/2 inch CTS or copper. If you look for "full port valve" there must be some hits.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Webstone-40632W-1-2-Compression-Full-Port-Brass-Ball-Valve-Lead-Free
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...sion-Full-Port-Ball-Valve-107-023EB/205822202
https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plu...-in-Compression-Connections-M822234/312505432

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Alan Waterman]

5/8 OD pipe is normally referred to as 1/2 inch CTS or copper. If you look for "full port valve" there must be some hits.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Webstone-40632W-1-2-Compression-Full-Port-Brass-Ball-Valve-Lead-Free
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...sion-Full-Port-Ball-Valve-107-023EB/205822202
https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plu...-in-Compression-Connections-M822234/312505432

You'd think but I searched for hours and didn't find any any. Now I'm sure I could bridge the two with standard sweat fittings between the two stems coming out of the wall but that doesn't leave me a hot water supply for the sink and I suspect not having shutoff valves before bridging probably is a plumbing code violation.

 

[Reach4]

You'd think but I searched for hours and didn't find any any. Now I'm sure I could bridge the two with standard sweat fittings between the two stems coming out of the wall but that doesn't leave me a hot water supply for the sink and I suspect not having shutoff valves before bridging probably is a plumbing code violation.

OK. I missed the 3/8 bit.

Are you saying you want 3/8 on one of the ends? If 3/8, there are a few versions of 3/8. There is 3/8 compression, and there is something for 3/8 ID tubing (less common) and 3/8 OD tubing.

So please be explicit as to what you want the ports of the valve to be.

 

[Fitter30]

Full port valves come in many configurations from shark bite to sweat to compression. Plumbing supply house either online or local might serve you better. Need more hands on help Ace hardware.

 

[Alan Waterman]

Full port valves come in many configurations from shark bite to sweat to compression. Plumbing supply house either online or local might serve you better. Need more hands on help Ace hardware.

As I said before I don't think I can just sweat on direct pass through copper. I'm pretty sure I have to retain the shutoff valves where they attach to the copper coming through the wall.

If you're asking me if I can figure out a way to do this...I can. I just don't think it would be code compliant.

If someone can tell me that I don't have to retain shutoff valves at each pipe coming through the wall, that would give me an option. But if I have to keep the valves, then the only way I can get a full port pass through is by having at least 5/8 in diameter outlets of each valve AND find a valve that is full port.

One possible option would be 5/8" (O.D) (1/2" copper) to 3/4 GHT and then a 3/4 GHT female to female hose bridging the two after I add a splitter so I can still get the hot water supply under the sink.

Honestly I thought this would be simple for the experienced folks here but I guess this is not a common configuration trying to keep full port flow from the supply side back to the recirc side.

 

[John Gayewski]

Take a picture under the sink.