HousingZone.com

April 1, 2001
HousingZone

Constantly circulate hot water through the pipes. The drawbacks are that the pipes are always hot and even with pipe insulation heat is lost constantly and energy bills are high. The other rarely considered aspect is that a small pump is constantly running which also uses electricity.

A passive hot water circulation system that uses convection (hot water rises, cold water falls) to circulate hot water. This still has the potential to lose a considerable amount of energy as the water circulates.

Another solution is an on demand hot water pump. Metlund manufactures a device that, at the push of a button, brings hot water to the furthest fixture from the hot water heater. This is how it works.

Step 1 Install pump at the furthest faucet from the hot water heater Step 2 Remove angle stops Step 3 Install all used Ts Step 4 Reattach angle stops Step 5 Connect flex lines Step 6 Connect System of Choice Step 7 Install Button and Plug-in

How it works: At the push of a button or a remote control, the pump pushes cold water back into the hot water heater. Hot water is drawn back to the remote faucet by the pump action. When the water reaches a set temperature at the faucet the pump shuts down automatically. Hot water is immediately available. The whole process takes less than 15 seconds (depending on the distance from the hot water heater).

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