Recirculator pump question

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Unmesh

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We've only recently tried using the recirculator pump attached to our ht water heater tank and noticed it didn't seem to be causing hot water to appear at our faucets at the far end of the house any sooner. On taking a closer look, it appears that the pump is attached to a tee near the cold water inlet and the other end is connected to a pipe going into the house. That pipe vibrates as if water is flowing through it but feels cold even after the pump has been running for a while.

Should the pump have been attached to the hot water side?

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Breplum

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It is common practice to have return piping they way you describe, so that isn't an issue. There needs to be a check valve somewhere in the system on the cold water inlet up top, plus an expansion tank and ideally a check valve also on the pump return.
 

Unmesh

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Not sure what a check valve looks like and we have no expansion tank. Here are some pictures.

HWR1.jpg

Return line coming out of the wall near the bottom of the heater and heading up

HWR2.jpg

Pipe heads up into the pump and then further up towards the cold water inlet

HWR3.jpg

Ties into the cold water inlet
 

Unmesh

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To my untrained eye, it only looks like fittings unless there is one in the pump.

What does a check valve look like?
 

Unmesh

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No check valves, then. The guy who replaced our hot water heater did not put one in when he re-plumbed the circulator pump :(

HWR4.jpg
 
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Jeff H Young

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I had a hose bib to bleed from in past but also there was a check valve so the air seemed like it trapped there. did you check to see the valve down low with no handle is it opened. water heater been there what 10 years so the pump hasent worked in how long? could be the pump try taking that cap off and turning the shaft with screw driver
 

John Gayewski

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You need to add an expansion tank if you keep it plumbed as is and only add a check valve near the flex hose.

If you change it to have the pump shoot water into the bottom of the tank you won't need to add an expansion tank. You can do this by taking the drain out and adding some valves with a tee.
 

Jeff H Young

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You need to add an expansion tank if you keep it plumbed as is and only add a check valve near the flex hose.

If you change it to have the pump shoot water into the bottom of the tank you won't need to add an expansion tank. You can do this by taking the drain out and adding some valves with a tee.
Just wondering why you need expansioin tank ? Ive brought them in the bottom almost every time but didnt use a x tank but wouldnt have thought to install one if at top either unless there was a reason Im unaware of
 

John Gayewski

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oh yea definately need a x tank in that case I put my check valves on the 1/2 inch return n ot the entire cold . Good heads up !
Yeah I don't know why someone would want to do it how the op has theirs. Only on tankless units do I use injection for the recirc.
 

Unmesh

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Guys,

I had a plumber stop by and he confirmed there is no check valve. He suggested the superior solution is to replumb to have the pump push water in through the drain valve but is okay to add a check valve at the top and bleed the system. The way he described the work for the superior solution sounded like it would be much more expensive though I did not have him quote it. Also, it felt like it would be more work for whoever replaced the water heater in the future.

Which option would you recommend I go with?
 

John Gayewski

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Guys,

I had a plumber stop by and he confirmed there is no check valve. He suggested the superior solution is to replumb to have the pump push water in through the drain valve but is okay to add a check valve at the top and bleed the system. The way he described the work for the superior solution sounded like it would be much more expensive though I did not have him quote it. Also, it felt like it would be more work for whoever replaced the water heater in the future.

Which option would you recommend I go with?
The superior version is less work becuse you don't need to add an expansion tank
 

Unmesh

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Sounds good and I will commission that variation (even though he did not say anything about an expansion tank!)

Thanks
 

Jadnashua

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FWIW, in the city where I live, to pass any plumbing inspection with a WH, an expansion tank is required. Check your local codes. They also require a tempering valve to be installed. Depending on where the tank is, a vacuum relief valve might also be required.

So, if I follow your description, the return line comes out of the wall, goes to the pump, then is T'ed into the hot supply? Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't that just be pushing the cooler return water into the hot outlet? How would that line get warm? Without a check valve (might be one in the pump), when you open a hot valve somewhere, you'd be pulling water from both the hot line and the cool return line.

You want to be pushing, or pulling the hot through the hot line, then returning it to the cold side, often the lower drain line of the WH is used for that, but it always requires a check valve to prevent pulling water from the return and hot line at the same time.
 

Jeff H Young

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I would have confirmed the valve with handle removed is open. and just installed a check valve up top on the 1/2 inch line. but not closed off the system
 
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