Recirculating hot water system

[Vern Lockwood]

When the recirculating pump begins to run all of the showers drip profusely. The house is new and the builder replace all the valves for the showers but it still occurs wasting thousands of gallons of water.

 

[Reach4]

I would get a pressure gauge with a garden hose thread. Put it on a laundry tap or the drain for the water heater. I suspect that the pressure rises, even for the cold water lines, but I can't be sure. A pressure gauge is cheap enough.

Do you have a thermal expansion tank? Maybe you need a bigger one.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

A typical recirc pump is quite small. If they used an overly large one, it might be able to pressurize the lines some (like a booster pump). Otherwise, with the return line, it normally wouldn't pressurize the lines. They're normally sized so that they can just slowly circulate the water at the system pressure (it might go up a pound or two, but not much).

Does the dripping ever stop? The slight vibration on the line might just be 'shaking' the water out of the shower arm and head, and once that drains/drips out, it would stop.