As you go through my list keep in mind that people only use hot water 15% to 20% of the time (based on a study by the California Energy Commission). As I mentioned earlier people only use hot water 15% to 20% of the time. Gate or ball valves and flapper checks and expansion tanks and whatever else the plumber had on his truck the day he built the line create disturbances in the flow path. When there is no demand for hot water, no water enters or leaves the system.If the sensor sensed a demand (i. Chemicals in water when heated and circulated through copper pipes that bend around corners and turn up walls and curve around electrical conduit and sewer pipes and are reduced in size as water passes through a building is extremely corrosiveIn order to understand the solution it is helpful to know what causes the problem. This is called laminar flow nice and smooth. Whats the solution?Good question. When implementing this strategy do it in stages. The answer is there are a number of things you can do.The Cost of a Leak1 $200 You caught the leak early and it wasn't buried in a wall or under a slab2 $1,000 The leak was in a wall and you caught it early and it was relatively accessible after tearing out some drywall3 $2,000 Same as above except you didn't catch it early and mold and light structural damage had occurred4 $10,000 The leak was underneath a concrete slab but you were able to pinpoint the exact location5 $20,000 Same as above except you had to chase the leak into another rooms6 $100,000 + The leak went unnoticed until someone got sick and you got suedSo there is the doom and gloom.Circulating hot water is the fastest way to wear out your pipes. That means the recirculation line isnt full of hot water and no energy is being lost. The Manual Method2.The Guessing MethodPlug your pump into a timer and guess when hot water will be needed.Contact me directly at the email address below to find out if this solution will work for you or what other options you might have. Apartments, hotels and larger homes have recirc loops designed to move hot water to the farthest fixture from the boiler or water heater in a reasonable amount of time. They are relatively inexpensive and Ill tell you what they are in a minute fine mist sprayer methods of implementing this strategy.The pump only needs to be on when people need water. The Automated MethodManual MethodHave someone go to the switch and turn on the pump when you need hot water and turn it off when you are done. When a hot water faucet is turned on there is a leak in the system. Create a little friction, add in some turbulence and the next thing you know you have a leak. In fact 90% of all pinhole leaks and slab leaks happen in hot water lines for the following reasons:1. Each loop has multiple joints and fittings that obstruct the flow of water. Pinhole and slab leaks, mold, wasted water, wasted energy, property damage, resident/guest complaints and inconvenience all mean one thing. To purchase the On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller click on the link below.First, check your water pressure.It cost you time and money. Thats right.If a flow sensor is placed in the cold water make-up line, any indication of water movement would mean someone is using hot water. Showerheads and aerators already restrict flow to . Anything in the flow path can disrupt the flow and cause an eddy to form.Second, turn off the pump when no one is using hot water., someone turned on a hot water faucet it could turn on the pump.The only question left is how much? Please refer to Table 1 for an idea of how much a leak can cost.Note: A sufficiently high speed pump is required to implement this strategy. Unfortunately when hot water is needed during an off period the timer Newer fixtures like the Evolve line of low flow showerheads have pressure compensating technology built into them and work just as well at low pressure as they do at high pressure.Might be practical for a single family home certainly not convenient but impossible in an apartment or hotel. If you have a high speed pump you will only need an On-Demand Controller. When water leaves the system more water is added from the city water line through a cold water make-up line this is the technical name for the copper pipe that brings cold water to your water heater.That is precisely how an On-Demand Intelligent Pump Controller works. With a little insight into how domestic hot water recirculation lines or recirc loops are built and how they work we can see that the answer is as easy as flipping a switch. If you dont have a pressure regulator, put one in.As it turns out, there are many benefits to automating your recirc pumps operation: Drastically reduces pinhole leaks and slab leaks if the hot water is not moving, it is much less corrosive Energy is conserved since people only use hot water to of the time, the pump will be off of the time.California Energy Commission studies indicate less energy is consumed when an On-Demand Controller is installed. 40 psi is high enough for most 1 or 2 story buildings.
