Hot Water Recirculation

[bross123]

Hi,

I need some advice on:

1. Pump size and a good manufacturer/model
2. Return pipe size and type of pipe (will pvc do OK?)
3. Is pipe insulation required

This is for a residential hot water recirculation system which has copper pipes.

I have 3 bathrooms, the farthest is about 70 feet from the Hot Water heater. I would like to run a recirculation system to save water and to get the hot water faster.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[hj]

1. almost any pump will work.
2. ANYTHING but PVC. It will get soft and burst when it gets hot.
3. insulatiing the lines will help reduce your power bills and add to the life of the water heater.

[bross123]

hj,

Thanks for the info on the PVC pipe. What size pipe and pump do you think I should install?

[jadnashua]

Your return line should probablly be the same size as the supply line. On the pump, make sure you get a bronze one (costs a lot more than the steel/cast iron), as it is required for potable water applications. My guess is that a TACO 007 would be sufficient. YOu could check out tacohvac.com web site and see what they use in their kit called D'Mand, then make your own choice. Note, I'm not a pro...

[hj]

A stainless steel case pump will probably be cheaper than a brass one, unless you can find one of the small brass ones. The pump size is immaterial since you just want to keep water moving and a larger pump could create a high velocity which could cause pipe erosion. All you need is a 1/2" return line, but be sure to install a check valve after the pump before you connect back to the water heater.

[jadnashua]

Taco makes a circulator with a built-in check valve (it's relatively new). One less thing to install. Not sure if it is available in brass or stainless, though. Check their website tacohvac.com

[hj]

Check valves eventually fail, you do not want to have to replace the entire pump when it happens. Install a regular pump and a separate check valve.