HWH Cold Water Hot

[Lakee911]

Installed my new hot water heater this weekend. Noticed when there is no demand that the cold water pipe gets quite warm ... warm a few feet away from the HWH! Seems kind of odd to me. Should I insulate that pipe too for a short section? Anyway to isolate cold from hot? Obviously losing heat this way.... Everything works fine and its not hooked up backwards. :rolleyes:

Thanks,
Jason

[jadnashua]

Did you install heat traps when you put it in? These are tubes with a ball in them. WHen there is no flow, the ball seals the tube enough to prevent convective circulation, but the ball moves out of the way when you turn on a faucet. Just don't install them backwards! Anyway, heat will always move from high to low concentrations. You just want to slow it down if you can. My unprofessional opinion.

[bigrebnc1861]

Installed my new hot water heater this weekend. Noticed when there is no demand that the cold water pipe gets quite warm ... warm a few feet away from the HWH! Seems kind of odd to me. Should I insulate that pipe too for a short section? Anyway to isolate cold from hot? Obviously losing heat this way.... Everything works fine and its not hooked up backwards. :rolleyes:

Thanks,
Jason
You can install a check valve on your cold water feed going into your hot water heater that will prevent any hot water back feeding into your cold water lines.

[Lakee911]

Heat traps were installed in the HWH when it came out of the box. Any other ideas? Would a check valve make much difference? Would this then require an expansion tank?

Thanks,
Jason

[Cass]

Yes installation of a check valve would then require you to install an exp. tank. With out a check valve, as the water heats and expands it goes back out toward the street heating the pipe as it travels. Heat trap nipples are just to prevent heat from being conducted/raidiating through the water. They don't help with water expansion.

[Mike Swearingen]

You need an expansion tank, especially if you have a closed system with a pressure reducing valve on the main supply line between the meter and the house.
Mike