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Hot Water Recirculation

A Practical Method of Saving Water!
By Attilio "Tee" Giordani, HVAC Segment Manager,
North American Region, Grundfos Pumps Corporation

Every homeowner in the United States has been faced with waiting for hot water at his or her shower or faucet. It is frustrating, inconvenient and it wastes thousands of gallons per household every year. Wouldn't it be nice if you could turn on a shower and walk right in? Is it a novel thought with today's know-how and new technology? Not really. Everyone should know that water recirculation systems are available for new homes, but must be specified by the homebuyer.

The way that Hot Water Recirculation works is that all the faucets, showers and water appliances are linked (in series) by the piping in a continuous line. At the last faucet or water fixture, a return pipe is installed that goes back to the water heater. Also, at the water heater, a circulator pump, check valve and control system are installed. When the system calls for the water to be heated, the circulator pump turns on and moves the water through the water heater, through each faucet, shower, water appliance, etc. and back through the return water pipe. This system becomes one continuous pipe loop with available hot water when you want it.

There are several benefits of having a Hot Water Recirculation system installed in your home. Besides adding value to the home, comfort and convenience are the primary reasons for installing a Hot Water Recirculation system. It provides the comfort of instant hot water, without the inconvenience of waiting and the unnecessary waste of water. You must remember that we pay for water being supplied to the home, heated and drained.

Here are some facts:

The typical U.S. home wastes between 12,000 to 38,000 gallons of water each year waiting for hot water. This water places an unnecessary burden on municipal wastewater treatment systems and other infrastructures, forcing the entire system to process and discharge more waste.

More rural areas are adding municipal waste and sewage systems as new developments are built, putting unprecedented demands on the water table, even in states where water supply has not traditionally been a problem. For example, annual housing starts in California are expected to reach 171,800 per year by the year 2000. These houses could waste 6,528,400,000 gallons of water annually. In Nevada, housing starts are to reach 21,000 per year by 2000, which could waste 798,000,000 gallons of water annually. Between these two states, 7,326,400,000 gallons can potentially be wasted. Essentially, the size of a lake!

As we all know, there are many ways of conserving water, however most of them are inconvenient, such as low-flow showerheads, low flush toilets, etc. Are they
practical, considering we have to take longer showers, flush the toilet twice or wait longer with a low-flow shower head to get hot water? Are we really saving water?

Hot Water Recirculation is a painless method of saving water, energy and waste, without having to change your way of life. Treat your family every time they need hot water without having to do anything differently. Which would you prefer, hot or cold water? The choice is yours.